The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-23
sHATTFRrNG oNENs.

Shel II EhlN1 onE
The iconoclast who has taken such de-
light IN SCATTERING so many OF our cher
ished legends is abroad In the land again.
The fate which has overtaken Robinson
Crusoe and william Tells apple. Amerigo
vespuecio. lightning that never struck
twice in the same place. up. guards. and
al EN-" must now befaii some Of the most
highly PRICED Of weather omens. The
Royal Meteorological Society. through its
president. has been making series OF OBJ
servations on the halo OF the moon. the
red sunset. the grounding, plentiful haw-
berries and other indications OF storm and
calm, and pronounces them all fallaci0us.
Since the earliest times, the moon. the
planets. animals and plants have been re-
sorted to by weather prophets. and II VIII
not be an easy matter TO convince believ-
ers I'm automatic signs that they are even
falIibIe. to say nothing of discarding them
as utterly unreliable. We have taken as
assured that certain days. and especially
saints days. are connected with the sea-
sons but these are only condolences, IL
seems.
The moon and the weather
May change together;
But change OF the moon
Does not change the weather.
We are all acquainted with such sayings
as Fine on Friday, fine On Sunday or
Friday is the best and worst day OF the
week" and proverbs like Rain at seven,
fine at eleven" But we are told that when
these sayings come true they are faithfully
remembered, when they fail they are for
gotten. There is no kind of foundation for
such rules. which President Inwards calls
'self-exploding," or for the belief that IL
It rains on st. Swithins day. July II, it
win rain for forty days after. That date
is very near well known bad period in
wet years. as the terms st. Margaret's
food" July %. and ''Lammss food" Au-
gust /, show: the fact that some heavy
rains began on July Is was enough TO es-.
tablish the claw" which every one. he
says, knows is constantly broken.
Science Is also shattering all our theories
about the moon and the weather, such as
that the fun moon clears away clouds;
that you should SOW beans or cut trees on
the wane OF the moon: that it is a bad
sign If the moon changes on Saturday or
Sunday: that two fun moons in a month
will bring a flood; that TO see the old moon
in the arms OF the new brings on rain. NJ.
Flammarion says that the moons infiu-
ence on the weather is negligible. The
heat coming from 1t would affect our tenn
perature by twelve millionths OF a degree,
and the atmospheric tides caused by il
81. - -.
a few hundredths OF an inch, far less than
the changes always taking place from
other causes" NJ. Flarguergues. as the
result OF twenty years of observations. has
found that when tho moon was furthest
from the earth the barometer averaged 755
milllmeters. and when nearest 754 MILL
meters. difference of only one millimeter.
Il. ]. Lowe has carefully examined
number of well-known signs. and all seem
TO break down completely. lie took the
signS o. bats flying about in the evening.
many toads appearing at sunset, great
quantities of snails. fish rising TO the sur
face. bees busy. crowds of locusts. rest
less cattle. landrails clamorous, flies and
gnats troublesome. many insects, crows
itlhiiAE anu AAVATsE @tiAAfA NtAS AiANh Nis
the grass. spiders hanging from their webs
in the evening. and ducks and geese max
ing more noise than usual. Calling a day
fine when no rain was measured I'm the
rain gauge. he found in s61 observations
OF such signs that they were followed 213
times by fine weather end only IS by rain
Even swallows nving low cannot be de-
z tn 4
/ autumn they almost Invariably skim along
/ the ground Animals probably feel the
dampness or darkness preceding wet
weather. and this mas them uneasy.
1 bat not more thar 90 an. SIS man himself.
/ A. 90 cows scratching their ears and goats
/ utteriug cries. thcy are no more true as
I signs Of rain than The adage which credits
+ pgs with seeing the wind.
In The country large crop Of hips.
/ haws ana holly berries is held TO be
/ sign that severe winter is coming. and
I that nature thus provides winter food for
4 the birds But IL Is not so. Neither is il
true a green Christmas makes a Fat
! churchyard as Mr.. Dimes statistics have
shown L Is often stated that the noise
+ Of cannon viii produce rain. and in Aus
I trian Tvrol the church bells are ruug 70
! avert thunder hut the notion y a fallacy.
/ The experiments made IN America 70 test
whether rain could be produced by ex-
+ ulodirg a large quantity 81 gunpowder in
/ the air resulted In nothing but smoke and
/ noise.
/ Evcn the plants which were supposed
/ q, r,-eHt.t changes are found 70 - only
! subject 80 moisture and light. ana very
! similar results have been obtained from
! photographs paper 20 those heretofore
i credited - the superior meteorological
knowledge 81 the p!mpernel and the mari
/ goli.
CAUSE ABovE PARTY.