The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-01-09
hmnsetaon Firo

In long contribution to tho London
Timss Mr.. Lookyer brings the light oil
science to bear on the atmospheric pine.
uomena which have lately been surprising
and delighting Europe aud America. The
ethereal pomps ere reported TO have
derived their wondrous complexion
from plentiful diet at pumce
stones, Me!eorolosis.s have been bean
rom iis original sight in tho straits OF
sundn TO the skies above Java, to Madras
and other points IN Southern India, TO the
seychellas and Maurifius, to the cape and
Inc Gold Coast, to Brazil. Venezuela and
Trinidad. About the period at which,
with tue prevailing currents OF the upper
air and ia the anticipated direction, mat
ter floating in the atmosphere would DO due
In Europe. EuTopesn skies have been
visited with succession oil
Gorgeous sunrisss and sunsets. The
exploded fragments OF KrSkatoa and Its
volcanic roots have nov been dyeinR
European skieb as they shrouded Java. AS
il hos been said that the aqueous gapor in
tke Air is the Chief cause OF The sunset cOlsr
normally, ST . Lockyer iuquires II there IA
excess OF aqueous vapor ht present. New
GA this question there IL no higher huShor'
itv than the Astronomer Royal Tor Scot.
lard, Professor Piazza Smith, and the evi'
dence which the sp,otroscope has Afforded
him Is Of the most conclusive Character.
AQUEOUS vAPoR.
| Mr.. Lockyer concludes by saying. The
| rain hand, band produced as hold, by Il
special form Of aqueous yapor In our air
widely different from that which absorba
the blue. is now OF the minimum, while the
dry air band sat tremendous maximum
Professor Smyth adds, ns corollary, Tho
light, therefore, from that red haze b. =
passed through an extra length of dry
air. This puts an extra amount Of aqueous
ynpor as the cause OF thts3 eunsets entirely
out OF the question. Although priori 1t
seems difficult TO imagine thnt sunset in
| Londen in December should owe its color
atioa to volcanic eruption which took
place many thousand miles away last Au-
gust, inquiries along several lines based
upon the evidence now available really
lend great PROBABILITY TO this view.
| III do not write as u partisan, but even
were one should st,l point out that
there are important gaps IN the evidence
and that there are some difficulties in our
wav, and II is desirable to know whether II
will be increased or diminished by iuture
information. Thus, to give one OF these
difficulties, Mr.. Niche Smith pointed out
quite clearly that similar phenomena
were observed in Europe and America
in 1881, when he imagined there
was nothing v'lcanic TO produce them.
On this the interesting question arises
whether IL Is possible TO associate them
with the elevation OF Graham's Island in
the Mediterranean in that year, as sundry
dim portents seen in the last century were
referred to an eruption OF Heels Much
will depend upon this, and az present
have not been able to get at the records.
However, the point is ultimately set
tied, the beautiful phenomena which
have suggested this article will lose
none OF their interest in the memo.
ries OF those who have watched them, ard
ifit should happen that the ides Of volcanic
origin is eventually justified, it Is perfectly
clear that in the future the beauties OF the
skies will have a new interest attached 10
them, and that they will be eagerly studied
by meteorologists, and utilized to acquire
knowledge OF tho upper currents OF tue
atmosphere, which, up to the present time,
have all but eluded their grasp.