The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-02
1T WAS A MISTY SUMMER
A THEORY AS TO THE SOLUTION OF
THE CHINA TIC PHENOMENON.
The Heated Season of 1894 Was Unusual
In This Eespect-Its Effect Upon the
Landsospe-Causes.

the mis- from HNiHHah 49,
the remOtest mountains OF the'i 80.
hue" In whatever direction the
eye OF travellers OF pleasure seekers '"'
cd for relief. there was the sa'"e
minablc. impeuetrable shroud ooscu' ", -
a continent Of sky. People VINO hau '''
the heat and dust Of cities for en""so
OF air. and 20 better their spirits ne0 innt
depressed. They wanted 70 sert nst1rc
around AMONGST the noVeiueS % rNc'
which they knew lay hid undcl t'c 70,
nomenal pail. They strained 'n''t ,xiotle
IA vain for ne iar-Ou hoil~On T. and
10 get "a glimpse even on thO ~ Tsr,ltiar
stones OF distant countries 50 ."i.t,',
and so pleasing 10 theT ll,"S T'icasures
These are among the chleltS. - ia
tboee ,,no vero now tn pursuit OF lhenl'
they were as much In FOX as 80 No.,
the business affairs OF the "au0i L mus
after day and weTH a. NO No hope for a
Change Not only the human TaSe, pu'
surrounding nature began 70 pV IS "a 49,,
or a. least appeared so 20 u'' INN ana
put ON "a serious ar sidHH4'b s'',uii n. 80 ~,
1cnsIXc undcr their load OF mst-eh-
shroudcd foliage. 50 too. WIN ple "hiof
rrowthg OF shrub. and tdngie, tnat came
Sln e,idd,rIy aloug ones path, as he wan
drrcd over hill and dale. Inc
tramp OF colts the tinklng OF COW beis
and he beating of focks alone betrayed
Inc proNiuutv of domestic animals. In
siicrt, IN. birds. great and small, naVi-
s,ntnd "a. atmosphere. made mysterious
10 tboir bcwildered instincts. The CarriOn
Vulture alone. soaring nearer up 70 me
blue. looked with telescope eye down
upon the hidden earth! Perhaps he could
see what he wanted, perhaps he could
not
sTAGNATIoF.
During all this time there was but little
wind. and much less rain. A sort OF stag
nation seemed settling down upon the
World n tho morning the with
blOod-shot eye. as from dreams aud per
turhed sleep, at night he went down De
hind the misty hills. red and raYless.
Weeks had now passed, and yet no
change. We who had long been familiar
with the exquisite views. common 10
locality, where there are as many beau
ties as 'one may see on summer Gay
were on this account the greater suner-
eTs. 80
Imprisoned on a mountain height like
Iandseer's Children Of the Mist" we
might hear but not see the world around
US This had now been so long endured
that some Of our household, anxious 10
gaze beyond and as 1t were breathe OUT
the oppression on some lOfuer helShl.
sought the highest elevation in that re-
gion. Others with like motion, went
down 10 the plains below, but found the
superintendent pail denser than ever,
and hiding from their view the friendly
heights they had just torsaken. III the
reader supposes this picture is eXaggerat-
ed. II IS because he had not the eXper-
derstard but could not; but who Will
never forget the misty summer Of 1894.
In the meantime every body was spec
ulating as 20 the causes OF TINS unusual
phenomenon, Some recalled TO mind the
red and orange cOlOred atmosphere OF
few years back, said 10 be due TO the
presence OF volcanic matter thrown out
over the world by seismic disturbances
in Java and the neighbOring islands.
They remembered how, for a long period.
a lurid light broOded over sky and earth.
tsHr HtVNH rFaff
anxiety Of people, and reused up all man
ncr Of suptrsuuOus apprehensions, until
an explanation ~. found. In the midst
Of our SpeCulatlOns, and while every
thoughtful person was hoping for some
thing on the subject from the scientific
world, the newspapers suddenly announc-
ed startling and dircful news. Away up
in the northwestern part OF the country
more than a thousand miles from Viz
Einla, a fire had seized upon the forests,
the crops, and the dwelling places OF
region full twenty-five miles in extent
~ one direction, and for more than ten
In another. The flames for days had been
CaietrlnE over the country ciouding -..ee
n9e eits sky win smoke, and
wildered prey II was fear
ful calamity, and excited the svmpathies
of all who read the exciting details OF
loss and human suffering About the
same time IL had been noticed that small
Ter conilagrations had taken place in the
forests of countries. as far remote from
Alf AAFcl ill Oh N-lH.illH tll, as III lt~tll was
from the hills of Virginia. People then
began, quite naturally, 70 associate the
mist, which for SO many weeks had OBJ
secured The landscape with these far off
fires and. at once rushed 10 the con-
clusion. that after all il was but smoke,
ana would soon pass away. In their will
lingness 10 settle the question, these
reasOners had forgotten for the nonce.
that more than half the summer had
passed before these fires had begun. and
that tho Michigan calamity having just
occurred could not have any connection
with the shrouded days Of weeks and
weeks before
NOT SMOKE.
TO have supposed the smoke from
local fire of even ten times the volume
OF that just referred to- could in a few
days, so envelope "a continent, seemed 10
us worse than nonsense. We should have
as soon expected the fumes from ciga-
Tette burning in the national grounds at
Washington, 10 obscure the Capitol itself
and hide from view the lOfteSt dome out
OF Europe or the highest monument In
the world But such Is the cTcdulity of
some. and SO readily do others jump to
conclusions. that even few sO-oalled
scientists ventured 10 express such an
opinion. Many people residing In New
YORK city. where a man might count
''two-and-seventy stenches well defined"
on almost every street, persuaded them
selves, too that they smelt the smoke OF
MJehlgans distant CONGREGATIONS. The
press took up the theme, discussed IL
and because they could not otherwise ac-
count Tor the phenomenon, came 10 the
same conclusion. If these opinions OF the
Inhabitants OF the great city be correctly
reported I'VE Ween there are more fools
remaining IN Gotham, than pass through
H." and the alfactories of this fortunate
people must be endowed with extraordi-
nary powers Of discrimination
American landscapes differ in al least
one respect from those OF any other part
OF the world At certain times OF the
year generally In the autumn the at
mosphere, instead OF being clear and
elastic, appears encountered with a GER
tain amount Of hazness. which softenS
bat obscures the view, This is so FAINT
liar 10 every observer that a need only
be referred 10 here. II differs in degree
at different times and seasons; and con-
tipues or disappears according TO the
barOmctrical condition of the atmosphere
passed. II becomes uncommonly dense.
and should, therefore, be properly de-
scTibed as mist
SIMPLE HAZE
on other occasions it assumes the form
OF simple haze, and in this condition IS
recognized as one Of the chief attractions
of that delicious season known To the
Inhabitants Of America ~ the INDIAN
Summer" In former days this latter
was d conspicuous and distinctly marked
part OF the year. From time immemoral
Its coming was hailed with Joy IL was
the time for field sports, when the horn
Of the hunter was heard in the land:
when the game was up and pursuer and
pursued Wed with each other In the
Vgor OF the chase. Youth and age felt
punGent air and the milder rays OF the
waning sun during The worlds transition