Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-02-26

Oaaoss = 1Mboes.
Among the practical questions with
which men IT science are called upOn
to deal few are more interesting than
that OF the origin and nature Of great
fogs. IL ID only about eleven years
since the TRUE cause Of fogs was dis
covered. Mr.. Aitken, an English
man. demonstrated by experiments in
1880 that fogs arise from the presence
Df dust floating 10 the air. Each
minute particle OF dust, too small In
itself to be visible to the eye. serves
rs q point OF condensation for the
moisture OF the atmosphere, and as
the moisture gathers, the particle he
becomes q Visible speck OF mist.
Millions OF millions Of such particles,
each loaded with condensed vapor,
constitute q fog.
Careful Investigations have shown
that even the clearest air contains
an astonishing amount Of dust, while,
as everybody can e ut a glance, the
atmosphere In and near cities is filed
with microscopic floating particles
that frequently rob 1t Of much 0f It's
transparency; but while perfectly
clear air seems u thing earnestly to
he desired, yet Mr.. Athens expert
ments showed that but for the dust
in The air We should probably find
existence far more trying than it is
now.
The dust particles being absent, the
~ nNnlVNhnenfp ppu{SNA1mn rrun..tl xo.,
dense upon the trees, the grass. the
ground, upon our clOthes and faces,
upon the walls, floors, and ceilings of
houses inside and out, 50 that during
such times as the air Ia charged with
an unusual amount OF humidity, we
should he covered and surrounded on
oil sides with steaMs Of moisture.
That would probably be the form
in which w should then get rain, in
stead OF having it fall in showers
from the sky as it now does.
Still, although it thus he shown
that dust In the air serve admirable
purposes, it has 81 course many dis
agreeable and injurious features. Not
the least Of these Is Its effect in pro-
ducing phenomena as the celebrated
fog OF London.
Such fOgs are not confined to Lon
don, but occasionally make their ap-
pearance over all large and busy
cities, especially those where a great
deal Of smoke exists. The smoke
particles not only form excellent little
fog-condensers, but they give to the
fog that black and gloomy color which
Is especially noticeable in the fOgs of
London. More or less poisonous in
gradients, such as sulphuric acid, are
also found in the fogs Of great cities.
1t Is natural to suppose, and 1t has
often been asserted, that such fogs
largely increase the death-rate OF the
cities afflicted by them; but recent in
vestiRatiOns by Nj. w. J. Russell indi-
cate that while many more deaths oc-
cur In London just after a great fog,
yet 1t is probable that the real cause Of
the increase is not 70 much the fog it.
self as the sudden fall OF temperature
by which it Is ordinarily accompanied.
he finds that fOgs not accompanied
by q fall Of temperature are not fol-
lowed by an Increase In the death.
rate. =
By cutting of the sunshine, how.
ever, city fogs cause great injury to
health, and their destructive effects
upon some OF the plants in the great
botanic gardens at Kew have proved
10 alarming that Prot. Thiselton- Dyer,
the director OF the Kew Gardens, fears
that refined horticulture may become
impossible In the vicinity or London
II the fOgs continue to increase In
number and Intensity.
One remedy recommended il the
substitution OF some fuel In the place
OF coal which will not I'LL the atmos.
phere with SCOT and dust.