The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-16
Cdlk Of the Gown
Items Gathered in
WaIRS and CaIRS.
WaIks and CaIkS.


CAUSE OF OUR LONG WINTER.
Mr.. o. Mulvey has prepared for the
Eagle his opinion Of the causes of our
severe winter. He writes: The COM
plants about the cold weather Of the past
fall, winter and well into the spring, have
come from widely separated portions of
the northern hemisphere and have been
very numerous. but who has seen any
cause suggested for this unusual condi-
ton?
THAT the conjunctions, oppositions OF
any relations of the planets have anything
10 90 with the weather is not conceded
by those educated scientists who have de-
voted a large part of their lives to such
research, like Cleveland Able, Espy, COT
fin, Maury, General Greedy and all Of the
European and American weather signal
station observers.
1T has frequently been observed by as
tronomers and electricians, especially by
those connected with telegraph offices, that
electrical storms and appearances Of
aurora borealis occur simultaneously with
spots on the sun and that they are most
frequent during the time of greatest fire.
quency of sun spots.
So great are the influences Of these cleo
trio storms that sometimes the telegraph
instruments are imperative or nearly 50,
although at other times they will work
nicely on long lines without any battery
or other electrical force save that derived
from the electric storm.
Mcintosh in his Electrical Theory"
suggested that the revolution of the earth
on its axis. as well as that of the other
planets, is caused by the side exposed to
the sun becoming charged with electricity
from the sun, and Of the same polarity,
and as eIectricities OF the same polarity
repel each other the rotation is thus
caused.
Be this as It may, undoubtedly the sun
IS the great governing body Of the solar
system and probably its relation to US
causes not only the electrical storms but
also the weather storms as well
During the period of greatest activity
on the sun most naturally we should ex-
pect the greatest disturbances here and
vice versa, during periods Of least activity
on the sun there would be fewer dis
turbances here and probobly less heat.
As the sun is now about at its period
of less frequency of sun spots there may
be less activity there
The periods Of greatest frequency Of
spots occur about eleven years apart.
These sun storms are of inconceivables
force to us. as at times great flames have
been seen to shoot to a height of 1000 to
10000 miles; a distance equal to three or
four times the circumference of our earth.
Light, heat and electricity are only vibra-
tons OF either and they travel through
nter-planetary space almost, If not wholly,
unObstructed. Now, if the above theory
IS correct, a somewhat increased activity
on the sun might cause an unbearable
heat here, or an abnormal lessening Of ac-
tivity there might cause a degree of cold
such as would again cap a part OF all of
the earth with Ice and extinguish life on
part or all Of our planet. Such an ice can
once existed of which abundant evidences
are still extant. New stars of great splen-
dor have at times burst forth which I'M
doubleday were from a greatly increased
activity on that particular sun, and which
would, in all probability, create sad havoc
on its planetary members. Other stars
have, apparently at least, become extinct,
showing a greatly decreased activity.
This might be construed as a very pes
simistic view OF our worlds chances, but
it is one over which we have no control
and over which we should give ourselves
no concern.