300 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



lution of the problems raised by a study of cyclone observations. In 

 the domain of practical " nautical meteorology," and in its applications 

 to the handling of ships on the outer circles of revolving gales, it is 

 especially yet to be sifted in the light of the most exact " simultaneous " 

 observations. The international weather-charts, illustrating the exacter 

 forms of marine storms, show us that they assume very eccentric shapes 

 (see chart, p. 305), and consequently develop variant wind systems. 

 On the liquid expanse of the stormy North Atlantic, crowded with the 

 steamers and sailing-ships of all nations, there exists the finest field for 

 this investigation to be found on the globe. When these vessels be- 

 come " floating observatories," rendering up accounts of their daily 

 simultaneous weather experience, it will be comparatively an easy 

 matter to set for ever at rest the yet disputed questions of the phenom- 

 ena of cyclones, and to formulate rules for manoeuvring ships so as to 

 elude their crushing forces. 



MLiNCEtrvRiNG Ships on the Exterior of a Ctcloke. (The dotted lines Aa, Bb, Cc\ Pd, and 

 Se show the pathss o{ escape from daii<rerous positions ; the large arrow, the storm's progres- 

 sive direction ; the small arrows, the cyclonic winds.) 



The birth, life, and death of storms ; their translations from conti- 

 nent to continent, with the times and directions they take in such 

 transits ; the thermometric, baric, and wind conditions around the globe 

 at various parallels ; the distribution and amount of rainfall and snoAV- 

 f all ; the laws of our great " hot waves " and " cold waves," with many 



