Evening star., 1902-01-25
Where and How the Billiards Form
and Sweep the Land.
HIGH WINDS And DRIFTING SHOWS
March of 1888 Recalled With Its
Horrors.
THE NORTHWEST
GALES

Written for The Evening Star by E. b. Farmer)
Dunn.
While "Old Boreas" sleeps in the heart of
the icy north, industry and commerce move
steadily on. Nothing, it would seem, could
check this progress and demean the power
of man. But in the frozen north there Is
often at this season an awakening of "Old
Boreas' from his slumbers, and then he
sends forth blast that shrivels man and
beast, demoralizes industries, obstructs the
traffic of continent and cuts off commu-
nication with the outer world. 1t is the
blizzard" and man is suddenly brought to
realize it's mighty power.
The blizzard, as defined, is fierce wind,
accompanied by a fine, cutting, drifting
snow and intense cold. The term blizzard
was formerly associated only with the win
ter conditions that usually prevail in the
northwest, but is now used to designate
similar storms in the eastern states. In the
districts of the southwest and Texas such
storm is known as "norther." When
there is an absence of snow in these latter
sections a fine, binding sand takes its
place, and in many localities the blizzard is
accompanied by both, The force and de-
structive character of the blizzard is dem
onStrated in many ways. Only recently the
entire country east of the Rocky mountains
and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico was
brought within the grasp of this mighty
monster from the north: lives were lost on
land and sea; cattle perished by the thou
sands on the western plains; rivers over
flowed their banks; railroads were blocked,
telegraphic communication interrupted and
valuable gardens and fruit groves in the
sunny south completely destroyed. South
of the line of Georgia there was no snow,
but the sweep of the high winds and cold
was equally disastrous to that section.
Billiards" find birthplace to the north
Of the boundary line Of the United States
The most severe and extensive enter the
country over Montana or North Dakota.
They occasionally come down over Mime
sofa, or the great lakes. The latter, though
they may be equally severe as those enter
ing further to the westward, are smaller in
diameter, and they spread over the lake
regions, Ohio valley, middle Atlantic and
New England states only, while those COM
ing from over the former states, as a gen.
eral rule, spread over the entire country
east of the Rocky mountains. They first
move directly southwark, and, strange to
say, while these storms of high winds and
intense cold are the outcome of the develop
ment and movement of areas of abnormally
high pressure (where the wind is thrown off
from the center in all directions, with mo-
ton similar to the movement of the hands
Of a watch). their full force is not attained
until the centers are within the bounds of
the northwest states, where the most in
tense cold of the journey is registered, and
not infrequently touches from 30 to GO de-
due to more rapid nocturnal radia ton
than takes place further north.
A Case Of High and Low.
The movement Of an area of high pres
sure with the 'blizzard" features attend
Ing depends more or less upon the cyclonic
or low pressure area preceding it relative to
its intensity, position and movement.
The atmospheric waves making up all
storm movements follow one another, like
the waves Of the ocean. only on a more
gigantic scale There may be anywhere
from one to five Of these atmospheric waves
traversing the country at the same time,
but Of different force and dimensions; each
struggling to secure an equilibrium; those
Of the high waves endeavoring to fill the
comparative vacuum Of the low areas. In
both instances they are propagated to the
eastward by the rotation of the earth.
The existing low pressure, which forms
a vacuum or channel of light air. offers an
inducement for the flow Of the heavier,
colder air toward its center. Thus it will
be seen that the colder air from the high
pressure readily starts for the place of