The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-02

occurred IN f.ngidnd ana on the bWoPtan
| continent. but. for only short perloui
| and az long intervals OF time.
INDIAN SUMNER.
a marked change, however. has taken
| place in TINS beautiful season. over most
OF the country. The ume was when the
| haZiness OF the Indian summer was rare
| ly seen. except In the autumn, But IN
| these later days IL covers the entire couh-
| try, so that it's now an uncommon Ding
| to see q perfectly clear and wen deined
| landscape We have referred already TO
| the prolonged misttuess OF the past sum
mer. fact In this connection Is worth
| recording here. From weii-knoWn
| mountain resort In the Blue Ridge, the
| visitors eye Is not often deprived OF 'he
beauties of the neighbofing valley ana It's
gioTIous back ground. But for more than
q month at a time last summer the
great North mountain was entirely hid
from view, so also was the Massennuttin
and It's picturesque piedmont region.
1t IS now time 10 inquire somewhat
into the causes Of this peculiar feature
| Of the American climate. that has for
long played an important part In its
history. When the early settlers on the
Atlantic coast first noticed IL they attri-
buted it TO the burning OF the forests
in the autumn. The Indians were in the
habit OF clearing up the woods in the
way Tor new grounds" They had no
implements for cutting down large trees.
consequently had TO resort to fire for
this purpose. They divided their year
into four seasons, one of which they
poeucaIIy called the Fall Of the Leaf. -
RMS gave origin to the name OF the
IalI season, almost universally in use
by the Nirginians, instead of autumn.
IL was generally at this time that with
the rlch coiorlng of the forests came the
May veil mellowing the crisp air ana
soitening the outlines of the landscape.
The whites, quite naturally therefore as
ISOLATED the burning OF the WOODS WIN
the mistiness and concluded il must be
GnfIntrN
1t was scarcely ever seen they had no
ether explanation for II. In due time
the savages and their customs dis
appeared before the advance Of civiliZa-
ton but this idea had become a fixed
tradition among the whites, and remained
a part OF their folklore for many sue
ceeding generations. When at last the
ancient tribes Of the east had entirely
ginning 10 invade the western wilderness.
the same traditional idea prevailed with
him. The Arther he travelled west
ward his eye recognized the same misty
shrowd hanging over the country beyond
the Alleghanies that he had left behind
him In the eastern lowlands. Now how
ever 10 was the Indians OF the praTles
instead OF the saVages Of the east that
we're burning the grass over those bound
less eteppes And so from age 10 age
me idea prevailed. Until within a
comparatively recent period, the Virginia
youth with a more than romantic deYo'
Indians. could not be made TO doubt that
the Indian summer and its mystic beau
ties were all TO be attributed TO the
roaming savage and his wilder habits.
THE INDIAN HAS GONE.
Unfortunately for this theory, the Ina
dian has gone, but the mist still re-
mains. II broOds at this day as silently
over the shores OF the Chesapeake as
| il did when the ancient Pamunlies burn
ed out the forest to grow tobacco and
ID. &C. f.g hoo
gone forever from their haunts on the
primeVal prairies. The wild beasts. upon
whith they fed, have disappeared with
them, and the hOrdes of buffalo that
once moved unTestrained in such maJes-
tic masses, over an empire of grass,
have not a representative left to point
me moral OF their destruction. Never
theess the mistiness Is there, reignins
serene over a new earth and new
civilization, except when swept by the
terrors Of the tornado or the cyclone.
Many theories have been advanced TO
account for the great American mystery.
Some learned observers insist that the
air, at certain times of the year, is
charged with cosmic matter, the dust OF
which our world is made, which being
too attenuated to assume q SOLID form,
floats suspended over the earth, and
that its infinitesimal atoms, inteTrupting
the suns rays, are thereby let up into the
luminous veil. This may be so; but the
explanation does not appear satlsfac-
late Mr. Tyndal maintained that this
haziness was due 10 the presence In the
atmosphere of incalculable masses OF in
sect life too minute 10 be dcfhed by
artificial means but subject tc natural
laws and causes. One would suppose
that if the great naturalist could detect
the subtle and poisonous matter that
invariably visits with punishment, the
intruder who dares 10 breathe unprotect-
ed the air of the Pentine marshes, he
might have found some means 20 sub
stantiate the latter most improbable
hypothesis.
THE sALUTIoN.
Other theories not being ac-
ceptabe, we are inclined to believe that
the solution OF this strange climatic
phenomenon is 10 be found In simpler
and more rational explanation. We be-
lieve 1t is solely due TO the presense of
an amount of moisture In me ar so
distributed but too light to be precipl-.
tated in the form of rain, or even OF
dew. During the spring and early sum
mer the surface of the earth Is gradually
warmed by the sun until midsummer.
by that time II has become 100 warm
10 condense the moisture OF the at
mosphere unless it has accur.ulated 10
an undue quantity. In the latter case,
from its own weight or a sudden change
OF temperature 1t is turned into rain ana
falls TO the ground. This Is the ordinary
process by which thunder clouds are
formed ana supply IelIcSnutul 10 Sui
fering nature 1t was noticed last sum
mer that for many consecutive weeks
the wind came IN gentle breeZes from
the eastward; sometimes from the north
east then from the east and from the
southeast. All this time, under Il parch-
ing sun and a prolonged drought, the
hazinoSs was daily increasing IN density,
until at last II amounted TO thick mist.
IL was not fog else II would have been
del usited upon the trees and upon the
ground All the same II was MOISTURE
but the heat of the earth prevented ITS
being pTeCpitated or condensed, until
after a while it had become too heavy
TO be longer held suspended IN the air. so
soon as this occurred a rain did set IN, first
in the mountains and then over the
entire country. Immediately after this
rain, the air became perfectly trans
parent and cleared Of the slightest opac-
ity Every visible object shone out under
the light, clear cut and defined, as II
the earth had been suddenly washed
mist vast gone; II had presumed too
much upon the capacity OF the patient
air, and had, for a time at least, gone
down Of its own weight, Under the
same process Of evaporation apother
veil was in due time TO be created, and
in its turn i'm like manner be disposed
Of. This phenomenon was TO repeat it.
broken mp by the winds and rains, in
Cident 60 the season, commonly called
the equionoX, After this there was no
hazincss until the heat of the suns
receding rays was once more felt upon
the earth, and the process of evaporation
renewed. Then began the Indian sum
mer, or Fall Of the Leaf" when nature
was disrobing herself for the winding
sheet OF snow soon 10 enVelOp her.
AT ALL TIMES.