Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-21

n. n. MURDOCH. Editor.
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY q.
QUIZ WEATHER PROPHETS.
An Article on Natures Energies by a
Student and Scientist.
STAFFORD, KS, May IS, 1886.
To the Editor ofthe Eagle.
A paragraph in your paper of q
few days since, tn which you very cen.
sibly take issue with q certain Mr.
Foster, of Leavenworth, and other
soi-disant weather prophets, and
boldly assert that no man can predict
atmospheric changes, except within
remarkably circumscribed periods.
like those to which the signal service
confines ltself-not more than forty
eight hours, and based upon stimuli.
taneous barometrical observations
over large areas, is worthy of more
than passing thought of the correct
ness of your logic, aud your efforts to
teach your large number of readers
proper ideas upon the subject of me.
teorOlogy, so intensely interesting just
at this season of fitful variation OF
temperature, and the terrible phe-
nomena of tornadoes Improperly
called cyclones.
As you declare, no one can correctly
prophecy of the weather for many
days in advance. much less for months
and years as some claim, and who put
forth deliberately calculated tables, all
of which utterly fail or merely coin
eide as to heat in July and cold in
summer.
1t is conceded that low barometer,
without discussion, is the cause of all
storms, but what is the primal energy
consequent upon which comes our low
barometer?
This primal energy is the sun or
rather is due to the variability of solar
radiation. The fist condolences be-
tween solar variability in its heat en-
anations and terrestrial phenomena
were discovered in the field of magne-
tism. 1t is well understood by the
crudest country surveyor that a
freely suspended needle, although it
points in one direction is, nevertheless,
within small arc constantly in mo-
tion-these motion-constants depend
upon the angular distance of the sun
from the horizon, and seem to be gov
erned by the effort of the north pole
of the needle to follow the course of
that luminary.
There are terrible fluctuations from
the diurnal oscillations referred to,
and which are "constants"-mathe-
maticalIy considered, as stated.
While the celebrated German as
tronomer, Schwabe, was devoting his
energies to solar studies, the English
scholar-recently deceased-Sir Ed
ward Sabine, was also engaged in
earnest observation of the "spasmodic
affections of the needle" and he was
rewarded with the remarkable dis
covery that these strange fluctuations
were more frequent in years of high
solar activity.
The'profound Argo (of France) de-
voted himself TO the startling phenom-
enon, and first established the fact of
magnetic cycles of, in round numbers,
eleven years-their maxima and min
ina agreeing with the maxima aud
minima of solar energy.
In now reviewing magazine article
Ito refresh my memory in preparing
this paper for the EAGLE, which l
wrote several years ago, on "The Gel
ebrated Storms of History" covering
u period of sixteen centuries. am
forcibly struck by the remarkable fact
-confimatory of the argument in the
preceding paragraph-that the years
of the most terrible hurricanes, cy-
clones (purely an ocean stormy, torra-
does, hailstorms and allied atmos-
pheric disturbance with their accom-
psnying fearful destruction oflife and
property, coincide nearly perfectly |
with the years of solar activity and |
or within two or three years |
preceding. or following a sun-spot
sometimes the curve, up
and down, varies-flattens out as
it were, as would be seen if | could |
present diagram here.
Commencing with A. ID. $40, the
great storm years of recorded history
have been as follows: A. ID. 459, 701,
919, 1901, 1479, 1910, 1858, 1896, 1928,
l772, 1879, 1882, 1854, 1888, 1891, 1898,
1900, 1910, 1929, 1889, 1s49, 1859, 1869
and 1879; the latter date and the past
year are fresh in the minds of us all,
and were fruitful of violent storms all
over the world, particularly in the
United States,
1t will be observed that all the great
storm years above referred to, are
into periods with some
missing dates, of which l have no
of nearly decade apart, very
closely approximating the accepted in
Serval of sun-spot maxima-or in
other words, erratic variations of
solar radiation, causing low barome-
5er. and consequently violent storms.
But is because of the fiattening out
If the curve of these cycles at times,
speaking, which de-
troys the infallibility of predictions of |
treat storms on the earth, although /,
he years in which they will
'ccur, may be approximately de-
ermined, and these are the three years {
IS stated, preceding and following the I
maximum of "sun spot period; but s
S to determining the place and the 9
line of storms, while so many causes 3,
xist, local or otherwise to favor or
epel an area of slow barometer" 8
gree with you, that it is the height of {
to attempt it, except within /