The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-13


of few days OF warmer weather. This
last winter, however was one continual
perature remained really low was on Jan.
q. when the thermometer registered be-
low zero. On Feb. the mercury went
down 10 below, and on Dec. IS. the day
after Christmas. II registered below zero.
OF course these are official figures and will
be disputed by the person who has a Their
mometer hanging on the front porch. which
he consults every hour during extreme
weather, for there is considerable difference
between the thermometers that the gov
eminent has at the weather bureau and
those owned by the average person. Thoso
or the government are up high, where
nothing interferes with their registering
what the temperature really is, while the
other, down on the street. or on a porch.
may be so situated that the wind coming
from only one direction will hit IL directly
and thus make the mercury fall degree
or two.
AS far cold days are concerned. several
during previous winters have been consid-
erably colder than any day of last winter.
An instance of this was on Sunday. Jan. Is.
1888 The temperature on that day reached
10 below zero and practically stayed there
all day. That was during the time that
natural gas was used exclusively, but IL
was not equal to the occasion on that day.
II was necessary for a number of churches
to dismiss their congregations on account
or not having enough heat 10 warm the
buildings, and there was great suffering
among people of all classes. That winter.
as whole. however, was a comparatively
warm one. amp that spell Of weather. which
came in January was the only one OF any
consequence during the whole winter. There
have been several other times i'm the last
few years when the thermometer went to 10
and ii degrees but did not remain there
more than a day. In fact, IL seems that
IL is during the mild winters when these
extremely cold days occur. but warmer
weather generally follows.
DIR. CLARK'S THEORY.
An interesting theory has been advanced
in the last few weeks by DR.. John Mason
Clark, paleontologist for the State of New
York who contends that we are yet in the
glacial period and that we can expect such
relapses into cold weather as we have just
experienced almost any winter He says,
in support of his theory:
~, Man is still living in the glacial period.
Inc prevalent idea that the ice age was a
remotely distant epoch in the earths his
tory, that IL disappeared long ago and was
Iollowed by changes which tremendously
moulIled the face Of nature In the ATTITUDES
OF this country, is very imperfect one.
we are not exactly living about the edge
OF ,l,. an Ice cap. but we are certainly living
within the sphere of influence of the dimin-
lshed remains of the ancient glacial sheet
To-day from Greenland TO New York
harbor eastern America is in the grip OF
the Ice as never before during the memory
OF the living. Last summer was cold and
so was the summer before 1t is natural
that apprehension should be often ex-
pressed that the climate of these ATTITUDES
Is actually changing for the worse. but IL is
probably true that this is the ordinary and
normal oscillation i'm temperature periods
which accompanies the tapering-off of a
longer-continued period of refrigeration.
Northern ATTITUDES during the culmina-
thousands of years, and IL takes long to
e1ace such a condition. Though with the
breaking-up of the ice sheet and the with
drawal and appearance of the local ela-
ciers resultant floods and concomitant
changes in the elevation of the land pro-
duced the effect so profound as to actually
give birth to our present topography vet
we are to-day in the midst OF these pro-
cesses
The ice age prevails and the northern
ice cap has not reached its minimum There
Is plenty OF evidence that glacial man still
exists in New York"
In thousand years or so DR. Clark thinks
that II ought be perceptibIy warmer here
both in winter and summer Another in
teresting theory of the paleontologist is
that If we had series of volcanic eruptions
such occurred in the West Indies two
years ago one effect of them would be 10
warm the atmosphere considerably. when
Pelee and La Soufriere went off couple
OF years ago, he said, "a remarkable fea-
ture of their discharge especially at Pelee
was the outpouring of tremendous quantit-
ties or asphyxiating gases, chiefly carbon
dloxid Ii was this that caused the terrific
destruction of life Such discharges of
carbon-dioxid into the earth's atmosphere
help 10 make the earth warmer and IL
there should come soon a season of general
volcanic activity throughout the earth we
might reasonably look for a change in cli-
mate not only warmer but more equable.
A series of volcanic cataclysms may there
fore warm up the climate at any time, but
otherwise we can hardly expect TO get
perpetually warm or TO escape the prob
ability of more such winters as this for a
good while yet.
THOMAS JEFFERSONS MISTAKE
Mr. Blythe. Of the local weather bureau.
is very skeptical about the causes OF cold
winters and says that they are only natural
and that there are no atmospheric changes
taking place. neither does he put any faith
in the glacial period theory that is ex-
pounded by DR. Clark. Mr. Blythe thinks
that il is all in the natural course Of
things, and he says the causes of different
changes in weather are so obscure that IL
is a very difficult matter 10 tell just what
they come from. When asked II there was
anything in the claim that is often made
that the climate is changing he said there
was not. and that we now have the same
old climate we have always had. He con-
| tends that IL We have two very warm sum-
mers and winters together people begin TO
| think that the climate Is getting warmer.
| and If the weather remains cold, as IL was
| last summer and this winter they i'm
mediately come TO the conclusion that the
climate is getting colder and that IL will not
| be many years until we will be all dressed
in bear skins and living in ice like the
| Eskimo. He further said.
THE weather bureau combats the theory
lldI the CLIMATE IL GIdnElnBs dllnDukH II
is a very popular fallacy and has been so
for more than century. AS long ago as
| Thomas Jefferson's time this belief was
popular. and in regard TO IL Mr. Jefferson
! said: A change OF climate is taking place
| very preceptibly- Both heat and cold are
| becoming more moderate within the MEM
| DRY of even the middle-aged SHOWS are
| less frequent and less deep. They do not
/ often lie below the mountains more than
one or two days and very rarely a week.
The SHOWS are remembered 10 have been
formerly frequent, deep and of long con-
| tinuance.'
The elderly inform me- continued Mr..
| Jefferson that the earth used 10 be COW
| ere6 with snow about three months In
| the year
| Blythe after having the above question
| investigated with reference 10 all parts OF
| the globe where records are kept. and par
| ticulary TO the statement OF Mr.. Jefferson.
! which | just quoted relative 10 the climate
! of Virginia. the Weather Bureau authorized
| a statement OF which | will read a part:
| Jefferson and his neighbors were mistaken.
| Never during the period OF authentic his
! tory has snow covered the ground in Nir-
! ginia three months per year three years
| in succession. The old inhabitants OF JEFF
ferson's time were like those OF to-day
| they remember only the abnormalities OF
| the climate OF twenty-five q or nifty years
| before and I'm comparing the unusual con-
ditions OF long ago with the average OF the
| present they Were deceived
/ This is the way IL II at the present
| time" continued MIR. Blythe. there is
| positively change taking place I'm the
| climate, and | said before We are hav-
ing the same old climate that our grand.