Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-09
CONCERNING ELECTRICITY,
The Evidence of the Weather Map

CONCERNING ELECTRICITY.
The Evidence of the Weather Map.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The claims for the weather map may at first
incite smile on the part Of those who have lit
tie respect for it. Still I am not particularly
anxious to make the weather map the climax
of everything, and to claim more for it than
the facts will warrant. But what the plain
simple facts will warrant that I do claim.
Electricity has ever been a word Of mystery.
What it is no one has, as yet, made known. It
would seem like a primary agent, yet not more
SO than steam, nor any more mysterious. All
forces in nature are mysterious to us. We can
not, in this existence at least, go back of first
causes or primary facts. Franklin proved the
electricity of nature and of the arts to be iden-
teal So do not think that there is any ono
but what will admit that if we can ascertain
what the electricity Of nature is we will find
out what 1t is, so FAR as human mind is able to
comprehend it in the arts. The evidence of
the weather map is a subtitle power of heat; that
heat under certain conditions is the primary
cause Of electricity, and that 1t bears about the
same relation to heat ozone does to the
atmosphere.
That there are certain conditions of the at
mosphere under which electricity will be pro-
duccd Is a fact, fact, too, that the weather map
has made more apparent Indeed, till we mad the
weather map we knew little of real value as to
our atmosphere, and by it now we are able to
understand many things in this connection that
prior to this information were disconnected and
OF no value ana even impossible to know.
We often see in print and hear intelligent peo-
pie speak Of electrical storms" and even some
who cannot understand tine mystery of ''lOw"
ask if that power is not due to electricity. Now,
the cause always precedes the effect. The pow
der forces the ball OF. Of the gun and the bail
does not pull the powder out. Electricity is an
effect and not a cause, any more than the
wind. But electricity and the wind in turn be-
come subcauses and produce startling effects.
So does the steam engine. But the steam
engine is not first or primary
cause. 1t first has to be created
So with electricity, whether in nature
or in the arts. We are well aware that at GER
tain times there is an abundance Of electricity
in the air, but the conditions must be of pee ii
liar nature in order to produce it. II electrict,
was the cause of storms, then it should be pres
ent in all storms and in all parts of the same
storm. But We see that it is not. Some may
claim. however, that the electrical storm does
not take place every time that it is an occa-
sional storm. Still, there is no difference indi-
Gated on the map beyond that under certain
conditions the north low" "a herein referred
to will produce the necessary amount of cleo
tricity. and when we have storms replete with
electricity the north low is always present.
The condition necessary to produce electricity
in the atmosphere is heat. At and near the
equator there seems an abundant supply of heat
all the time, and yet even there it must be ac-
tolerated by the power we term 'low." other
wise no electricity IL produced. Away from the
equator il is due to the relatively north ..low,"
j. G.. relatively to our latitude. for none is pro-
duced on our latitude. wherever it NAV be,
when the "low" center is to the south Of MS.
unless there be at the same time another at the
north.
The wind being from the "high" to the
''low,' If the slow" is to the north OF a certain
part Of the country the locality to the south of
it will get the warm south winds, provided, of
course, that the ''coast is clear c.. no coun-
teracting slow" in the south, as is sometimes
the case Only one 'low,' on a relatively north
line, will not, as rule. give sufficient heat to
produce the effect; there must be two or three
in succession. In addition to this we have the
local condition, which is the result Of slows
far to the north, which is the central and domi-
mating force. The locals that occur here and
there, dotted all over the country-here today,
somewhere else tomorrow, always to the south
of the grand center-are only parts of one
grand whole. A 'low" advancing from the
south, provided there are no counteracting
thighs" or CLOVIS, will in the warmer months
and sometimes in the cooler months Of the year
produce electricity to the south Of liz while to
the north Of 1t there will be none. and the cleo
tricity will travel north with the slow" and
sometimes to quite a high latitude.
esfect in the temner.ta yones .. I.ast roIao
t;ysIv worth Glow ;, With no .b;Sh,, ne.r 10
connteract the eject ~ the heat This will nro.
dnce eI.ctricity eve-v time
Giv.r n nIanat con,no.ed ~ land md r.t.-
or all water for that matter, but sufficient water
ann now.r 10 fnrn;sb 81. haa, tos.,har 18th All
The tsswor.hl. cnndi,;nu. - ~ ~ .1ev ;, ~
here;n reserrsd 10 and tha e,ectr;c;tv !. os,ureJ
avarx ,;,,a W. anu '"o - Gu
IT, .,nnd. .,h =. .,oa .,o.o, 81,
-, ,n. 49, - a. 10, ~ ~" I'M .a1 -. '
-. ,.v ;.,;. M. .no iInt . ~ 'ne
aeue ~ Aesy Vi 'nI een.eI. ou. ,iie nt ~
.Hn s: az. .ue VII iose s'e alIns ii ~.
.ne uls',o's ius'ne 20 .ne sou1n' Tnele 'ne
tne ,oP OF the pank OF CLOUDS tnat are ea.neIeo
a. ION, wnicn evidently inLy MAKES up Ior the