Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-01-22
The Remarkable Winter.

The extraordinary winter weather
is, of course, giving rise to all sorts of
speculations in regard to its cause and
to the question whether it is a per-
manent or temporary affair. 1t is the
second successive winter of COM
parative mildness, and those people
who rapidly jump to conclusions fancy
that the climate is changing and that
snow, ice, tobogganing, coasting, skat-
ing, sleighing and the clear bracing
temperature of northern ATTITUDES will
hereafter be found only in literature
and art.
But "a cold snap" before the win
ter is over or protracted "cold spell"
next winter, with the thermometer
scarcely above the freezing point for
days, if not weeks at a time-as it has
been for several winters within the rec
objection of not very old people-will
probably dissipate all notions that
hcnceforth we are to have Florida or
an Italy from the Gulf to the lakes;
or rather soft Pacific Isle all the year
long; when the thermometer will never
be higher than so or lower than Go
for If we are to have mild winters there
are not likely to be hot summers also;
when coal can be had for nominal
prices; when ulsters, sealskin sacques,
and heavy overcoats will be unknown;
and ice will be a luxury until in
vention and capital make it artificially
cheap.
Various excuses or causes for such
winter are given by different au-
thorities and weather sharps;' and if
it were only certain that the climate
instead of the weather was changing,
thee would be interesting and inn
portant. Some believe that the gulf
stream has o warmer affection for this
country than ever before, and so is
hugging her shores But the man
who maintains that there are fewer
spots on the sun than usual accounts
for the excess Of heat on that score.
Unfortunately he does not explain why
if the scarcity of spots make the win
ters warmer, it should make the sum-
mers cooler, as they have been during
the past two years when the winters
have been warmer. A third authority
rejects the gulf stream and sun.spot
theories and attributes the exceptional
seasons to the artificial irrigation Of
the dry alkali deserts in Colorado,
Montana, and other sections Of the
northwest. The artificial watering of
those waste places has increased the
rainfall. This has moderated the tenn
perature and the polar waves that for
nelly started from, or at least passed
over, those regions are now tanned
down or forced far to the north, leav-
ing the scene of their former ravages
open TO the incursions Of the milder
southern breezes or the dreaded
cyclone. But the probability is very
small that the amount Of irrigated
territory and the consequent increased
rain iuil 10 ChouSu w ihOuilt JuuusNuus
of square miles Of territory from an
arctic to a semitropicaI region. Nor
why an equally warm winter prevailed
so years ago, when irrigation was un-
dreamed Of and the alkali plains al
most unknown.
Mr.. Greedy, the head of the weather
bureau, does not believe that the
change is permanent or that it is due
to gulf stream, absence of sun spots,
or irrigation. The immediate cause,
he says, Is the northerly course of the
cold waves. They have swept across
the continent above the lakes and the
st. Lawrence, leaving the field south
of that open to the gulf breezes. But
why they should sweep SO far north he
does not undertake to explain. Be-
fore the month is out he may, instead,
be called upon to explain why the
north polar waves sweep to the south
of the lakes and the St. Lawrence, and
he will probably be as ignorant of that
phenomenon as he is of this one. For
there is evidently much to learn yet
about climate and weather outside as
we'll as inside of "Old Probabilities -