New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-01

4 Town 81 Nome, .A.t'h,i, ana caused more LliH d
million dollars damage to property there. Six
Iiys later Boston had heavy ranstorn New York
had spell Of wet weather; and in the interval heavy
rains had fallen clear the continent from Seattle
the mouth Of the St. Lawrence River except on the
tops Of the mountains, and there snowsorms had taken
The place Of the rain.
Why did this III happen What caused it, and how
wide the storm track; DO YOU know anything
about it, DO YOU know that the whole continent Of
America must depend on Just such for its water
supply,
Without these great cyclonc storms the United
States would be Il dead dry desert So no matter how
much hate storms must have them; and not only
that but must have heavy storms from the west II
we are TO raise apples in Washington prunes in Idaho,
hay in Montana wheat in Dakota and Minnesota and
corn and tobacco in Ohio and Pennsylvania Nor could
we raise any Of these without the aid OF friend, the
Big Storm from the west; for there is a far-reaching
cosuic reason behind the Big Storm.
Scafaring men all know that the oceans are full Of
we'll defined currents flowing along definite routes like
huge rivers. Consequently, they lay their sailing
courses take advantage Of these Soon the
aviator will DO the thing for the atmosphere IS
also full Of great air rivers currents moving along
definite routes and these routes change with the
sons In summer the routes north Of the equator
change to nOrthcry courses, and in winter which
is the season Of the heaviest storms the routes swing
much farther southwark The air currents DO not flow
smoothly like q river; but Whrl and also act more like
The tides because the movement is in series Of waves
Of rotating air moving eastward under pressure from
above y high pressure area is the crest OF Of
these waves and low pressure IS the trough be-
tween two highs air-waye crests. The high
means usually clear and colder weather. while the low
means moisture and warm weather In short, low
storm we know it.
g. far as the northern part OF the Uncl States IS
concerned, it has 20 DO with the low that originates
in and about Bering Sea and the Aleuan Islands of
Naska for this is the birthplace OF al the big
Of winter that move eastward from the Pacific Ocean to
'he mouth OF the St. Lawrence River scattering rain
md snow a belt Of country from fifty one thou
and miles wide clear the continent. 1t is these
zig winter storms that make the United States q fit
country live n and without them most Of the United
States, il not all, would be q desert.
The ocean currents and the wind rivers flow almost
long the same courses and where hole or calm
rc occurs in the like hole in the air.
Of clm usually over it-and this on land
well as Thus have one calm area north OF the
Hawaiian Islands, one over Arizona and New Mexico
one over the South Atlantic one over Australia and
many more. Where these calm areas occur over the
and The country is always dry and dcscrtlikc or en-
rcly desert. So the Sahara Desert in Africa Our own
Southwestern Deserts in Arizona, New Alcyico. and
Lower California, and the desert interior Of Australia
rc I'll caused by exactly the same conditions: namely.
IN eddy or calm place in the atmosphere which the wind
urrcnts move al around but DO not cross
The habitablc parts Of land, on the other hand. are
hose over which The ar rivers flow from Nh, ~c~ BRING