The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1894-05-05
FREAKS OF THE WEATHER,
SOME DIFFICULT METEoRoLoaI-
CAL PUZZLES DESCRIBED.
strange Showers and Wonderful
winds - Anchor Ice - Vegetable
and Animal Matter In tho Air,

| HERE have been showers of
angle worms in New York
and showers of snails in
| G Ohio, writes Rene Bache in
the Wellington Star. box full of
the latter, to furnish proof, was sent
to Washington by express. They we're
about. the size of pinheads, and on ex-
amiuatSon they proved to be the land
snails. Instead of falling from the
sky, they must have been brought out
of the ground by the wet. Worms
and small toads are fetched out of the
earth under like conditions, appear
ing in great numbers after storms,
and thus give rise to stories of rains
of those creatures. Spring showers
of what used to be taken for sulphur
occur in Washington every year.
| When the sky clears the cutters are
found choked with yellow stuff Under
the microscope, however, it is quickly
seen to DO vegetable. In fact, it is
merely the pollen of pine trees blown
from forests many miles distant.
People in all parts of the United
States are constantly reporting such
freaks to tho weather bureau, with
demands for explanations. Often the
puzzles thus propounded are too diff
cult for Uncle Sans professional
| prophets To solve. Take n simple
the true and original type, familiar to
dwellers between the Mississippi
River and the Rocky Mountains Why
| is 1T that to person caught in one of
these storms it seems as if the wind
| came from all directions at once? 1t
blows straight i'll ones face, no matter
which way one turns. Science has not
been able to undo the riddle.
Then there is another kind Of wind,
very warm and dry, which blows at
| times over the eastern slopes of
mountain ranges in the northwest.
| 1t is called the chinook" and it will
| take up aud remove several feet in
depth Of snow within few hours
without seeming to meltit. Precisely
how this is accomplished nobody
knows, but the snow disappears.
A very extraordinary phenomenon
which occurs on mountain submits is
the formation of what are called
"frost feathers" This happens when
the air seems clear, though after
| awhile the coat of the observer be-
comes coated with tiny frost crystals
The atmosphere, in fact, is filed with
these crystals, which accumulate upon
projecting points. On such points
they pile mp horizontally in the teeth
of the wind, forming exquisite feathery
outgrowths which u touch will de-
stroy. The biggest on record, twelve
feet IN length, was developed upon
chimney in Mount Washington, where
these curiosities are found in greater
perfection than anywhere else.
In deep loamy or sandy soil, when
the temperature has fallen below freez-
ing, often are noticed beautiful little
columns of ice projecting upward one
or two inches above the surface of the
ground. They are probably forced
up by the gradual contraction of the
soil. Sometimes they will push good
| sized stones out of place.
BY no means 80 readily accounted
for is the so called "anchor ice," which
occasionally forms in the bed of
rapid stream. or course ice ordinar-
lily forms first on the surface of
the water, but in this case the
water Mt the bottom congeals
while the stream flows over it.
One theory is that the whole depth of
water being cooled to below thirty.
two degrees the more quiet layer at
the bottom freezes sooner than that
which is swiftly moving above. This
explanation is not deemed satisfactory,
however. The fact that ice ought to
float cannot he got over 30 easily.
No fewer than twenty.one showers
OF blood have been recorded during
the present century in Europe and
Algeria. These phenomena excited
widespread CONSERVATION in ancient
and even in comparatively recent
.Imcs. They were regarded as dire
warnings and portents. Nevertheless
they are accounted for by very com
monplace reasons. In 1910 shove,
of this kind fell at The Hague and
caused great excitement A level
headed physician got II little OF the
| crimson fluid and examined it under n
microscope. He found that IL was
| iilled with small rel nnimalcules,
which proved to be u species OF water
| flea. Doubtless they were brought
from a great distance by winl and de.
| posted with the rain.
In March, 1913, the people OF
Geracc, lin Calsbria, saw terrific
cloud advancing from the sea- II
| gradually changed frcm pale hue to
a fiery red, shutting of the light of
the SIN. The town, being cnveioped
ia darkness, the inhabitants rushe I
to the cathedral, supposing that the
end of the world was come. Meanwhile
the strange cloud covered the whole
] heavens, and, amid peals of thunder
aid flashes OF lightning, red rain fell
in largo drops. which were imagined
| 10y the excited populace 10 bc OF
| blood. Analyses afterward made of
the fluid showed that its coloring mat
ter was n dust of an ehrthy taste.
| Probably this dust was elected by
an active volcano, carried great dis
tance by the wind and precipita'e ed
| with the rain.
There was rain uf ink in the city
| Of Montreal on November 9th, 1919.
| Some of the liquid, collected and for