The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-10-22
Where the Cold waves Come From
Henry Vernon. a corresponder

Henry Vernon, a correspondent
of the Baltimore Sun, is satisfied
that the cold wave of air comes from
or is caused by the action of inter-
stellar space, which is cold beyond
human conception. He adopts the
long accepted theory that the sun
and moon must influence the air
envelope of the earth more sensibly
than they influence the seas, and
accounts for the entry of the cold
to the earth's surface by the weaken
ing of the earth envelope at the
earth's poles, in order to get air to
pile up in the air tides at the equa-
tor. The cold of space, pressing
equally against the whole envelope,
would find two very weak places,
one at each pole, and would greatly
reduce the normal temperature of
the polar air. The eastward rotary
force of the earth would. also aid in
this weakening by swelling the bulk
OF the earth and air at the equator.
But the centrifugal force to sustain
the extra equatorial bulk must come
from the direct North. Interstellar
cold let into the envelope at the
North Pole would therefore be thrust
directly south by the force sustain
ing the extra bulk at the equator,
except that it is met by the direct
eastward force which keeps the earth
turning on her axis. The compro-
mise is southeastward motion of
the cold air. The weak point of this
theory is that the cold air, if the
present tidal theory of the astrono-
mers, would come twice day. The
Newtonian hypothesis was that the
moon, in drawing the earth out of
shape, not only made lobe on the
moons side, but also made one on
the far side, and that these two lobes
moved round the earth in equilibri-
um, with other waves or tides super
imposed by the attractive force of
the sun, which force is over half as
great as that of the moon. The con-
stant variations OF distance of moon
from earth, and of sun from earth,
and the constantly varying united
action or opposed action of sun and
moon, have made the study of the
tides a never ending task, and their
time and relative height cannot now,
we believe, be theoretically fixed at
any given point in the world, must
be asceriained, if at all, by real ob-
seryalions. The astronomers have |
long opined that the moon creates
winds, and even influences animal
just how, or just why, no
great observer, excepting Darwin,
perhaps, has ever been able to guess.
The arctic navigators find that it is
coldest with each full moon in win
ter; bat why should the cold wait
for full moon? Why, under Mr..
Vernon's theory, should DOT the
cold. so far as space is concerned,
pour continually down from the up
per regions? 1t would be only to-
ward the equator that The volume
of frigidity, gyrating about the earth,
could have any period, aud then,
the wave having divided, the period
would be one half of lunar revolu-
ion, or little over half day. 1t
IS certain, however, that the two
,oldest points move around the two
poles of the earth, and it would not
De strange ifit were found that these
.old points correspond to i perpen-
Iicular of the plane OF the moons
,rbit-that is, if the earth be imag-
ned in the moons ring or orbit. the
,arth would tip. just as in another
way it tips when put in the zodiac,
Or apparent suns ring therefore, a
'od run up straight from the centre
IF the moons ring or orbit would
lot pierce the earth's poles at all
lines. but, as the moon passed
around, would circle or eplcycle in
he arctic and antartic regions. The
Freely party, for instance, went far
North of the coldest point Money
,ould be wisely spent in astronom-
cal and terrestrial research which
,ould better define the atmospheric
and movements OF this I
planet. Astronomy, like charity,
,egins at home. Let US have
congressional appropriation for
he exclusive study of the mani
oba wave and the cyclone Chicago