Connecticut western news., 1915-12-23
WEATHER MAKING
tContlnued from First Page ,

The severity of this storm was due to the fnct that two storms, travelling m opposite directions, met. directly over our state, with the result that the greatest violence was experienced in Connecticut.
 The dotted lines, plain lines. and arrows, on the map, indicated r.spec- lively the temperature, pressure, and wind. \ little study Of the mnps and the weather conditions will enable one to know lot about the weather, taid the speaker, and to feel qualihe'l to talk much and with authority on the sub. j, ct; but little more and deeper study will convince the student that he duesn't know quite us much as he had thought. and he will tuli with less self assurance
 His description of the processes em. | rloyed in producing these weather 1 II aps, was interesting. At o'cluck, each day, Washington time the weather stations all over the United states, note the, temperature. barometer, 1 precipitation and state of the sky, and eltgraph all this to Washington, where all tnese reports are received within an hour. In Washington. upon large blank map of the United States. the re. ports are recorded by connecting the station" cities with the lines ndicat. ing temperature, pressure, etc, show ing the variations of condition. Then predictions are made and sent to the larger cities which are not weather stations, but where official observers" take the data and each makes predictions covering his territory, such us we re. ceive from Hartford. The plates are lrinted from wax impressions, and are highly uHeful in helping the intelligent nlau to arrive at conclusion us to what the weather is likely to he.
 The question may be asked What benefit comes from the expenditure of millions of dollars hy rhe government, for these maps and proRnostications l? The answer is, that the benent to farmers, frait growers, sailors pleas uTe seekers, etc. is incalculable, and incidents were cited of the actual benefit of these advance warnings. Frequently ships are seen hastening to some harbor in pleasant weather. but followed shortly by severe storms. The captains have seen the weather signals. In some sections weather flags displayed on railroad trains give warm ing to farmers and others, of the ap- pIoach of storms, and they are enabled to prepare accordingly.
 Weather sensitiyeness" was referred to. Some people are able to forecast storms by some form of affliction like "tue ache." or feeling it in their bones." Depression frequently fore- tells coming storm, and low atmos- pheric pressure has its effect on the spirits of people. The speaker had at theory that atmospheric depression Iproduced crime waves-that more crimes were committed in stormy times.
 some of the favorite and time. honored theories that certain animals have ways of foretelling weather condi- tions-the thickness of the fur, the storing of nuts for winter, etc. were mentioned, but science fails to show that there is any connection between the weather and these animal instincts.
 Another pet "sure thing" theory was assailed in the assertion that scientists recognize no connection between the moon and the weather. The "horns" of the moon indicate nothing, weather. wise. The "wet moon" and the "dry moon." us indicated by the "horns" are simply the result of the position of the sun as it shines upon the moon; a "wet moon" may change to a "dry moon" before it sets, according to the suns position in relation to it. The ring around the moon" k produced by the moon shining through the mist in the earth's atmosphere, and has no real weather significance.
 The familiar plaint that we "don't get such weather as we used to have" is also fallacious notion. Scientists have proved that the weather, for every hundred years, averages about the same. We will have cold years, and warm, and mild aud severe, as the world has always had. In Looking back upon "old fashioned weather" we are apt to remember more distinctly the conspicuous weather occurrences, like the blizzard of 1888, etc.