New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-06
THE sroRMs AND THE PROPHETS

THE STORMS IND THE FhOFHbI%
1t would have been q great thing for Virgins
or Vennor If either Of them had predicted
tremendous upheayal Of the elements during
the first five or six days in February. Both OF
those shrinking prophets will realize rs much IL
their eyes chance to fall upon the accounts OF the
storms and floods which have made such havoc
throughout the West during the past few days.
Indeed, il Virgins had put his champion racket
on the Sd and 4th of February instead of on the
18th of March, his laurels as prophet would
be already won. He may he all right as it is;
he may get his preliminary blow Oh Friday next
and his planet-shaker on March IL he is evil
IDENTITY very sure of it in the serene confidence Of
his own mind but we, who art not able to I'M
derstand his system so clearly, confess to some
msgivings. TO us the disturbances OF the past
few days look very much like the ones he is
after in March. We earnestly trust this may be
the case; for while it would be personal dis
appointment to Virgins, it would be great
relief to the rest of the world. Ii there is no
worse storm coming, the result will simply be
the wiping out of Virgins; if, on the other
hand. he secures his storms on Friday and in
March, the result is very likely to be the wiping
out of the larger part of the whole human race.
Highly as we value Virgins, we must admit
that his loss would be the less of the two.
The points OF resemblance between the recent
storms and the one he is predicting in March are
very striking. All the incoming steamers re-
mort very heavy weather at sea. There is
great deal of wind upon the surface OF the
mighty deep. Many ocean disasters are also
recorded, and considerable number OF ships
have been lost That was Wiggins's first point.
He wanted all ships kept in port on the dates
of his March storm. Then lie said, in language
which was itself hurricane, that the planet
would be shaken from sea to sea and from pole
TO pole.D Something very like this happened
Yesterday. Earthquake shocks were reported
from New Hampshire, from Hungary and from
Spain. That is evidence of a pretty general
shaking of the planet, and in the hands OF an
able claimer like Virgins might be turned to
great use. If anything OF the kind happens in
March. we venture to dip into prophecy our
selves far enough to predict that he will make
the most of it.
But Whatever the result may be i'll March, the
fact ia pretty clear now that neither OF the cee-
brated Canadian prophets foretold the severest
storm we have had thus far. All through the
West it snDwed very heavily on Friday, and
fierce winds prevailed Railways were block
AIDED f,om Ogden to Chicago. On Saturday
came n thaw with pouring rains which swelled
the rivers and sent disaster through the towns
of "A half dozen States. Nothing of all this was
furetold by these prophets. mt least 80 Tar rs we
have seen. What the interchangeable Virgins
has done in private letters VIC have no means oil
knowing. We supposed we had him c0rnered
ON tie date of that January storm, but he
showed, in the letter we published from him
on Sunday, that he had protected himself by
predictions in two private letters. He may
have done this about Fridays and Saturdays
storms. Virgins is hard man to corner tie
has a lot of baudy predictions IN reserve when
be can draw upon ut any time. II he does not
get a storm in one place he picks ~ up IN
another. On his storm for next Friday. Tor ex-
annie. he is well protected. lie SAID IN the
original prediction that "very severe storm
will strike the Atlantic coast on the 9th
of February IL his letter of Sunday
To THE TRIBUNE he speaks of his "pre-
diction that a heavy storm will pass over
the North American continent on Friday
next md saws he will stand OT tall by 1t. But
the North american continent Is different
thing fran the Atlantic coast, and ii Virgins
were no, the llu>trouS astronomer we know
him 10 be we might suspect tim of an attempt
10 - hedge IL wall I've n very remarkable day
on Friday Il there is not storm somewhere Oh
the surface of the North American continent.
Of course if there is one anywhere between the
Arctic Ocean and the lsthmus of Panama, 1t will
bo Wiggins's.