The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-03-13
The Thermometer HABIT.
New-Englanders Watch the Mercury Care
fully.

=
tiful and artistic duel of words on the sub
ject of cold weather, you must get a man
from Northern Vermont and man from
Northern New Hampshire to ''swap"
weather experiments. Some objector
will at once say, of course, that neither
of these men knows as much about cold
weather as their more northern neigh
Dor, the Canadian. But the implied in
ference that the Canadian could talk
more eloquently about low temperatures
than the citizens we have designated 10
not founded on fact. For your Canadian
is either so constituted that cold weather
is not cold weather to him, or else he is
so chilled through by it that he won't
talk about it. But who ever yet knew
a Yankee who was not intimately ac-
quainted with all the possibilities of low
temperature in his part of the state and
was not willing to back the record of
his Thermometer against that of any
other man?
And talking about thermometers sug-
gests the question, what do you know
about the Thermometers antecedentS?
Very little, probably. The thermome-
to be grumbled ct, perhaps even to be
denounced, but to be accepted, never
theless. Boston has always claimed to
turn out the best thcrmom eters, 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 Boston. Thomas
Pool, an Englishman, was rival to
him in the business. Pool had two
brothers who came to this city and
began to manufacture thermometers.
| The Pools were all sllillful worlimen,
and they are entitled to the credit of
making the first high grade thermome-
ters in this country.
Before thermometers were made in
this country they were imported from
France, Germany and England, and even
now great numbers are importe I, gen
orally cheap grades which can be sold
below the price of the domestic article.
The higher grades of European ther-
mometers are no cheaper or better than
the same grades in this country, and SO
they are not imported.
That the New Englanders are weather
sharps is proved by the fact that more
Thermometers are sold in New England
than in any other part of the country.
In many parts Of the west and south q
Thermometer is rarely seen, the people
having little or no interest in the state
of the temperature. But the Yankee,
especially in Vermont, New Hampsh re
md Mninn al 70 lnnl- NJ 10
Thermometer as soon as he gets up, and
maybe half dozen times during the
day. The Thermometer habit, indeed, is
one of the marked 'ractcristics of the
Yankee. and it has IN him much the
same stimulating effect that cocktail
has on the average citizen. After his
glance at the thermometer, he goes in to
breakfast in u state of suppressed
though joyous excitement, feeling that
there is at least one topic of CONVERSE
ton that is absolutely fresh; for though
the weather itself is as old as the world,
the record of the Thermometer is always
new.
The aperture in the tube of a ther-
nometer is smaller than the finest hair.
And though it appears to be round it is
not; for if it were, the mercury could
not be easily seen. 1t is, therefore,
made fiat, and then the glass magnities
it so that it seems to be quite large. To
bring it out still more distinctly, a
maker of Bosom recently conceived the
idea of backing the tube with thin
film of white sizing. This device is
now generally adopted by the foreign
makers.
Mercury is generally used in Their
mometers because it is more regular in
its contraction and expansion. 1t is
indeed impossible to make spirit Their
mometcr that will be as trust worthy as
one in which mercury is used. In a mer-
curial thermometer the degree marks
are all the same distance apart, because
the expansion under all conditions is
uniform. But in a spirit Thermometer
the degrees are wider apart at the top
because the expansion increases at q
greater ratio aftera certain temperature
is reached. Though not so trustworthy
spirit thermometers are necessary, as
mercury freezes at 40 degrees below
, zero. Spirits of wine is generally used
and is colored red SO that it will be
more visible to the eye.
In a correct thermometer. the scale is
'raduated to the requirements of the
> tube to which it is fitted, SO that every
correct Thermometer must have Specia
! scale of it's own. That is to say, i
wouldn't do to put the tube OF one
thermometer in the frame of another
Of course, in the very cheap grades o
Thermometers such accurate adjust
. ments are not made, and therefore thei
! records are only approximately correct
: The best thermometer tube made will
cost about five dollars; but Their
mometer may be made to cost almos
any price, according to the wayin wh.cl
it is mounted.
-, AS every one knows, the Farhenhe
! scale is that most commonly used IL
this country. Fahrenheit arbitraril,
. assumed a limit of cold which he terme
!, zero. This makes the freezing point 3
degrees above zero, and the boiling POI,
2l2 degrees above zero. AS matter
g fact, however, in northern ATTITUDES
+ the temperature in winter frequently
s falls below the zero point, so that ther
k is no scientific reason why the ger
}. point in the Fahrenheit scale should b
4 where it is. A much more scientlti
Va