The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-25
decreases as the distance into the in

decreases as the distance into the in
terror increases.
The air in a room heated by a hot
stove may contain as much vapor,
weight for weight, as the open air out
side, but it is dryer, because warm air
expands, making it's capacity for hold
ing moisture greater. In like manner
the air at noon is dryer than at mid
night, though the amount of vapor
present is greater. When air contains
ing aqueous vapor is gradually cooled
its density gradually increases, and the
rate of increase is sensibly the same
for vapor as for dry air, with which
it is mixed, until a point is reached,
at which the density of the vapor be-
comes equal to the maximum density
possible at a given temperature. This
temperature is called the dew point,
and any further reduction of tempera-
ture will cause condensation of por-
ton of the vapor in the shape of rain,
snow, dew, fog. frost or sleet, accord
ing to the season.
1t is found that many of our storms
producing rain along or near the sea-
coast occur in the evening or shortly
after the warmest part of the day. The
winds blow from the ocean, carrying in
an excessive amount of moisture until
the humidity registers from normal to
the point of saturation. Then, as the
GOODNESS of night comes on, the atmos-
phere contracts and its capacity for
holding all the moisture which 1t had
taken up during the day is diminished,
and there is a partial condensation;
this condensation may not afford much
relief, as is often found to be the case,
for the atmosphere has only thrown off
it's surplus caused by contraction and is
still charged to its full capacity accord
ing to the temperature prevailing at
the time. However, it is usually found
that after we have been boiled or
steamed through a hot summer day,
there is usually some relief from thun-
der storms of this kind, even II the
air is still moisture laden; the streets
and houses have been partially COOLED
by the rain. 1t is seldom on our coast
that some relief is not afforded by
thunder storms during the heated
terms in less than three days; in this
respect we are better off than our
neighbors in the interior Of the coun-
try; they do not suffer from humidity
as we on the coast do. but their heated
spells last much longer than ours, and
verv little relief is afforded in thunder
storms. r.-t ts '.a ~
human beings can stand a tempera-
tlre of from 100 to 125 degrees for a
long period without any great discom-
fort If the air is dry, but
inject into that same air enough
moisture to increase the humidity from
fifteen to twenty per cent. above its
normal amount and the people who are
subjected to it would die off from ex-
haustion in a few days. A good Illus
tration of what nature will stand in the
line of dry heat is demonstrated every
day by the stokers on the large steam
ers, and some of the firemen in our
large factories and buildings. Their fire
rooms are heated up to more than one
hundred degrees for days and months,
and still there is no more injury to
health complained of as from people
who are walking the streets during the
hot days. Why? Simply because the
moisture In the overheated fire room
has been taken up by the excessive
heat, and the humidity IL tested, would
show from twenty to forty per cent
below normal according to the temper