Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-09-20
WHAT rs A roa9
Question That Puzzles the Shrewd-
est weather Sharpe.

Countless generations Of seafaring men
have pondered much and sworn deeply
over this question, and still it is unan-
sYered. Folks ashore - well as afioat
know that fogs exist, but no one knows
OF any good purpose they serve.
In . general way the cause Of fogs is ex-
plainable, but no one has ever devised q
scheme for circum7enting them or in any
manner getting the better Of them. The
man who can invent . plan for dissipating
fogs or making navigation in them safe
has aw1iting him . fortune compared
with which the riches Of John D. Rocke-
Teller would look like carfare.
Sailors, who are all pretty good meteo-
rologists, know that fogs are caused by
ssrong contrasts between the temperature
OF the water and Of the atmosphere, but
not even the oldest and most experienced
shellback can tell ct what time q fog Is
going to appear, nor how long it will last.
Neither can he tell how deep or how
thick the fog il going to be.
The sea-going fogs We know around
here sometimes commonly, in fact
lie in banks, just like clouds, and some
times they are not a. high % the mast
heads Of ship, and again they extend up
ward to unknown heights.
1t is frequently the case that ON =
steamer cropping her way through fog,
the lookouta on tho forward deck and on
the bridge or in the pilothouse will be un-
able to see the stem OF the vessel, while q
man posted in the crowsnest at the fore
masthead can see for miles around over
the tip Of the fogbank, but cannot see the
deck OF the ship which is under his feet.
1t is not uncommon for the lookout
posted aioft to make out the masts Of an
other vessel at some distance, while he is
entirely unable to sec any other portion Of
the other craft.
Again, it is q common experience of men
who go to sea that regardless Of the height
Of fog banks encountered they are likely
to be found in sharply defined, detached
banks.
Col. J. w. Smith, the governments
district forecaster and allround meteoro-
logical expert, doesn't do much deep-sea
predicting, but he knows all about what
causes fogs, and he says it is sharp con-
trssts between the atmosphere and the
water OF the ocean. Fogs OF any great
density or long duration such as we have
recently been experiencing are not only
unusual here at this season Of the year,
but are decidedly untimely.
Professor Smith says that the regular
open season on fogs along the New Eng
land coast il in January and again in the
lite spring and early summer, say about
May and June.
Further to the north and east they have
fogs pretty much all the year around, and
that is especially true OF the Nova Scotia
and Newfoundland coasts and on the
Grand banks. Conditions which cause
fogs up there are substantially the same
conditions which cause them around here.
Along the Newfoundland coast and on the
banks, there is always ice, and icebergs
are drifting about up there even now.
The hot atmosphere OF these ATTITUDES
drifting OF to the northward and east
ward comes in contact with the icebergs
and field ice and the fog, which is . sort
Of refrigerated steam, results.
The recent extensive visitation Of fog
~ ~. -"~ 'Ao~o,e
sions 'ne S'e" rnkiAnu 0o.s. "s' oo.eo'
ooi' 'ni'n says W nikn o.rone.,ic
pressure nor'ness' " vs. suou. on Inc
NosA 0co'" anu Ne~lounulAnu 'oSs's.
Ai'es our record D!ea.inR speA Oh NOT
westnef ana WIN lack Oh ram, Inc super
heated air was attracted to the northeast
and when il came in contact with the ice
a.. 80 ;o.h.-r. .h.-. ~ -..r,t.d 81 ~.
no0s so :. wy
conformation OF tremendous log, cover
ing an immense area, which came back and
enve,oned all this section in its clammv
1olo.
The New England coast, particularly
the eastermost reaches of it. and the
$3.50. :, NJ. CO.. .ra Mathematical
c.u.a ~ the hot .tmosnbere which han
pily gets away from us in the New Eng