The Wichita daily eagle., 1900-08-22
DROP OF MERCURY
Range of Twenty-Seven De-
grees in One Day.
FROLICS OF NORTH WIND
Clouds Twist and Turn but
Fail to Precipitate.

During the past twenty-four hours end
ing ar p. m. the highest temperature
has been 1o1. the lowest a. a range of 27
degrees, and the mean has been IS, which
is II degrees warmer than the normal
temperature for the day as deduced from
the observations at this station for the
past eleven years, with clear weather
until nearly night, when clouds gathered
and at lib p. m, the wind shifted to
north and blew briskly for fifteen min
utes
Since the first OF the month tn. aver
age temperature has been So, which is S
degrees daily warmer than the normal
and the total rainfall IT inch, which is
2S1 inches less than the normal
Since the first OF the year the rainfall
has been 1904 inches, which is 3.2e inches
less than the normal For the same
time last year the rainfall was q %
inches.
After months steady blow from the
south, the wind changed last night. For
thirty days the wind had come headlong
out Of the cloudless south and across the
town, staring white in the glare that
seemed TO descend as much from the
FURNISHED sky as from the sun itself. It
has been, for the most part, relentless
gale that has bleached the leaves and
grass and kept the trees bending before
its onslaught. Night did not quiet II and
no hour in the day saw respite from it,
1t made the lawns bald and sent zigzag-
ging across the prairie long. dusty cracks
In the country reliable pumps reached
the gurgling point of inaction and bar
renness, dogs revealed unexpected length
OF tongue and fowls roasted far apart
with bills agape. In town the pave
ments carried the imprint Of every pass
ing hoof and tire and the roads were
thick in velvet dust.
Day after day people looked to the
north, looked for the blue rim of cloud
which should be a promise. But the
north offered nothing, and people forgot
1t and turned 30 the south. to watch it in
It's stubborn fit of persistent viciousnese.
Yesterday afternoon a few vagrant
clouds appeared in the north, tumbled
together, elongated. faded and gathered
again In lathery whiteness, piled high,
curled, whirled and ballooned.
The sun went down in ap ocket OF turn-
bled clouds and the north turned blue,
and shivered with occasional lightning.
Still against it bore the south wind, with
its same old vengeful hate. For a few
minutes before Z O'Clock there was a
period Of wonderful calm. The north
had met the south. Across the blue
clouds stretched a long. dull smudge,
seemingly of dust. Little precursing
whirlwinds twisted the dust in the roads
and chased it down the curbing. The
south wind. heat-laden, scorching, turn
ed back and the north wind came down
From their natural northern inclination
the trees turned inside out, and the dry
leaves came scattering down Ike hail.
The grapevfnes turned white in the
breeze and the grass showed up its
greener. shaded side IN pursuing shad-
ows.
And with the storm came a breath Of
fresh air. the first in thirty days, with
the scent of rain and dampened dust
upon 1t. The wires brought in the news
that It was raining like fury at Topeka
and, with hats and coats of. people
crowded to their porches and windows
and thanked heaven that the long hot
SDaI1 bad haar hrolrep