Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-09-29
CONTRASTS OF CLIMATE.


when Eastern Folks Seek the Seashore,
California People Fly to the Mountains.
an Francisco Real Estate journal.
1t is interesting to see how singularly
contrasted are the sliding scales of tenn:
pera jure on our eastern and western
shores of the continent. On one side,
the entire length of the Atlantic coast,
temperature has been almost unendur-
able and the mortality of both man and
beast in all the large cities has exceeded
all precedents. Business has been in a
measure suspended, and great gloom
has overshadowed a large area of
country. The nights were as oppressive
as the days, and the death-rate among
children were reported as fearful.
On this coast, on the contrary, and
especially in and around this city, the
temperature has been almost too cool for
comfort, and, with the exception of a
few days in March, few persons have
vcntured to change their heavy clothing
for anything claiming the texture of
summer suit. Even in the interior,
where the thermometer often runs up to
the mark of 1902 degrees during the day
the temperature rapidly sinks as the
sun goes down behind the western hills,
mi refreshing sleep enllvens the weary
worker for the coming day.
On the eastern shore of our Atlantic
,oast, the warm waters of the Gulf
Stream flow steadily along the coast
from south TO north, and the atmosphere
is more or less charged with humidity
# greater or less density, so that as the
earth absorbs the suns burning heat
through the day and the medium of
more or less moist atmosphere, so radia-
ton at night is Interrupted by this float
ing wave OF cloud suspended between
ghe earth and space, and so the ascend
ing rays of heat are reflected back to the
earth by this unseen agency. The
absence of air currents during the sum.
mer months renders the heat concen.
trated, and it burns with correspond
in~ intcntness.
On the Pacific shore precisely the
reverse of these conditions exists. Gil
matte causes are present which give
dry and wet season to a great length of
the coast, and during the period of the
former, which is in summer, the cloud
less skies offer no intervening medium
between the earth and space, so that, as
the sinks to rest in the west, the work
Of radiation begins, and the accumulated
heat of the day passes uninterrupted
into space, and so the cooling process
goes on, giving comfort and rest TO
weary people who too frequently en-
joy the tranquili2ing blessing without
one thought as to the source or cause.
Again, ON this coast, the ocean cur
rents are reversed and the shore-waters
are cooled by the great stream flowing
nOrlhward from Japan TO the Arctic
ocean, and thence after the natural de-
lection on the Alaskan shores are turned
south, and so cool the atmosphere in
their progress.
San Francisco, being peninsula,
with the great bay on one side and the
ocean on the other, comes in for full
share of this cooling influence during
the summer months when the trade
winds sweep over this cool stream from
the Arctic and the equable temperature
of the bay balances the opposite side of
her boundary; and it is not generally
known that the waters of the bay sell
dom vary in temperature during the en-
tire year, being in the neighborhood of
60 degrees. Thus is the temperature of
the winter months softened within the
citys peninsula, and the most delicate
plants grow and thrive unprotected and
exposed to the full influence of the
changing seasons.
In the Eastern cities people fly to the
sea shore to get full breath of refresh
ing air free from warm humidity. In
San Francisco they fly to the country
and the mountains for relaxation and
warmth.