Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-05-02
FACTS ABOUT WINDS.
How They Arc Caused and How Mankind
Is Benefited by Them.

! The atmosphere which surround
this earth, the presence of which i
essential to the existence of every liv
ing being, extends to a very consider
able height, and, as the philosopher.
have demonstrated. exerts a pressure
of fifteen pounds on every square incl
of the earth's surface. This being re
membered, we can readily conceive
that every motion or agitation of thi:
| atmosphere will be sensibly felt
whether it occur in slight and gentle
breezes, such as may on a summers
evening refresh all animate nature. OIL
whether it assume a more fearful.
| character, such as when, under the
form Of the simeon. it threatens death
to every traveller in the desert.
By agency of the winds the atmos-
phere is purified from the noxious eff
| fluvia which arise from the marshy
soils and stagnant waters. and which
would be destructive alike to animal
and vegetable life; by their currents
| the clouds are transported into distant
regions, where falling in rain, they re-
| fresh and fertilize lands that would
| otherwise be barren: by their aid, too,
little seeds, provided with pinions or
! fringed, as it were, for the purpose
| such is the beneficent foresight of Nat
ure-are borne along to spread far
and wide the empire of vegetation.
The ingenuity of man. too, has made a
lever of the winds. which he has ap-
piled in the operation of machinery,
as may be observed in wind-mills; also,
in taking advantage of their power,
and adapting them to his service by
the ingenious manner in which the
sails of ship are set to catch every
side-wind that may still urge her on
her voyage.
The cause of winds is simple and
easily understood. When the air, by
which we are surrounded becomes
specifically lighter, in consequence of
which it mounts upwards: and the
colder and denser air which surrounds
the mass thus rarified, rushes in to
supply its place.
When the door OF heated apart
ment is thrown open. a current of air
is thereby Immediately produced; the
warm air from the apartment passing
out near the top OF the door, and the
cold air from the passage rushing in
below.
On applying these principles to ac-
count for the orr gin of the wind, we
find that, when the rays from the sun,
by their reflection from the earth's
surface. have rarified portion of the
surrounding air, the air so rarified as
cends into the higher regions of the
atmosphere. and the colder air by
which it was surrounded moves for
ward in a sensible current to fill the
vacuity. When, also, a condensation
of vapOr in the atmosphere suddenly
takes place, giving rise to clouds
which speedily dissolve in rain,
the temperature of the surround
ing air is sensibly altered. and
the colder, rushing in upon the warmer,
gives rise to a sudden gust of wind.
For this reason cold, heavy shower
passing over head with Il hasty fall of
snow or hail, is often attended with a
violent and sudden gust of wind, such
as sailors call "a squall,' which ceases
when the cloud disappears, but is re-
newed when another cloud, sweeping
along in the same direction, brings
with it a fresh blast. Accordingly,
whistling, or bowling, or noise of the
wind, is universally considered to be
OF rain, because it indicates
that change is taking place in the
INV Of ha nty
to the vapor in its higher regions be-
ing condensed into rain-clouds.
The general nature Of the winds in
this and in other countries depends
very much on the character of the |
region whence they may have swept, |
and. accordingly, it is necessary to re-
that the globe is divided into
five zones or belts-the torrid. which |
is exposed to the direct rays of the sun;
the two temperate zones. which. meet |
ing the rays of the sun obliquely, en-
JOY a moderate degree of heat; and |
the two frigid zones, which, deprived |
of the heat of the sun for a great part |
of the year, and during the other part |
receiving his rays still more obliquely, |
are regions of ice and snow.
Currents of wind are described not |
according to the point to which they
proceed, as is the case with the cur
rents of the sea, but according to that
from which they are derived.
By westerly current Of water we
imply a current flowing towards the
west; by "a westerly current of air, one
coming from the west. We may now
therefore observe, that wind is moist
because it comes from the Atlantic,
where great quantity of vapors arise.
When mingled with that of the south,
which comes from the torrid zone, it is
particularly warm. The
wind is the driest which comes from
the continent of Asia, where there are
few seas The north wind, however,
is the coolest, because it sweeps from
the immense tracts Of ice and snow in
the frigid zone. The northeasterly
winds are in this country proverbially
chilly and bitter.-N. Y. Ledger.
"B'ILIN' THE WATER"
a nIa;pa Comments TDon Seeing n |