The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-09-08
A CANOPY OF SMOKE.
TIE PECULIAR HAZE HANGING
OVER THE COUNTRY.
1t Is n Matter of Great Interest to
MeteorOl0gists.
Due to the Great Forest Fires In tine
Northwest. Similar Conditions
I'm the Past.

Northwest. similar Conditions
I'm the Past.
Concerning the peculiar haze
that has been noticeable in the sky
all over the country for the past
week, and which has been a mat
ter of great interest to meteorolog-
lists, Professor Henry A. Hazen, of
the Weather Bureau, says:
This is what may be called the
Indian summer dry haze. just
what is the cause of it it is little
difficult to determine. Similar
conditions have been noticed in
the past, notably on the ozark
Day." in 1881, which was due to q
dense condition of the atmosphere,
probably caused by smoke. In
1881 there was another clark day."
know as "Yellow Day." which ex-
tended from New England to Vir-
ginia on the Atlantic coast. In
1881 the smoke was so dense that
many persons thought the "Day Of
Judgment had come. In 1881 the
gas was lighted in the streets of
Boston at midday. While it was not
dark here in Washington, still the
haze was very dense. The murky
atmosphere that has been noted
west of the Mississippi river is of a
very different character from that
to the eastward, as that is much
lighter. 1t is probably caused
every year by settlement of dust
or smoke PARTICLES. The air is gen.
orally quiet, and there are no con-
ditions which would precipitate
the pacticles causing the haz, or
carry them to other regions. The
conditions east of the Mississippi
river are unquestionably due to
forest fires, just as in 1881 and 1881.
The forest fires this year, however,
have been much more serious than
common, owing to the drought
that has existed. The atmosphere
has been very dry and extends to
enormous heights. This smoke is
not so dense in any one place, but
when you get glimpse through
great thickness, it appears quite
so. The theory advanced that the
present haze is caused by the earth
passing through the tail of q comet
is entirely erroneous. The mater
ial in the tail of q comet could not
possibly produce such an effect as
that. The stars can be seen
through the densest tail of a comet.
In fact is has been believed that
the material of the tail of q comet
is something like light, without
substance.
Professor Cleveland Able, of the
| Weather Bureau, who has made a
special research into this smoke
phenomenon, said: 81 began to-
day collation. of all the data the
Weather Bureau has relative to
the spread of the haze which now
covers the greater part Of the
United States. 1t would be pre-
mature to anticipate what might
result from the study which 1 shall
be able to give to this large mass
of data. EARLY in July 1 began to
rereive reports of forest fires and
large areas of smoke in Minnesota,
Wisconsin and upper Michigan.
Since then reports have come
from lower Michigan, New York
and Pennylvania. There is every
reason to believe that all of the
smoke haze which now covers the
country is the result of the diffus.
ion of smoke of burning forests and
crops. A comparatively little fire
will make large quantity of dense
smoke unless it is widely diffused
by strong winds, in which case the
smoke becomes like the thin haze
of the Indian summer. But it SO
happens in this present season the
United States has. experienced
rather high temperature and light
variable winds, SO that the smoky
haze has not been carried away to
a great distance. 1t has, therefore,
at the present time an average
density greater than usual. 1t will
doubtless all be cleared away by
the action of the first general
storm that sweeps over the coun-
try.
"This smoke from forest and
prairie fires is diffused perceptibly
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