The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-09-21
|YSTERY OF STORMS
eather Mems Efforts to Wrest
Secret From Upper Air.
EsTs MADE TEN MILES UP.

"tOhtd w =t5HNs
The weather man is working indus
pusly nowadays to make himself in
bible, writes John Callan O'Laughlin,
b Chicago Tribune's Washington cor
bpondent. Not only is he studying
conditions close to the
eth, but he has started an investiga-
~ of the air at an altitude of ten
les. In addition, he is seeking to
cover secret which nature thus far
B zealously guarded-the mechanics
storms.
This work is not confined to the
bited States, though the great area of
5 country enables general deductions
the highest Importance to mankind,
u it occupies the attention Of me-
biological experts in Europe and the
east. The first step now has been
Ten to insure cooperation between
ese experts, SO that there may be oh
ined accurate information of the
Rta of air that blow over the low
IDS and sweep around high noun
ps and the layers of atmosphere,
ially important to our comfort,
ich dwindle out into ether.
ehe result will be greater accuracy in
lure weather forecasting, which in
elf will be no mean boon to humani-
and perhaps eventually certain con.
of storms.
he Smithsonian institution has re-
lily made an additional grant to DIR.
be Hill meteorological observatory,
u outside of Boston, for continuance
his work in collecting records of
hperature, pressure and air currents
miles above the earth. DR.. Rotch
fowp kites as high as 1900 feet
ID instruments attached, but through
use OF rubber balloons of various
BIS, to which are attached small para
ties with baskets carrying self re-
ding instruments, it has been posi-
to get records at much greater
ghts.
Experience has shown that as the
loon ascendS and atmospheric pres
e lessons the bag expands until,
ching the limit of its tension, the
bber breaks and releases the para
hte with its burden. This floats
dually to the ground, to be picked
and returned for small reward.
he thermometers have registered in
be cases IS degrees below zero f.
bit miles above the earth. At about
en- miles relatively warm stratum
5 entered, which was found to be at
lgher level in summer and autumn.
rofessor Willis L. Moore, chief of
weather bureau, who has been
king similar experiments at Mount
Sather research observatory in the
eghany mountains, has found that
an altitude of 5000 feet above
hunt Weather it is just as warm al
Knight as It is at midday in July in
hottest weather. 1t is the intention
Professor Moore to scatter observa'
b balloons made of rubber and pa
throughout the west, then to pick
ia given storm or given cold wave
d explore it. Professor Moore thus
cribes his proposed experiment:
Ne will say there is a storm extending
m the Mississippi river to Denver an6
m Duluth to northern Texas. By tele-
Aphic orders l will direct three Of the
Ations in each quadrant of the storm &c
erate a balloon, say, at 8 o'clock. They
b shoot right up through that storm
b the instruments carried in the para
hte will record pressure, temperature
b humidity, When the balloons get III
an altitude of ten miles, they will ex
Ode. We can explode them at ten Of
en fifteen miles.
Then the Instruments will tA5cend slow
to the earth with the records. The1
II be sent to Mount Weather, where, 10
first time. we will be able to study tn
chanics of the storm itself.
The Mount Weather station promises
provide meteorological data of high
Importance. 1t is intended there +
easure the absorption OF the earth
Inosphere to find out exactly tn
antity of solar energy that reaches
earth and the quantity absorbed
the air
The air is full of dust, and it Is IN
hded to count the number Of dus
ptes. As many as 100000 of thes'
Dtes have been counted in a cubi
ntimeter, about one-third of an inch
hese atoms of dust are nearly al
getable and are separate and dis
ct from germs, but Professor Moore
ho asserts that germs attach them
ives to dust notes, says:
he have learned one important fune
IN It Is this: II you were to eliminat
ast notes from a room. If there wer
dust in the air there, every person !
would be like a star stuck in blac
mamant. On n perfectly moonless nigh
you look at the stars they are Tx
hght. glittering objects stuck into
ckgn0und. If there were no dust mote
the room each person would be visible
t the interval between would be ink
hck You would see walls, but the spac
tween the walls would be inky blacl
Du could not illuminate the room viii
4 dust notes.
rhe notes refract light. They take u
DIT and scatter IL and diffuse IL an
ps illuminate the whole space. 70
What has that to do with meteol
gyT' We have gone further. and "
"a that without this same atom 20
hid not produce rain The presence
Ht notes IN the atmosphere is such ths
nbably every little minute droplet has
le atom for a nucleus You could ID
J.