Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-06
WONDERS OF THE WEATHER.
Artificial Disturbances OF Our Az
mosphere-EIectri &c.
'ditor of The Dispatch:

To the Editor of the Dispatch:
You have allowed me to refer to an
article which was published in Beitoru
Magazine OF New York on the disturb
ances OF our atmosphere, caused by mans
contrivance The subject is of sufiicient
importance and interest to be further con-
sidered.
In that Beford article five causes are
dwelt upon, OF which one electricity was
introduced In your last sunday isSue'
The others are: /, great wars with
their battles. sieges. and tremendous ar
tillery: 2. mining, with its giant-powder,
dynamite. and shelters; 3, mechanical
and manufacturing enterprises or the
present era; and 3, the railroading ope-
rations of the day. Attention VIII no"
be invited to this last cause.
Causes comparatively small wheh
taken separately may when acting In
vast numbers continuously over extern
siye areas and for very long distances pro-
duce occasionally an enormous aggre-
gate effect; or a number OF minor ana
scattered results OF more frequent occur
renee. Every locomotive engine entails
three effects upon the air through whlch
IL moves: Whacks ii, heats ana rarenes
IL. and. with its trains of cars Tor pas
sengers and freight. cuts out its tunnels,
Wnltn are tDIlSkdilNig NNsif't''to
filling up-even from their bottoms
whereas earth-tunnes do not tumble in
from their bottoms. Stationary steam
engines produce only two OF these effects
the beating and the heating; yet these
they do produce wherever they operate
I'm any quarter OF our globe.
In our country there are four, grand,
transcontinental railways from the At
lantic TO the Pacific with their branches),
and lines almost innumerable running TO
and from every point OF the compass.
Europe. including England. is about as
well accommodated with railroads as we
are; They are extending In Asia, even
In China and Siberia, aud In Africa, even
in Us darkest regions; in Japan, Aus
tralia. and less islands. Moreover all
these countries employ steam for many
other purposes besides locomotion.
The effects OF such world-encircllng
agents upon the mobile and elastic uni
yersal ocean OF our atmosphere may be
incalcuiable, bat are certainly worthy OF
thought.
A leading newspaper of July Goth con-
talns Ia less than column accounts Of
sixteen severe aerial disasters which
caused serious destruction in Iowa. Mis-
souri,. Illinois. Kansas, Ohio, Indiana,
Michigan. Tennessee, ana Arkansas.
There we're cyclones. tornadoes. and
floods: cloud bursts. and storms OF rain,
hail. and wind; people and cattle were
killed. barns burned by lightning, bridges
and rairoad-beds washed away, and at
Adrian, Mo. cars on Il side-track were
blown upon the main track. so as 10 cause
a collision and wreck by midnight
freight train.
Let US see then, what part railroad
ing is supposed to act in producing such
occurrences Division V. Of the article
In Bedford is about as follows:
Some one has already suggested that
the repeated CONVERSATIONS OF steam. from
the numerous locomotives that traverse
the country may have an effect upon
rain along their routes
IL has also been thought, as / was in
formed by a distinguished railroad en-
ejneer, that railway trains have improved
the healthfulness OF extensive mslarial
districts. The present purpose Is 10 go
further than all this and inquire into
the wider effects OF such number OF
trains rushing through the air In so many
and such various directions and Tor such
long distances.
Ii is said that there are In the United
States Din lSsD 1000 miles OF railroad
tracks part OF which are double; and
about 29,c0 locomotives and $4,000 cars
When a door In our dwellings is thrown
TO with moderate force every other door.
and perhaps every window give evidence
that the air has been disturbed. Boys
when there IS little or no breeze, run
with their kites which strike the air
.or the air strikes them). and up they
90 from only a portion of the force
which they receive. Suppose you were to
take a platform of the dimensions OF the
front OF a railroad car and drag IL
through the air perpendicularly at the
average speed OF a railway train. ana
keen this up for hundreds, and even thou
s.nd< al mites and almost continuously
wbat amount OF atmospheric disturbance
weld he caused thereby, aud when
wbers and now would quiet be restored?
n, cnirse wherever ALI was displaced
-, s,uivsient or more would pour In
iron, an sides, and for the whole distance
nurs,,ed But railroad trains thus drag
nor merely one such platform. out many
come freight and excursion trains =
ysrv large number. anc each platform or
front has 10 dlsplace some portion Of
mir when trains run agains. :hs wind
,hsv have first 10 oyercoins rs opposi-
lion which may at times be quite power
III and then the colnmotior OF The air
,so,ld most probably be increased. When
rev r.u with the wind thsy are helped
snrva I'd nv IL, and then not 50 mich con-
motion may be produced. But ualess they
are ,,assing through level cesn.ry thcS
are frequently changing their direction.
and may be struck at varying anyies ny
whatever winds may be blowing. However,