The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13
SEASONS ARE UNCHANGED
No Radical Alterations in the
Climate Observable.
Winters Not Becoming Colder Nor
Summers Warmer Than Heretofore
-OccnsionnI Variations But Nature
Goes Along in Her Beaten Track.

Is the climate of the United States I'M
L. Moore, Chief of the Weather Bureau.
says no" The proposition is an old
one, remarks Professor Moore. Thomas
Jefferson, writing in 1871, said: a change
in climate is taking place very sensibly.
Both heat and cold are becoming much
more moderate within the memory of even
the middie-aged. Shows are less frequent
and less deep. They do not often lie be-
low the mountain more than one, two, or
three days, and very rarely a week. The
SHOWS are remembered to have been for
merly frequent, deep. and of long con-
tinuanee. The elderly inform me that the
earth used to be covered with snow about
three months every year
But jefferson and his neighbors were
mistaken, continued Professor Moore.
Never, during the period of authentic
history, has the snow covered the ground
in Virginia (the State where Jefferson
made his observationsl for periods aver
aging three months per year for three
years in succession. The oldest inhabi
tants OF Jefferson's time we're very much
like those of today-they remembered
only the abnormalities of the climate of
twenty-five or fifty years before. and. in
comparing the usual conditions of long
ago with the average of the present, were
deceived. ] have known, myself. intelli-
gent and truthful men to declare public
Iy that they were convinced that the eli
mate of their particular places OF resi-
dence had changed since they were boys;
that they had reliable landmarks to show
that the streams were drying up; that
rain and sno1falls were becoming less
frequent, and that the winters were get
ting milder. adducing the present season
as an example. Nevertheless, can plain
ly state that carefully taken observations.
made of temperature and rain for each
day for the previous hundred years show
no alteration Of climate at such places.
OF course, wide variations, sometimes ex-
tending over periods of several years are
shown to have occurred, but a deficit at
one time was made up by an excess at an
other"
It is the expressed opinion of many of
the most eminent meteorologists OF the
present day that no sensible change has
any part of the world since the beginning
of authentic history. Quite accurate rec
ords of the opening OF navigation in tie
rivers OF Europe. and of the time of vim
tages. for five hundred years show no
change In the average data OF the first
ten years, as compared with the average
OF the last ten, and the date palm. the
vine. and the fig tree flourish as luxu-
rlantly today in Palestine as they did N
the days OF Moses. Dried plants have been
taken from the mummy cases of the
Pharoahs exactly similar TO those now
fourishing upon the soil once trodden by
the feet OF those ancient monarchs
1t is q remarkable fact that, in this
country some time ago, when the tide CT
foreign immigration was unusually strong,
several years Of rather more than the
average rainfall ensued in regions that.
up TO that time. had little precipitation.
These two conditions were. according to
a prominent scientific authority. coinci-
dent by the merest accident. Neyerthe-
less, the phenomena gave rise TO The
theory that civilization brings an increase
in precipitation. 1t was thought, at the
time referred to. that the breaking OF the
virgin soil, thereby making 1t more FER
meable and conserving the scant surface
deposit of moisture. Joined to the plant
ing OF trees. and the propagation Of yege-
tation by shading against the sun, and
the enormous quantity of aqueous yapoI
injected into the air by the combustion
incident to a teeming population-all COM
blned to increase the rainfall, and to
render the sub-arid plains more respon-
sive to the Iabors of the hushandman.
However ingenious as a theory. IT is
70 be lamented that this hypothesis cam