The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-16
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some Facts Established by the Researches
of Modern MeteorOIogists.

Some Facts Established by the Researches
of Modern MeteorOIogists.
Meteorologists are not yet agreed re-
garding the law that governs the
origin of storms. Storms of all kinds,
whether they are called tornadoes,
hurricanes, cyclones or typhoons, pre-
sent in general way the same phe-
nomena, that there is an area of light
atmosphere, or low bar ometer, as it is
called, toward which the air rushes
from all sides to fill the vacuum, thus
producing whirling movement near
the center. There is at the same time
a motion forward in a given direction.
The greater part of those who are
within the range of q storm only feel
the wind as blowing from fixed quar-
ter, especially when its diameter is
great, and this may sometimes be
1000 miles. In the very center Of a
typhoon or cyclone there is dead
calm, which lasts but few minutes,
after which the object, be it ship or
village, finds itself in the midst of a
conflict of the elements more terrible
than ever. In this revolution of a
storm around an upright axis the rev.
olution is in the northern hemisphere
from right to left, and in the southern
hemisphere from left to right. To Id
derstand storm it is always necessary
to go back to first principles. Its
origin is invariably near the equator,
where, on account of the eastward
movement of the earth, the winds
have an apparent direction toward the
west; but as the revolution of the sur
face of the earth north and south
OF the equator is less rapid, owing to
Its diminished diameter, as these air
currents diverge therefrom they imme-
diately take an apparent direction to-
ward the east. Given this law of air
currents, it only remains to consider
the great cause of storms, which is the
unequal heating of the air over the
earth's surface. Storms have their
favorite routes of travel. No storm
was ever known to travel from Boston
to Philadelphia, from Chicago to St.
Louis, or from Nashville to New Or
leans; and when the word storm is
used it means the storm center. Storms
cross the Atlantic invariably from
America to Europe and exhaust their
force on the coasts of Great Britain
and France, or not far in the interior.
They never return by the same route.
When large area of air near the
surface of the earth has been heated
to q high temperature it rises, giving
origin not only to the currents that
rush in from all sides. but causing
a mass of the colder airs TO fall from
the upper strata of the atmosphere.
1t is principally this cold air falling
from above that produces relief after a
heated term, after thunderstorm or
during a hot summer night People
say after summer shower, The rain
has cooled the air." This is Il fallacy,
for it is not the rain that cooled tho
air, but the cool air falling from the
upper strata OF the atmosphere, or in
some cases coming from cooler, north
ern latitude. According to the theory
of M. Faye, into an air vacuum at
the surface of the earth falls one of the
eddies already formed in the upper
stratum of the atmosphere. The rotary
motion increases in velocity as it de-
sends. not only from causes inherent
in itself, but because the conditions Of
the lower air are favorable to the prop
agation Of the circular movement.
terrible in their effects, such as the
cyclones of the West, the cyclones of
the Indian Ocean, and the typhoons Of
the China seas. 1t would, perhaps, be
too much to assert that were it not for
these upper currents and eddies there
would be no cyclones, for the lower
stratum OF atmosphere appears to con-
tain all the conditions necessary for
their formation, but it is certain now,
as it always has been, that the descend
ing currents produce violent complica-
tions. Sailors assert that the wind
blows in certain cases straight down.
ward. They have not only felt it, but
they say that it is the cause of that
condition of the sea when the waves
seem beaten fiat upon its surface. 1t is
useless to understand the nature of air
currents and the cause of storms unless
the knowledge assists in navigating the
ocean, and in the protection of life and
property by sea as well as on land. In
this study Of the weather it is pleasant
to know that this country has always
taken and still maintains the lead,
simply because as practical people
we approach the subject from its prac-
teal side. Francisco Chronicle.
Wonders Never Cease.