The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-10

it in the matter OF storm and fog predic-
tons for the use of her navy. =,
He went to Germany and met with a
similar response there. So also in Italy.
He went to Turkey and saw the Sultan. But
the Sultan wanted his predictions for Tur-
key alone. though he would not object TO
Persia, with which countries he was par
ticulariy anxious to stand on good terms;
Next he went TO Russia, but Russia proved
another whole hogger. She wanted mo-
nopoly of it or none of it.
so" said the baron, with an expressive
shrug of his broad shoulders, Il found that
the European nations were all alike. What
benefit might be got out of my discoveries
each wanted for itself alone. And so, here
institute where my system can be fairly
tested and the whole world get the oenent
of it,"
FORETELLS EARTHQUAKES.
Baron Won Nowack believes that the cleo
trical energy proceeding from the sun ex-
ercises a great influence upon atmospheric
phenomena as we'll as those which take
place In the interior OF the earth.
1.-THE greater the electric activity of the
sum- he said, 1.-The greater are its effects
upon this planet, as evidenced by violent
storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,
and at the same time the more frequent
are the solar spots. The weather plant is
so sensitive to electric and magnetic in
distribution of the electric and magnetic
forces of our atmosphere occur the twigs
and leaves Of the plant perform peculiar
and abnormal movements, each or which
has its definite Specification.
For instance as sOCn as sun spot
sufficiently large TO influence our earth APP
pears in the the twigS directed toward
the district affected perform more or less
rapid upward or downward movements.
From the rapidity and extent of such
movements the direction in which the
twigs point, and their variation in color,
at once can be determined the nature force
and geographical position of the disturb
twenty-siX days later when the spot COM
pletes it's first rotation round the sun.
Therefore one of the most valuable pro-
phetic qualities of the weather plant is
that the most dreaded and destructive
phenomena are precisely those which ii
indicates with the greatest accuracy and
the greatest length of time in advance.
ITO what do you attribute this peculiar
susceptibility of the plant to magnetic and
ELECTRIC Influences he was asked
My theory about that, he answered
promptly, lis that it is due to the presence
in the plant In large quantities of very
poisonous substance brine-almost as
deadly as strychnine, and which believe
is more sensitive to such influence than is
the mariners compass to the attractions
of the magnetic poles. Because of the
poison IL contains amateurs, who may be
tempted to experiment with Abrus preca-
torius should be careful how they handle
| the plant.
| proposes TO do if he gets his institute:
| To issue, twenty-four TO tWenty-elght
days in advance, special charts showing
| the Critical barometrical centers, also
| the atmospheric and seismic disturbances
and symptoms of fredamp explosions that
may result therefrom.
To issue daily general chart showing
| the various positions and movements of the
| critical barometrical centers during the
| succeeding twenty-eight days.
| TO issue daily a weather chart showing
txEn tn haxrS in IL mo- hn iCfP ipf
| Of fine. rainy and foggy weather gener
| ally.
| To publish a detailed forecast showing
| forty -eiSht to seventy-two hours in adj
| vance the weather within a radius of forty
| to sixty miles.
| From one station in London the baron
| declares charts could be issued applicable
| within radius of about 5000 square miles
| that Is, from the east coast of North
| America TO the Ural mountains, and in
| Guiding the Mediterranean sea and the
| north of Africa.
A WARNING FOR ST. LOUIS.
But why" asked the interviewer, don't
you start predicting weather at once?
| Then if your predictions are verified the
! merits of your system are made apparent
to ALL"
Nothing would suit me better" he re-
piled" but L have no weather plant, no
| apparatus and no facilities for observing
| sun spots, the latter privilege being denied
me at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
| The weather plants / left at Kew Gardens
| have been neglected and they are not now
! worth tuppence. Should l plant seeds it
| would be nearly three years before the
plants obtained from them would be in a
| condition to be of service to in my
| work. The plants themselves will have to
be obtained from India.
| But" he added eagerly, turning to a
| portfolio. here / have documentary evil
| dence of many predictions of mine that
| have been verified, some of them concern
| ing storms and earthquakes that have
| caused great loss of life"
| The King of Italy. the Sultan of Turkey,
| embassies and meteorological societies fig
| ure in the list of those to whom such pre-
| dictlons were conhded.
| Apart from his Investigations of the
| weather plant the baron has evolved a
| theory, obtained from a study of the rec
ordS of critical natural phenomena
throughout the world, that such phenomena
are restricted TO eight zones, encircling the
earth in various directions, which move
periodically toward or away from one an
other, and that the most destructive at
when such zones intersect each other. Two
such zones. he says, cross each other near
st. Louis this year. and something in the
nature of a cyclone is likely to-result in
consequence. But a more exact predic-
ton would be dependent on the Observable
of sun spots. Then the weather plant
would get in its fine work and reveal the
day. f. l.. SMELL.
copyright, 1904