The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-06-30

nave Deen recorded from time
to time.
In lS49 a shower of black rain fell
around Carlow and Kilkenny, in Ire
land, and covered an area of four hun
dred squar miles. When collected the
water was uniformly black, and much
resembled ordinary writing ink. 1t
had an extremely foetid smell and a
very disagreeable taste, SO much so
that cattle and horses refused to drink
1t. Clothes upon which it fell were
much stained. After specimens had
been collected and allowed to stand for
a short time, the black coloring matter
separated from the rain, thus render
ing the water much purer than it
originally was. This remarkable
shower was preceded by a darkness so
intense that it was impossible to read
anything excepting by the aid of arti-
fetal light.
The following year a similar shower
was experienced in the Northampton
district, in England. Its effects weye
much the same as those on the occa-
sion to which we have just referred.
Clothes were dyed almost completely
black, as were also the vessels which
were used to obtain specimens of the
water, and on the surface of these a
perfectly black froth was formed.
Showers of red snow are by no
mean unusual. In 1903 red snow fell
to a depth of over five feet in Carniola,
Germany. This storm of colored snow
was followed by one of the regulation
color, and the effect produced by the
separate layers of red and white,
which were perfectly distinct, was
very peculiar. Similar falls of snow
took place in Italy in 1916, and in the
Tyrol in 1847. Captain Ross once saw
on the shore of Baffin Bay a range
of cliffs extending for eight miles.
These were completely covered with
snow of a brilliant hue, and in some
parts measured as many as twelve feet
in depth. Scientific men for a long
time were puzzled how to account for
the phenomenon, but careful examina-
ton of the snow under a very power
full microscope revealed the presence
of a very minute plant, to which the
name Palmilla nivalis has been given.
1t is to the presence of this plant that
the brilliant hue of the snow is due.
In 1883, heal a lake in Caernarvon,
in Wales, a woman was engaged wash
ing when a shower of small fishes
resembling behring's fell quite close to
her. Some fell into the lake, but many
fell upon the land. Previous to this
an exceedingly heavy shower of rain
had fallen, and the following day
there was a severe thunderstorm.
In March, 1880, a shower Of small
behring's fell in Islay, an island off the
Argylshire coast, in Scotland. The
fish were strewed over the fields, and
many when seen by the inhabitants
showed signs of life. A similar show
er took place in Kent, England.
In 1860 H. M. S. Simeon had a most
peculiar experience. When the YES
sci was approaching the Cape OF Good
Hope a heavy squall was encountered,
and rain fell heavily. In quick success
sion three very vivid flashes of light
ming were seen, and almost Immediate
ly after a shower of ice fell upon the
deck. The pieces were irregularly
shaped, and some of them were of the
size of half a brick.
In the beginning of the present CEN
fury a shower of frogs was expert
enced. The little creatures eoualed a
hazel nut in size. ScientiS.s were
much puzzled how to accGun for
their appearance, but after pSuch con-
s~ideration and observation it was
supposed that when the water of
marshes is evaporated the spawn of
frogs is carried up with the moisture.
The spawn is retained in the cloud
formed by the condensed watery va
por, Is Matched there, undergoes its
changes, and is precipitated when the
cloud is resolved into rain.
One scientist, however, attributes
the phenomenon to the action of wa
%terspouts. According to his idea, a
whirlwind crossing marshy districts at
the period of the transformation of
tadpoles into frogs, raises up masses
of these animals with a portion of
the water which they live; and, as
the waterspout increases in size and
forms a stormy cloud. these little crea-
lures would again be precipitated to
the earth.
A large and fashionable company
had assembled in a ballroom in
Sweden. The night was clear and the
cold intense. AS the evening advanced
the room became so very warm that
several of the ladies tainted. One of
the officers present attempted to open
one of the windows but found it so
completely frozen to the sill that it
defied all his efforts to it. He
then broke n of the panes of glass,
and the rush of cold air into the room
| rapis,v condensed the vapor, which.