New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-01
THE THERMOMETER HABIT.
YEw-DSGi,ANDERS WATCH THE MERCURY
CAREFULLY.

NEW ENG IANDERS WATCH THE MEROOhf
CAREFULLY
7, Won really want to witness beautiful and artistic
ducI OF words on tho subject OF cold weather you must
yet a man from Northern Vermont and a man from
Northern New-IIampshre to swap" weather expert
ences some objectOr will at say. of course. that
neither OF these men knows much about cold weather
ne their more northern neigbor, the Canadian. But
the implied inference that the Canadian could talk more
eloouentv about low temperatures than the citizens
we have designated IS not founded on fact For yOnr
Canadian Is either constituted that cold weather Is
not cold weather to him. else he Is chilled through
By It that he won't talk about it. But who ever Yet
know Yankee who not intimately acquainted WIN
all tho possibilities of low temperature in his part OF
tho State and not willing to back the record OF
his Thermometer against that Of any other man
And talking about thermometers suggests the ques-
ton, What do you know about the thermometer
antecedents7 Very little probably. The thermometer,
rte the weather is taken as fact to be grmDied az
perhaps even 10 be denounced, but to be accepted
nevertheless. Boston has always claimed 70 turn ont
the best thermometers, though that claim IS vigorously
disputed by New York and Baltimore. About seventy
years ago an old ScOtchman named Pollock began the
manufacture Of fine thermometers In BoStoh'
Thomas Pool. an Engshman was rival
TO him in the business. Pool had two brothers
who to this city and began to manufacture ter
momcters. The Pools all sklful workmen, ana
they are entitled to tho credit Of making the first high
grade thermometers in this country.
Before Thermometers were made in this country
they were imported from France, Germany and Eng
land and even now great numbers are imported gen.
orally cheap grades which be sold below the price
Of ts domestic article The higher grades Of European
thermometers no cheaper or better than the same
grades in this country, and they are not imported.
That the New Englanders are weather sharps Is
proved 10y the fact that more thermometers are SOLD IN
New FL gland than in any other part of the country
In many parts Of the West and South thermometer is
rarely seen the people having little or no interest in
the state of the temperature. But the Yankee especially
i'm Vermont New Hampshire and Maine, always wants
10 look at the thermometer soon a he
gets mp, and maybe half dozen times during
tho day. The thermometer habit, indeed. Is one
of the marked characteristics Of the Yankee, and it has
upon him much the same stimulating effect that
cocktail IA, on the average citizen After his glance
at the thermometer he goes I'm 10 breakfast In state
Of suppressed though joyous excitement. feeling that
there is at least one topic of conversation that is abb
solutev fresh: for though the weather Itself IS aS old
a the world the record OF the thermometer IS always
new.
The aperture in the tube Of thermometer is smaller
than the finest hair. And though 1t appears 10 be
round it is not for If it the mercury could not
be easily seen. II is, therefore, made fiat, and then
the glass magnihcs it 50 that it seems TO be quite
large TO bring il ont still Distinctly. a maker
Of noson recently conceived the of backing the
tube with thin film OF white sizing. TINS device Is
now generally adopted by the foreign makers:
Mercury IS generally used in thermometers because
II i, more regular in its contraction and expansion
II is indeed impossible 10 make spirit thermometer
that will be Trustworthy one IN which mercury IS
used. In a mercurlal thermometer tue degree marhs
are all the distance apart because the expansion
under all conditions Is uniform. But IN a
spirit Thermometer the degrees are wider apart
Al the top because the expansion increases
at % greater ratio after certain temperature
i, reached. Though not 80 trustworthy, spirit thor,
m0mctcr, necessary, as mercury icezcs Al ~
degrees below zero. spirits of wine Is geheralY
used and j, colorcd red that il will be more
In a correct Thermometer the scale is graduated 10
the requirement, OF the tube 20 which ~ Is htted 50
that every correct Thermometer must have speclal
scale Of That Is TO say, II wouldn't 90 10 put
hc tube of one thermometer in the frame OF another
of course. in the very cheap grades Of thermometers
such accurate adjustment, are not made ana therefore
their records ara only approximately correct Inc De>'
fuhr made will about %. but tcr-
monccr may made 10 cost almost any price, accoNi'
ug To the way in which II IS mounted , .
\, every knows, the Fahrenheit scale Is that
most commonly used In this country. tahiehhelI
arbitrarily assumed "A limit Of cold when ne tclHHl
zero Tni, makes the freezing point thrtytw two degrees
above zero. and the boiling point 2l2 degrees above
zero \s "A matter Of fact. however. in Northern la-
tudcs the temperature In winter frequently allS below
10 zer nninf so that there is scientific reason why
bn zero pont I'm the Fahrenheit scale should be where
n f. \ much more scientific scale i that known a.
The Ccntgradc. which marks the point at when water
froczcs zero. and divides the space between tldt
and the point NJ which water bOs Into one hundred dc
5rees In the Rcaumur scale marks the freezing
nnp, and eighty above The boiling point Many
self -ori .tering thermometers are now uSed lHe>c
INSTRUMENT, mark the highest or lowest temperature
,chcd AZ thc coso nav he that the weather sharp
can play no pranks without his learning OF them.