The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-11
mT. WASHINGTON SIGNAL SERVICE.
winter Experience OF the Obser~ers- Frost
Work-Temperature

winter Experience OF the Obser@ers-FrOst /
Work Temperature-wind.
New York world.l
It is q mistaken notion that the OBJ |
servers are showed in during the win |
ter. The snowfall In November was
%. 8 inches; December, II inches; jan
uary, 1873, and February, 9.5 inches.
The total Of little more than five feet
for the four months was much less than
the fall at the base or the valleys be-
yond The summit is often bare or
snow, the high winds sweeping the little
that is deposited down the mountain
side. DESPITE this. the dull-colored
rocks and weather stained buildings
throughout the long winter are trans
formed into monuments and mausole-
INNS white as Carrara marble.
This effect is produced by frost work.
1t is one Of the most interesting, as well
as beautiful phenomena OF cold weather.
when the wind blows from the north or
west the vapor lodges on projecting
points. The frost work is spun out into
feathery masses, delicate lace work OF
heavier masses like chiseled marble. OF
pearly Whiteness and exquisite symmetry
these appendages sometimes attain pro
digious lengths. Once during the win
ter q violent sleetstorm visited the
summit. The windward side OF
the station was incrusted with a
solid mass Of ice eight inches
thick. Outside of this coating frost
feathers were formed eleven feet long.
At various times they attained lengths
Of from five to seven feet, and were
spun out into crystal threads finer and
more delicate than the glass-blowers' art
has vet been able TO produce.
These feathery forms are not only
beautiful, but extremely useful. The
practical observers are wholly dependent
on them for their water supply. On
more occasions than one has this frost
work been a godsend to them, and their
habitation has been quickly stripped OF
its ornaments to be melted and to in
crease a scanty water supply. In Jan
nary frost work formed on all but two
days, February on twenty-one days and
March twenty-seVen days.
The lowest temperature in November
was 10 degrees below zero, and the
highest velocity Of the wind 100 miles
an hour. In December the coolest day
was 40 degrees below zero, and on three
DAYS the wind blew at the rate of ninety
miles an hour. The only thunderstorm
during the winter was in February. The
coolest day was the I'd, when it was 3e
degrees below zero. The maximum We
locity of the wind was 103 miles ar
hour, although on another day the total
amount of wind was 2,035 miles. Il
was 4s degrees below zero on March
21st, and on the same day the highes
velocity of the season was reached, lbs
miles an hour, and 1000 miles for tht
twenty-four hours.
The highest ever recorded at the sta
ton was 1876 miles an hour on Jan. Il
1873. That was northeast wind II
April the lowest temperature was 10 de
grees below zero, and the greatest wind
velocity ninety-six miles an hour. Elec
trio storms are Of frequent occurrence
during some seasons, but last wintel
there was only one. That was Feb. g.
on the preceding day the thermometel
registered 39 degrees below zero. TIL
air was so highly charged with electric
10y at that time that two persons touch
ing one another would experience per
oorfSb1a chnak