12 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



Many severe tests of our constitutional strength come to 

 us with our cyclones. On eastern margins of these storms, or 

 near their centers, before rain begins, we often have quite a 

 warm and oppressive atmosphere. Within varying, but .short 

 periods of time, extreme drops of temperature occur. What 

 may result from one of these storms is illustrated by a state- 

 ment from Mr. Wm. A. Eddy, in the "Cosmopolitan" of 

 October, 1S91. He .says: "That in the great .storm of 

 Feb. 10, 1884, about 800 people were killed, 2,500 wounded, and 

 the homeless and destitute numbered from 10,000 to 15,000." 

 We can well imagine that much sickness must have followed 

 it. This is part of the record of the greatest storm that ever 

 visited the United vStates, and a special investigation of it was 

 ordered by Congre-ss. To what extremes of temperature we 

 may be exposed can be shown by reference to Signal vService 

 Reports as given by Lieut. Greely ("American Weather," p. 

 129, etc.): " The highest recorded readings have been 119° 

 at P\irt McDowell and Phoenin, Arizona, June 18, 1883; 118° 

 at Fort Yuma, Arizona, July, 1878. P'rom other observations 

 are (juoted temperatures of 128° at Mammoth Tank, Cal., 

 July, 1887; 122° at Humbolt, Cal., July, 1887; 121° at Fort 

 Miller, Cal., June, 1853; 120° at Fort McCrae, N. M., June, 

 1873; 119° at Fort Mojave, Arizona, August, 1875; June, 

 1876, and July, 1877. 



The lowest Signal vSer\ice temperature was observed at 

 Poplar River, Montana, January 7, 1885, — 63.1°; Fort Assini- 

 boine, — 554° (February). Many others ranged between 

 — 47.5° — 39-1°, which latter was at Pike's Peak. 



What is of more importance, we have very great daily varia- 

 tions. Our resistance is tested by those more than In' occas- 

 ional extremes of heat and cold. Quoting Lieut, (ireely 

 again: "The highest daily range occurs as a rule, in the 

 vSummer months, from May to July, inclusive, except along 

 the vSouth Atlantic and (ailf Coasts. At F'ort Apache, 

 Arizona (elevation 5050 feet), the mean daily range for June is 

 no less than 42.6°. These ranges are exceeded at Campo, 

 Cal. (2,710 feet), where the mean range from June to October 

 averages 44.8°. At Denver, Col., the greatest resort for con- 

 sum])tives, a fall of 60.4° took jilace — 34.3° in eight hours. 

 Yet consuin])lives, with ()r()pcr ])recauti()ns, tlo well there. 



