Year: 1873

+ Trans-Canadian Origin.


From all the reports that reach us regarding
the recent great storm it appears now to have
been what meteorologists have distinguished
as an and-cyclone. In the ordinary storms
which pass over the country, as well as in
those which ravage the tropical seas, the
atmospheric disturbance is cyclonic-that is
to say, the direction of the whirl of the wind
is opposed to that of the hands Of watch,
and this rotation proceeds around warm
centre of low barometer; but in the anti
cyclone the barometer gives extremely high
readings, and the whirl or sweep of the winds
is in the Same direction in which the hands Of
the watch move.


In the recent great storm there was no
cyclone in the United States which could at
all explain the magnitude and severity of the
gale. Our old pilots reported on Thursday
that outside OF Sandy Hook they encountered
some of the roughest seas they have seen in
many years. The whole region along the
lakes seems to have been affected by some dis
trrbance, the cause of which must be looked
for outside ond far north Of the United States;



NOUS area of high barometer alone furnish
plausible solution Of the mystery. The first
indication which the gale gave of it's severity
was in the high northeaster at Long Branch
and the majestic pillows dashed up on the
Jersey shore. This northeaster evidently be-
longed to system Of winds connected
with an immense and cold anti-cyclone
moving across the basin of Hudson
Boy and wholly beyond the northward
stretch of telegraph lines, which, had
they been in existence, might easily have
afforded premonitions Of the gale Supposing
such an enormous meteor in motion across
these high latitudes, and only upon such q
supposition it is easy to see that the revolving
mass of the anti-cyclone as it advances toward
the Labrador coast and the Gulf Of st. Law
renee, would throw off from its eastern side
precisely such northeasterly wind as for
| more than two days continued to pile the
storm clouds over our Atlantic seaboard This
cold northeasterly offshoot, except, perhaps, in
this midsummer season, when the seaboard
was covered with moist and vapor-laden air,
would have been productive of no such extra
ordinary rainfalls as the papers have reported
to have taken place from Virginia to Massa-
chusetts, but the gale itself would, at any time,
have been considerable and dangerous. 1t is
of no small moment, therefore, that the Do
minion government, which has already shown
much zeal in organizing weather system in
the valley of the st. Lawrence, should post its
meteorologic sentinels as far northwestward as
possible, so as to secure that timely Fremont
ton of such anti-cyclonic gales as telegraphic
reports from their territory alone can eve,
hope to adequately supply. The friendly co.
operation which exists already between Canada
and the United States in the interchange Of
weather intelligence has proved of great SER
vice to Canadian shipping on the lakes and on
the Canadian seacoast, and the Canadian au-
thorities can we'll afford to extend the line OF
their weather sentinels in the direction sug-
gested-a service which would be as highly
appreciated in this country as it would re-
dound to their own commercial and marine
| intarasa