The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-10-15
FOSTERS WEATHER FORECASTS,
And Something about the photographic One
Weather Charts
BY W. T. FOSTER, ST. JOSEPH, NO.
IcorYRIGur. 1sgi.l

tcorYRIGHr. 1sgil
THE storm wave due to cross the continent
from 10Th to 23d will be due to leave the
Pacific coast about the 9th, cross the central
valleys from 25th to 9th, and reach the At
lautic coast about the 18th. 10 will probably
take middle route, aud during its passage
the weather will be quite warm, with rains in
the Southern States, and cool, with snow, in the
northern tier Of States. The warm wave will
precede the storm-ceHter about one day, and
the cool wave follow about one day behind It,
The last days Of October will give evidence Of
the sudden changes, rugged Winter, and ez-
tremes of weather that are Immediately before
ns. The snow Oct was the earliest that has
fallen in the Western cOrn-bcIt for IS years. and
the next earliest was Oct. 81, 1888 The frost
on the night Of 9th and 9TH was 10 days earlier
than the average. Thus, in general way my
forecasts are being verified, although / occa-
sionally miss some Of the details.
The photographic Office of the Navy Depart
ment, Washington. ID. C., publishes a monthly
weather chart of the North Atlantic Ocean,
which IS a model OF neatness and valuable in
formation. IL Is one Of the most complete and
important periodicals ever published aud is Of
interest principally to nayigators. 1t is quite
valuable to planetary meteOrOlOgy also as it
gives about the only information Obtainabe IN
reference to tropical hurricanes on the North
Atlantic. / believe these hurricanes have great
Influence Oh the weather OF this Continent and
therefore the Weather Bureau should make an
effort TO obtain more complete information re-
garding them.
The chart for September shows the tracks of
i've tropical hurricanes. One of these moved
-. II L.
200 people at Martinique Island aud destroying
more than 30 vessels. Another moved from
near the Wndward Islands. Sept. 4. to near
Cape Hatteras, then by way Of Nova Scotia and
New FOundland, reaching Greenland on the
9th. Ii destroyed large amount Of shipping
on the Atlantic coast. The Burmuda hurri-
cane left the west coast Of Africa, passing the
Cape Verde Islands Aug. 10, reaching Burmuda
on the 9th. New FOundland on the Goth, and
Iceland on Sept ?. The fourth hurricane was
first sighted Sept. 10 about 700 miles northeast
of the Windward Islands, was near the Ber-
mudas on the 25d and the Azores the 9th.
The fifth was on the coast of Spain Sept. 10 to
H. causing very destructive floods on the con-
tinent. The chart says: September was I'M
usually stormy on the North Atlantic"
The Martinique hurricane was at its greatest
force exactly when the planet Mercury was in
position relative to the earth where it has its
greatest electrical influences on the earth, and
the Bermuda hurricane developed its greatest
force Sept. q. when the earth was at its
autumnal equinox. These destructive hurri-
canes were predicted in my weather letters.
have no doubt that these dreadful storms have
perpetual life and regular periods, but our
weather records too deficient to permit Of
testing this theory by them. The photographic
chart cOneIusiyely shows that on the west side
Of the Atlantic these hurricanes move in semi
circles, making a sharp curve near the West
Indies, and many Of them can be traced west
ward from the coasts Of Africa along southern
ATTITUDES TO America, and then back across the
Atlantic to the northern coasts Of Europe, where
the records lose trace Of them. / cannot ac-
cept the theory that these hurricanes originate
on the west coast Of Africa and disintegrate just
before reaching Europe Time will prove that
these hurricanes move in welldefned cycles
around the center OF the North Atlantic, or
that they alternately visit the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere, crossing the earth's
equator, connecting their northern and south
ern circles IN n manner somewhat similar 70 the
connection between high and low barOmeters.
When tho truth is discovered IL will be revealed
that hurricanes obey the laws Of electricity IN
revolving spheres, or what is termed the laws
Of magnetism.
j firmly believe that all storm eenters are
permanently organized meteOrs, those on tho
ocean moving with the water currents and the
four that regularly eros the continents moving
from west TO east around the earth north Of
latitude 30 But the records Of the National
Weather Bureau appear to be made with de-
termination TO Obiitsrate these facts.
From Oct. / TO April high barOmetsrs pre-
vail on the North American Continent and in
northern Asia, having the two north magnetic
poles OF the earth as their nuclei, while from
April / to Oct. low barometers prevail in
those regions. These changes are made by the
sun crossing 10 the opposite side Of the enrth's
equator aud in harmony with the laws of mag
netism. the electric currents moving alternately
10 and from The earth at these points
Surrounding Iceland and the Boring Sea, and
covering very large areas Of the earth, are per-
manent low barometeTs, which, like the mag
netic north poles of the EARTH are on opposite
sides Of the earth's geographic north pole The
storm centeTs, ia moving around the Northern
Hemisphere from east 10 west, must move
through some part of these permanent low ba-
rometers aud this is a transient low barometer
moving through a permanent low. But in
making a record Of these moving storm
centeTs the Government Weather Bureau
does not recognize these permanent low
barOmeters over the Bering Sea and about
Iceland nor the semi annual barOm-
eters in northern Asia and North Ameri-
ca; therefore, ouo-half the time the rec
ord of the moving storm ceuters are almost
valueless, although it probably costs 81 600 a
day To make the international weather maps
Ii the various Weather Bureaus would deter
mine the normal baTOmetric readings over the
Boring Sea and the other three points men,
toned when free from storm centers, aud take
that rs "a basis and then. when a transient low
barometer enters these sections, mark the baro-
metric readings minus showing how much the
readings of the transient barometer arc below
those of the permanent with such record we
could readily trace every storm center around
the earth, and meteorolOgy would be greatly
simplliied. improved, aud more easily under
stood. Deficient are the International
weather maps, One-half the storm centers can
be traced by them around the earth, making
the circuit in about % days. have also traced
the movements OF the tropical hurricanes in
the same manner as they move in a circlo ON
the North Atlantic affecting the western shores
OF Europe aud Africa aud the eastern shores of
North and South America; but the same de-
fects appear in the records Is in reference to
the continental storms.
The weather records arc being made for the
use of investigators, but rs the meteOrolOgists
who have charge Of recording these weather
events have adopted the theory that heat is the
cause of all weather changes, and as there is no
uniformity in the action of heat as a force,
therefore, they claim. there is no uniformity,