New-York tribune., 1904-09-04
WEATHER AND WAR.
Bearing the Former Has Had on
Outcome of the Latter.


The serious war operations OF both Japan and Rus
sla have, Il is said. beer delayed in Marchurta on
account OF the heavy .~ which svvse1 down rpon
the country for weeks e. zether and slash at men
and cattle, not Ike water. but Ike kee-. edged
steel, says The London Globe" The history OF
battles shows that this problem OF weather has al
ways been an important for the warrior. On
more than one occasion IN the fierce struggle be-
tween the highly wrought civilization OF the East
ana the standardization OF the West the weather
has been as great an enemy 70 Togo and Kamimura
as to Alexief, or Stark, Makarorr or SkrydlCrs.
In dense fog they have run upon drifting mines in
dividual vessels OF their own squadron have col
uGed with each other with catastrophe loss. and
attacks on Port Arthur have been rendered irnpos-
sible abortive
fog is like the loss CT sight to human eyes To all
intents and purposes he IS blind. Despite chart
and compass, plan and object, he may sweep uTl-
known into the ways Of death. Hold his ship n
hand as he may. he knows not what may come
upon him out OF dark wherein his strongest lights
are as ineffective farthing candles. The squad
rons Of his enemy sneak out OF port and he chases
them on the open sea. Nearer and nearer he comes
up with them, and prepares to loose his thunders
Suddenly FOG drops the sea- impenetrabIe
leaden, and the great ships he Is chasing II
they had never been-less substantial than a
shadow. cnimera OF his waking brain
When Ethelred found shelter in Normandy rom
the attacks OF the Danes contrary winds alone pre-
toration- Strange may appear, II bad
weather which led 70 the undoiag OF Harold, and
gave 10 England her Norman kings. While Harold
was cruising IN the English Channel a storm
threw him on the Norman coast. ard he was
forced 10 swear handful OF bones that he
would support the Duke Williams claim 70 present
himself for election by the nation to the English
Crown. The stars in their courses, We are told,
fought against Sisera; Harod's III luck seems TO
have been always connected wich the weather. Con-
f~-ar- rf1GS al II f--Ya IN
S2Tna4dy, y and before t.-y c9a9ged they 4Sd A
before he could reach Lold9n The legtons Of VIII
AN wgs0 d. Eefs;sey %nG ~ 4 -eae - & ~'Is 80 .-e
Harold had fallen, and sitting down TO eat and
The. weather had not little to do with the fall
ure I PhillP at Crsssy Ne mad hired l5oeo Cen9eSe
march from the Riviera: sudden storm cane an
were ordered 70 6sg1u the attack on the English,
their arrows fell all but harmless Then came the
shot that as one chronicler has It. .ft seemed as
Il Il showed But Tor the weather England
she actually did. After Drake had singed Philip
the seconds beard, as he put II, By burning the
storned the ports OF the Faro, the Duke OF Parma
nat bottomed transports, and then waited until the
galleons os the Armada could protect aim N crossing
the Channel But the storms OF winter kept the
leviaJhans OF the Spanish King in their anchorage
worse. y gale sprang up in the Bay OF Biscay.
and tung the invading aeet, scattered and broken.
9, i when Drake had made their decks IKE
sha Ses. Medina resolved on retreat 70 SPAN tne
OrlSneys went the ganeons. There the weather
the northern beat upon them mercilessly-
They we're driven upon rock, sud shoal, ard cl.1,
only reached Corunna- Between the Giants Cause
W. 4ha b Tg f 1o1 s,,sI L,,Ira5 rEss
were washed up On the shore nea- sllso: and when.
Spanlsn & n3oty no. I TOT ~ & g E''Ssr S l me
ahf Ai hiri 70
crashed UPON a reef near Dunoiane. and Spain
The story OF another projected invasion OF Eng
land reveals an Englisn-ra1 nor the least among
weather, a charter oJheT than {aa{ which records
ten IN our annals Eighteen thousard men were
ready 70 embark on S0srd the French feet. Mighty
wais wads s ea6 a s 9 Es nt9 3 d WITH soa
and granite reefs hsTksS pilot retn9Hstr2se5 3st:
have done your dEty by this remOnstrance:' was
Frenchnen.'' He lost rxo ships on the shoals; but
when Hawke had done With II. there was not
particular.
Russia he had made no provision for aEhtlng the
rigors OF q Russian winter. yet he was no more
pf4 pa TO or RnTo Is ab to cp3gn asn5S the
Manch1Ttan rains which sweep away the tents or
stream. II was the weather which began the sub
Array Consisted Of 4 quarter Of 4 million men In
September. after Borodiro. he entered Moscow
saved what Temained .. his array Il be had re
treated ard wntered IN wilma, Where ne might haNd
been by November. Irssead. he remained in6e-
cIsivs for hve weeks IN Moscow. ard then began
complaining Of the weRther. The Emperor Alex
snder refused to negotiate ard Nag9seGn com
menced hts retreat and his debacle TIE bones or
SHOWS; and in December che Grand ArT,y tottered
Into wilma handful Of starved and shIvertns men
dicantS-ragged. wasted. pit1ful
The battle history Of ancient well modern
nations tells how great part the Weather plays in
the campaigns OF the warriors One Of the most
important battles IN the history OF the world IS that
OF Bethhoron when Adonizedek. King Of Jsrusa-
lem. and Hchar1. King OF Hebron. and Pfrar, King
or JarrruTh and Japhta. King OF Lachlsh. and DER
King OF ExIou. the five kings OF the Amorites.
gathered themselves toFether. RHd went up. they
a1d made against Il. Joshua left his camp at
GilgaI ~ night and swept down OF the kings as
they were encamped. and slew them with great
slaughter and they fed toward Eethhoron a
fierce haiistOrrn peited down them and. says the
narrative, there wcre more which died witch hail
stones than they whom the children Israel slew
with the sword" And here II that rha trtum-
phant Joshua smoke that strange thing OF whIch
much has been made by the gentlemen who are
known the higher critics. sun stand thou
stin upon Gtbeon. ana thou. moon. n the Valley
Of Ajalou. And the stood still and the moon
STAYED. until the people had avenged themselves
difficult II Is in the poetry. The prose or II -
that Joshua prave6 that tLe and moon would
cease shine and that the darkness Of the storm
would continue. Il did The effect OF the dark
ness would have the same effect on the Amcrttes
as the thunderstorm at CriTnesus, the strange
darkness which fell upon the opposing hosts at the
battle OF Eveshan