The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-01-21
TIE N%IOONLIGmr.
Some Singular NoIIOns Ia Regard to Its Effect
Upon Materials.

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Some singular otIoas Ia Regard to Its Effect
Upon Materials.
american ArehRert.
A subecrlbsr to La semGincs des Con,
structeurs describes some singular notions
in regard to the ELECTS OF moonlight upon
various materials, particularly those EN-
ployod in building, which prevail in the
French provinces, Several writer's in mat
ters Of construction, including ViolIet.le,
Due, have Rdverted to the opinion Com,
mon among masons, that moonlight pro,
duCes q sort OF honeycombing Of the sur.
face Of certain kinds Of stone, lowing" "a
one Of the architects Of tho last century
says, 40 the dampness and COldneSs OF the
moons rays" ViOllet-lc.DuC prefers to
lay the damage which inContestably ocCurH
on the south side Of buildings constructed
Of porous stone 10 the rayB Of the sun,
rather than those OF the moon, and ak.
plains 1t by pointing out that the suns
rays often In winter cause violent changes
in the temperature Of dafkatone placed in
its light, sometimes raislng the surface in
a few hours from far below the freezing
point to a degree Of warmth quite psrCep.
tible to the hand; so that the south side
oil walls or columns undergo strains from
sudden expansion and contraction which
are not felt on the shaded side.
The French country people, however,
do not share this opinion. Among the
women 1t is regarded as a well known fact
that moonlight Ia not only more Injurious
than the sunlight to the complexion, but
that silk and WOODEN materials are faded
more rapidly by the moons rays than by
the brightest sunshine, while the men
think 1t only natural that an agent SO DOW.
eriul in It's effects upon these substances
should act %unfavorably upon stone. Many
Of them, indeed, 30 much further, and
attribute to the moonlight an influence
upon iron hardly less bauelul than its ei.
feet on stone, and many poor farmers,
who have no sheds under which to shelter
their wagons and iron tools, build rough
screens facing the aouth, behind which ali
their iron work can be protected from the
moonlight. 1t is still supposed by thous.
ands OF French farmers that the rays Of
the full moon in spring burn the leaves OF
their growing vegetables but this notion
has. been satisfactorily explained
by the observation that In clear
nights in spring the radiation OF heat from
the leaves Of plants neal the ground is
often 30 rapid as to chill them below the
freezing point, so that they become Curled
and brown even when the temperature Of
tho air over them Is considerably above
freezing; and II is probable that some OF
the Injurious ELECTS attributed TO noon.
light upon other objects may be accounted
for In the same way. Every one knows
that dew will rust iron and steel more rap.
idly than any other natural agent and as
a screen Of any kind interposed between
wagon or plow and the sky would, by in.
terCepLing the radiation from II, prevent
tho deposition Of dew Upon the metal, II
can be easily seen that such a screen
might, during the clear nights in which
dew Is formed, serve as q valuable proteC.
ton 10 the farmers tools, without refer.
enCe to the Ghade which It would afford
from the moons rays.