The sea coast echo., 1902-12-13
CLIMATE DOESN'T CHANGE.
The OLDEST lNHABITANT" CON.
TRADIcTED BY REcoRDs

The OLDEST iNHABiTANTn CON
TRADicTED BY RECORDS.
t Is Psychological Phenomenor
Which Close Observers Are Awar,
OF For Persons to Have DeIus,on,
About the Weather.
There is nothing so untrustwortbv
as unaided human recollection. once
remarked the late John G. Nicolav
VINO heiped to write the Lincoln
memoirs; he referred particularly 10
historic controversies, and intended
70 discredit those observations which
nau not been put in black and wbi,o
al the time Of the occurrence os tho
event, but instead had been allowed
TO grow. A forcible illustration of this
truth Is found in popular estimates of
the weather. 1t was only last wear
that We had summer so hot ma IN
prcak the records OF the Weather
bureau, and yet this summer the
countrymen hereabout are saving that
the climate is changing" and speci.
neatly charging that "the summers are
not what they used to be-"
rms Is psychological phenomenon
Similar to that one which accounts for
that peculiar brand of pie that
mother used to make" Whatever
the pies. the climate remains the
same, as will be proved by the truth
ful records of scientific appliances.
There are periods during which II
varies; times when cold or rain or
neat prevails to larger extent than
the normal. But when the whole ia
summed up. covering reasonably
long period OF time, It is found that
the frost-line Is just where It used TO
be, and the cold or hot or the rainy
periods are no more or less frequent
than when grandfather was boy.
Thomas Jefferson was victim to
the popular delusion. and writing in
III, said; "A change Of climate ia
taking place very sensibly. Both
heats and colds are becoming more
moderate within the memory OF even
the middle-aged. Shows are less fre.
quent and less deep. They do not
often lie below the mountains more
than one, two or three days, and very
rarely a week. The SHOWS are re.
membered to have been formerly fre.
quent, deep, and of long continuance.
The elderly inform me that the earth
used to be covered about three months
In every year"
But In those days there was no
Weather Bureau, and the elderly"
were free to give their recollection
without the danger Of an official OBJ.
servatlon being quoted. In Europe
accurate records have been kept OF
dates OF the opening of navigation
OF streams at certain points for sew.
eral centuries, and II is shown that
covering long period of years, there
has been no appreciable change. The
first twenty years OF record, compar-
ed with the totals of the last twenty
years. gives the same result
Observations made by geologists
convince them. and Professor Moore
of the Weather Bureau. that In our
lake regions no changes Of climate
have taken place for several thousand
years. Ossian Guthrie. the noted civil
engineer. says that "the same variety
of trees now growing In the lake
regions were growing soon after the
glacial epoch"
The records of the Weather Bureau
show that the maximum of heat re.
corded in the United States was in
Colorado, at Mammoth Tank. sta.
tion in the desert, where In 1887, the
thermometer recorded. in the shade,
1913 degrees Fahrenheit. Again In
1884, 124 degrees was reached In the
same place. Taking II all together,
the hottest place in the United tSates
is California's Death Valley" The
name Is supposed 10 come from o
tragedy which occurred there In the
SOS, when a party Of immigrants en-
Of thirst. The valley Is the bed of
a former salt lake, and It Is below
the level of the sea. Streams flow
into 1t, but the burning sands and
alkali lick them up. Large borax de-
posits are found there. The valley Is
seventy-five miles long and in places
only six miles wide at the bottom.
In 1891 the Weather Bureau sent an
observer to remain there and take
observations all summer. When he
returned, he said he would take per
dition straight" next time. He was
there 1853 days. On the hottest day
the maximum was 100 and the mini
mum SO degrees, making an average
for the day of 1886. which is rather
trying weather.
Professor Moore advises people not
to stand in doorways or at open win
dows during severe electric storms.
The neighborhood Of trees and fire.
places are to be avoided. On the
other hand, he says 1t will do little
or no good to wrap up in feather
bed. Alarm, in case of lightning is
quite superfluous. Remember that
one who lives to see the lightning
flash need not concern himself about
the possibility of harm from that
flash. Also recoIlect that heaven has
more thunders to alarm than thunder
bolts to punish. 1t serves also to
calm the spirits to think that even
though struck by lightning, the conse-
quences are not always fatal; even II
stunned, and apparently dead. the vic
tim may be resuscitated. Professor
Moore says not to cease efforts at ar
tificial respiration and stimulation for
an hour. Lightning stuns, but does
not often kill.-New York Post.