Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-12-28
RED SKIES AND BLUE MOONS.
The British Royal Society Investigates Some
Mysterious Phenomena.

Philadelphia Ledger.
The great dust laden air wave of SS3
following the tremendous Krakatoa vol
cauic eruption and earthquake OF August
in that year, has been carefully and meth
0dically Investigated for the Royal society
of Great Britain by committee appoint
ed by the society. In oHr country the
sunset after glOws, with the red skies of
the evenings and mornings, IN the aul umn
of 1888, were soon attributed by Ameri-
can observers to tie pumice dust thrown
high into the upper air by the mighty up
neaval at KrakatoH. Blush aspects Ot
sun and moon also marked the beautiful
dis plays, AMI other curious atmos pherIc
TINS observed from time to time were
likewise referred to the same cause.
But now the report of the committee
reveals new wonders, unseen, but not un
felt, subsequent to the tremendous con
vuIsiOn. At Kew and Greenwich, Eng
land; at Palermo, Berlin, and elsewhere
in Europe, delicate instruments of per
cision i had noted the passage of an air
wsvs, which passed and repassed, again
and again, leading to the conclusion that
the stmos pheTe around the earth exper-
fenced seven distinct pulsations, that
were counted ani timed as waves of sound
were timed. 1t took, according to this
report sabout ten hours for the first a.,
mos pheric waye-beIieved TO have been
started on Its journey by the shock of
the xplosion-to reach Greenwich OBJ
servatory, England, and after that the
wave was noted passing over at Intervals
averaging about day ana half. The
speed of q sound wave, as Prof. Ball rs
minds us, is 1913 miles per honr at zero of
D H. = 49,
hsit; the eriaI wave was estimated to have
sped per hour et rate ranging from GA
TO 726 miles.
The "sounds" from Krakatoa seem 70
have been heard IN q series of concus
sions and reports, Ike the discharge of
| artillery or blasting, that were observed
| from island TO island, at distances begin
ing at Batavia, ninety-four miles away,
| or almost across the whole wide extent of
| the Indian ocean, the "noise" of the Kra-
| kssoa convul ion was transmitted.
Il will be noticed thst the Royal society
| CON mittee calls some of these wonderful
occurrences the phenomena "subseqoent"
| to Krakstoa's eruption, without affirming
that they were actually c.used By 1t. Al
I though Prot. Bal believes that with a
| large body of scientists that the distur-
| Dances were not oDly "subseq 1ent, bui
| were consequent and resultant, be Is care
| fol to com plim ent tne reserve of state
statement by which this BODY of obser-
J vers put forth th ir magnificent concln-
sions, conscious that there is still
chance ths., while the phenomena were
"post hoe" they might also be mon
propter hoe"
"Wher Kraka.oa exploded two centur-
les ago. bIood-red skies appear TO have
bseu shortly afterwsrd as far away ss
Denmark Everyvhers in the world
certainly, where observers are heard
from, .he remarkable skies of the autumn
aud winter of 1Ss3-S4 were noticed. A
strange blue sun made its appearance,
and in the somewhat eoiloquiai phrasing
Of the. royal astronomer. "scamp pered
round the globe in thirteen days" Green
moons, as well as blue, were noted; the
d1st-stream cane into sight az lofty