Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-18
GREATSTORMSAHEAD
Predicted by the Lonely Prophet of
Beartown Mountain.
HOW he FORETELLS THE WEATHER
No GuessWOrk Employed by This One in
His Calculations.
DEEP SHOWS AND ROUGH WEATHER

GREAT BARRIN GToN, MASS, Dec. H.
Levi Beebe, of Bearlown Mountain, in the
southern part of Berkshire county. is un-
doubtedly the most famous and the most &C.
curate weather prophet in Massachusetts or
in New England.
He is about 65 years of age, and has
studied the weather for more than 30 years.
He lives on high hilltop which overlooks
q stretch of country reaching from Yer
mont on the north to Connecticut on the
south and from the Hudson valley to far
beyond the Connecticut valley on the east.
He owns more than 200 acres OF land,
and from a high mountain top back of his
barns be has studied the currents Of air, the
cloud formations, the temperature and other
phenomena relating to the weather, winter
and summer, for more than 30 years.
MIR. Beebe is an exceedingly intelligent
man. He has travelled considerably, and he
spent his Young manhood in New York in a
publishing house. CITY life, however, did
not suit him. He longed for the country,
and he came to this romantic and secluded
spot almost two-seore years ago. Mr.. Beebe
has reared here a family of more than Or
dinarv intelligence. lie has several charm
ing daughters, nearly all of whom have gone
Rwav now, but he is living at this time with
one OF his daughters in the home which he
founded.
LIKE A PATRIARCH OF OLD.
He is a man who would attract attention
anywhere. He is over six feet tall and
wears long hair and whiskers which fall
down upon his breast. Years have turned
them to a silver gray and make him look
like one of the patriarchs of old.
A reporter has just come down from Bear
town Mountain where he visited this sage.
The road to his place is up steep hill more
than three miles long. 4 part of his broad
acres are in Great Darlington and part in
Lee. Mr.. Beebe owns a sawmill, and there
re was found by the reporter experimenting
the saving of some large pine logs He
greeted the reporter cordially and when told
that his errand was to find out what the
weather was to be this winter, he shut the
gate to his mill, sat down upon large log
and began to talk freely on the chief topic
of his life.
Your fame as a weather prophet, Mr..
Beebe, is almost world wide, and 1 have
been sent up here to ask you what kind of
winter you think we shall have?"
II have been studying the air currents
for some weeks" Mr.. Beebe answered at
once, land have other data which 1 have
been looking over carefully, and 1 am con-
vInced that that this is to be much colder
winter than we had year ago."
Why do you say that it will be much
because the winds, clouds. temperature
and other phenomena indicate it.
PREDICTIONS FOUNDED ON FACTS.
"YOu have fine place here to observe the
weather"
ayes; there is no finer place in all New
England, and 1 here have a better oppor-
tunity than others to study these things"
''Some say, Mr.. Beebe, that YOU weather
prophets guess at the weather, and that
sometimes they hit it and sometimes they
don't"
Eyes, know that. There is Virgins, of
Canada, and others could mention, who do
some guessing, but never guess. My pre-
dicIions are founded on facts which can
demonstrate to any intelligent man."
Twill you give me some of these facts?'
"Well, look at those clouds up there.
They are running from the southwest. They
are in the middle current of the atmosphere,
which is the one which commands the
weather."
what does the direction in which these
clouds are running indicate?"
"The direction indicates that it is TO be
warmer for the next few days. But the
clouds themselves must be taken into con-
sideration. If they are dark and thick that
means one thing probably a storm, but if
they are thin and light, that means that the
storm will not come along for some time"
"But, Mr.. Beebe, you predict what the
weather is to be for three or more months
ahead, do you not?"
Certainly 1 do. 1 study the middle
current for days and weeks at a time. OBJ
serve the humidity of the atmosphere, the
degrees of cold and heat, and many other
things which L am unable to make one who
is novice in these matters clearly under
stand
Nv hat is the primary reason which makes
you predict that the present winter is to be
cold AMI severe?"
"Well, in the first place the wind has
been coming from the West and North a
great deal lately. Then the weather has
been very changeable. There has been con-
siderable rain, and the snow comes on in a
peculiar manner"
SELDOM MAKES FAILURE.
"Have you ever failed to make accurate
predictions about the weather since you be-
gan to study the subject?"
Certainly have. Every man makes
mistakes sometimes, but L have struck il
right three times out OF four"
Ibid you write to the President of the
hnickerbocker Ice Company in New York
last winter, stating that there would be nc
ice cut on the Hudson river during that win
ter?"
Yes; received letter from the presi.
dent OF that company asking me about the
prospects of ice on the Hudson. / have a
copy Of the reply sent him, which stated
that no ice would be cut on that river dur
ing the winter 20 amount TO anything, and
that the company would better go TO Maine,
Canada or come up here to berkshire county
for the ice ii they wanted to fill their houses.
This letter was written about the 1st of De.
cember of last year, and my predictions
proved to be true, as had every reason to
believe they would be"
"What do you think of the ice crop this
Winter?''
"I think there will be ice enough on the
Hudson so that the Knlckerbocker Com.
psny will not need to come to Berkshire OF
60 to any other place, except up and down
the Hudson river, for their ice. 1t is lit
tie early yet to predict with any degree Of
certainty, but have every reason to believe
that ice will be plentiful all through New
England and New York State this winter. u
What have you to say about the depth
Of the snow this winter?'
81 think there will be no lack of snow
after January. 1 think that it will be much
deeper than usual, not only in this part OF
the State, but down Boston way as we'll,
and all along the seashore. There will az.