Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29
CLASHING STORM
TALES EXPLAINED
Scientists in Iowa Meeting
Hear About Atmosphere
Made to Aid Patients.

BY the Associated Press.
DIES MONIES, Iowa, December o.
An unexpected source fer the we'll
known exaggerated weather story has
been discovered by Eric C. Miller, me-
teoroligist of the United States Weather
Bureau at Madison, Wis, he said today
he reported his discovery to the
weather section of the American AS
ISOLATION for the Advancement of
Science.
When the oldest inhabitant tells of
the worst storm way back when, and
is matched by a taller tale, liars license
is not necessarily the explanation. Both
narrators may be exhibiting one of the
great peculiarities of observation which
Mr.. Miller found in studying years of
statistical weather records of this and
other countries.
He said these records showed re-
markable inconsistencies in rainfall
statistics, kept by hundreds of trained
and volunteer observers. Records kept
in the same places disagreed. He was
somewhat startled to find that such
things as the lunch hour, the period
when men started the rush of the days
work. and later hours, when their
minds were more at leisure, all APP
peared in some of the weather statis-
tics. They appeared in fairly uniform
differences of eXactneSS in recording
which depended on lunch hour and
numerous other personal preoccupa-
tons.
The explanation was that the
weather goes on all the time, but mans
watching was intermittent. He might
fail to catch the high point the other
fellow saw. Some were more careful
than others in reading these split
fractions of an inch in precipitation or
the split degrees of temperature.
Although these differences were
slight, Mr.. Miller found the totals con-
siderable and of public concern. He
told of lawsuit on overflow Ringing on
readings by two honest observers, whose
cumulative figures disagreed. He said
these fractional differences sometimes
were important in damage cases in
volving slipperiness Of streets and visi-
bility.
Man-made air different from natures
brand was described in the chemical
section by DR.. j. Willard Hershey Of
Mcpherson College, Mcpherson, Kans.
He made the new airs by changing the
normal mixtures Of oxygen, nitrogen,
argon. helium, neon, krypton and car
bon dioXide.
Oxygen and nitrogen compose all ex-
cept about per cent of the atmosphere,
animals would live only II days if their
air was completely deprived of the
gases forming the l per cent. He found
some combinations which seemed to
support life in mice batter than ordi-
nary air, and suggested study of relief
of disease by specially prepared at
moSpheres.
DR.. Fay-Cooper Cole, professor of an
thropology at the University of Chi
cago, explained why dark skinned Hin
duS have changed from a once fairer
race of men. The great causes Of
racial change. he said, were isolation,
in-breeding. mixture of races by inter-
marriage, environment and a compare
lively new scientific principle called
mutation, whereby the life cells them
selves tend to be altered slightly.
DR.. Ales Hrdlicka, Washington an
thropologiSt, said that American science
soon may be able to offer definite solu-
ton of the origin of the Indian and of
the Eskimo. He said research in Alaska
would be an important factor.