Huntsville gazette., 1883-01-06
Wiggin's Storm.

by Scientific Persons. These were called
lmpostors, and those who put trust in
them were denounced as ignora.st and
foolish people. OF late there has been
a great change in the attitude of Selen-
tltic Persons in regard to prophecy.
They have themselves become prophets.
AT preseu5 they restrict themselves to
predicting the weather, but it is hardly
to be expected that they will long con-
fine themselves to single field. In
that field, however, they prophesy with
the utmost GOODNESS and confidence, and
there is not professional gypsy or as
trologist living who is more bold and
reckless than the last and most eminent
OF the Scientific Predicters of Weather.
| MIR. Vennor was the leading weather
prophet year ago, but this winter we
hear nothing of him. 1t must be con-
fessed that as prophet he was fail.
ure. The trouble with him was that he
provided margins for his prophecies.
For example, he was in the habit of pre-
dieting some storms son or about" the
third, fourth, or fifth day of a given
month. and if storm really occurred
within five or six days of that rather ex-
tensive period he would claim that his
prophecy was correct. This dissatisfied
the people. They felt that MIR. Vennor
allowed himself too wide margin for
each prophecy. In fact, his weather
prophecies were not much more definite
than those of the old fashioned alma
macs, in which people were assured that
it would be cold in the month of Feb
ruary and hot in July and August.
The mistakes of Mr.. Vennor have
been entirely avoided by anew Canadian
prophet-Prof. Virgins. There is no
uncertainty in the latter persons pre-
dictions, and they are weakened by no
| margins. Moreover, he understands
that the predictions of ordinary weather
! will no longer attract attention, and he
has, therefore, predicted storm such
as never vet has visited this continent.
1t is to reach the Atlantic States on the
18th of March next, and will destroy
nearly everything except the hotels in
the inland mountain districts and in
Upper Canada.
Prof. Virgins knows all about this
great storm. He tells US it is to come
from the Pacific; that it will cross the
narrow part of the continent south of
Jne nto Uranoe, ana UlIDU it win follvu
THO 0v.ir ourcaIn rv,svl-~- ONO
Island, where its worst fury will expend
itself. He urges the Government to
permit no ships to leave the harbor
during the period Immediately preced-
ing the arrival of the storm, and al
though he Goes not expressly advise the
residents of the Atlantic slope to take
board prior to the 18th of March either in
Montreal or in certain mountain hotels
in New York and New England, he
clearly intimates that such course will
be their only salvation.
This is certainly a straightforward
prophecy, to which no exception can be
taken on the score of vagueness. 1t is,
however, only part of what Prof.
Virgins could predict if it were made
an object to him. He knows all the de-
tails of the great storm. 1t is to strike
the Pacific coast at the western extremi-
ty of the Isthmus of Nicaragua, and will
cross by the old Nicaragua route, tear
ing up the earth on its way so as to rem
der the work of constructing the
Nicaragua Canal mere child's play.
Prof Wiggins had originally intended to
bring his storm across the Isthmus of
Panama, but as NJ. de Lesseps failed to
make liberal arrangements with him he
finally came to an agreement with the
promoters of the Nicaragua scheme. On
reaching the Gulf the storm will, as has
been said, follow the Gulf Stream. If,
however, proper inducements are ex-
tended to the Professor he will arrange
to bring the storm directly across the
upper part of Florida, so as to facilitate
the making of a ship canal across that
peninsula. At 1886 a. m. on March III
the storm will strike Long Island and in
an instant destroy all the mosquitoes
and nearly all the summer boarding
houses in the three counties. An enor-
nous tidal-wave will sweep over the
whole island, with the solitary exception
of the Estate, the property OF which be-
ing situated on the lofty table;land Of
Hampstead Plains, at height of 100
feet above the sea, will be safe from a
tidal wave, which. in accordance with
Prof. Virgins arrangements, will be
only 145 feet high. The number OF people
who will perish in this great flood can
hardly be estimated, but it will not fall
short of 8,400, and the destruction OF
property will be almost incalculable.
From Long Island the storm will
proceed to New England by the old
route from Greenport to Newport, and
will ravage Rhode Island, Eastern
Massachusetts,, New Hampshire, Maine,
and Nova Scotia. Prof. Wiggins is as
vet undecided as to whether he will
send it to the north pole, where it can
do no harm, or whether he will launch
it against Great Britain, but the proba-
bilities are that, being British subject,
he will spare the British Islands.
These mere matters of detail the Pro-
fessor has hitherto confided only to his
most intimate friends. 1t il time, how
ever, that they should now be made
public. Long Islanders who can not
place themselves under the protection
of the Estate, and New Englanders gen.
orally, will do we'll to write to Prof.
Wiggins at once, asking him to give
them the address of country boarding
houses and Montreal hotels where they
can seek refuge during the storm. They
can not feel too grateful to him for the
warning which he has given them, and
tho n1,htic Cnnnrallv can not ayDresS too