Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-08-01

cur about twenty-fOur hours apart,
that being apparently the time neces-
sary for them to accumulate sufficient
moisture to break. So. If storm series
begins in the afternoon, the remainder
of the series will likely take place in
the afternoon. while If it begins at
to be at night.
1t Is considerably easier to foretell
accurately the arrival of a thunder
storm than to explain it after 1t has
come. Wiser than any man now known
would be he who could follow under
standingly the magical metamorphosis
of the charming summer landscape,
with its lake like glass and air as mo-
tionless as marble, from the time the
first misty sultriness arises as the
threatening breezes begin to stir; as the
sky darkens frowningly the winds
break boisterously from their fetters,
the cloud streams pour out in cataracts,
and the fires of heaven illuminate the
tempestuous night with their terrible
play. And finally, as the elements
again calm themselves, the sun breaks
out and reviyified nature becomes
doubly lovely.
First Sign of Storm.
The first clew to the mystery of a
storm comes from water. If glass of
hot day it gradually evaporates. The
hot, dry air sucks it up. Similarly the
hot, dry air above large body of wa
ter sucks up it's water, transforming 1t
into fine vapor, which imparts mis-
tiness to the atmosphere. The distant
atmosphere now gradually screens it.
self in veil of vapor, which becomes
| thicker and thicker. This leads to the
| next phenomenon in a thunder storm.
Every one knows that when steam
comes in contact with cold objects it
condenses, finally forming tiny drops
| and resuming it's original form of wa
| ter. In the same way on warm sum-
mer afternoon the upper layers of the
atmosphere are cooler than those i'm
| mediately above the earth. Hence the
higher vapors rising as they come In
| contact with the cool air condense
thickening into the form of clouds,
which are nothing else than condensed
steam. The particles of water forming
the clouds are so minute and light that
| they float in the air. The movements OF
| the vapor as it rises and the action OF
the cooler upper strata Of air upon il
generates currents Of air, the wind
| This at first Is just strong enough tC
ripple the surface Of the water and stil
the foliage of the trees. In the mean
time, another element is at work. Ev'
cry one presuppOses an accumulation
of electricity at thunder storm. Elec
tricity is present in the atmosphere all
the time, but, as has been observed, il
is always more powerful when any
strong perpendicular currents of air are
| in action, such as cyclones, tOrnadOes
volcanic eruptions, ,waterspouts, thun
der storms. Electrical manifestations
are always accompanied by the down
condensation Of vapor is closely con
nected with electricity. Why is it not
an instance of electricity generated b!
! friction? Rub two pieces of paper Wig
orously against each other and elec
tricity is generated. Open the safety
valve of q steam engine giving out va
por and electricity is produced by the
friction of the steam and valve. In &
thunder storm electricity may thus be
generated by the friction of individual
] particles of water which have beer
driven about by the wind.
The two kinds of electricity, positive