254 



NA TURE 



[July io, 1890 



the ice bearing the relics of the unfortunate Jeannette to have 

 traversed the intervening distance in the space of three years, 

 even if it were possible at all. There remains only the alterna- 

 tive that there is a comparatively short and direct route across 

 the Arctic Ocean by way of the North Pole, and that Nature 

 herself has supplied a means of communication, however un- 

 certain, across it. Increased significance to the discovery of the 

 Jeannette relics in 1884 was given by the identification in i886 

 of bows found on the coast of Greenland with those by the 

 Eskimo in the vicinity of Behring Straits, at Port Clarence, 

 Norton Sound, and the mouth of the Yukon River. M. Nansen's 

 Expedition will endeavour to realize these hopes of a direct 

 route across the apex of the Arctic Ocean. A specially con- 

 structed boat of 170 tons will be built, and provisions and fuel 

 taken for five years, although it is hoped that two will suffice. 

 The Expedition will consist of 10 or 12 men, and M. Nansen 

 proposes to leave Norway in February 1892. 



The Meteorologische Zeitschrift for June contains summaries, 

 by Dr, T. Hann, of the results of the meteorological observations 

 at the following international Polar stations : — (i) Sodankyla, in 

 Lapland, where observations were made for two years ending 

 August 1884. (2) Moller Bay, in Novaia Zemlia — September 

 1882 to August 1883. (3) Sagastyr, at the mouth of the Lena 

 — September 1882 to June 1884. The observer at this station 

 remarks that they were all more susceptible of cold in summer 

 than in winter ; in autumn this susceptibility ceased. In winter 

 they could expose themselves experimentally for a few minutes 

 to a temperature of about - 58° F., with scarcely any clothing, 

 without any unpleasant feeling. The explanation is probably 

 to be found in the complete stillness of the air at the time. 



The Harvard College has published, as vol. xxii. of its 

 Annals, the very complete and valuable series of meteorological 

 observations made at the summit of Pike's Peak, Colorado, 

 between January 1874 and June 1888. This station is the 

 highest in the world, being 14,134 feet above the sea-level. 

 The observations, which have been prepared for publication 

 under the superintendence of the Chief Signal Officer, contain 

 the actual readings taken several times daily, and for a portion 

 of the time even hourly readings, in addition to monthly means 

 for various hours. General Greely draws attention to several 

 nleresting facts resulting from a cursory examination of the data. 

 The maxima of both pressure and temperature occur in July, 

 and the minima in January ; the annual march of both ele- 

 ments is the same, and the two curves are almost coincident. 

 The mean temperature for the above period was 19° "3 ; the 

 maximum observed was 64°, and the minimum - 39°, The 

 maximum daily range occurs in July and September (about I4°"3), 

 and the minimum in December (11° '6) which is only about half 

 of the range on the low plateau country to the eastward. The 

 precipitation exhibits peculiarities in its distribution throughout 

 the year ; 35 per cent, of the whole amount falls in the summer, 

 and 33 per cent, in spring, the maximum occurring in July and 

 the minimum in February. The mean wind velocity decreases 

 gradually from 26 '6 miles per hour in January to 12 "5 in July, 

 and 12-3 in August, and it decreases from 2h.-4h. a.m. to 

 iih. a.m. and noon. The mean hourly velocity during any day 

 rarely exceeds 50 miles ; the highest velocity was 112 miles per 

 hour on May 11, 1881, which General Greely states has been 

 frequently exceeded at exposed points on the Atlantic and Pacific 

 coasts. The prevalent direction is from south-west to north-west. 

 Pike's Peak is frequently visited by electrical storms, but they 

 only occur when the air is moist ; many interesting details of 

 these are given in the extracts from the observers' journals, at 

 the end of the volume. 



The Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army has published a 

 valuable " Supplement to the Monthly Weather Review " for 

 NO. 1080, VOL. 42] 



the year 1889, which contains a general discussion of the 

 weather of that year over the United States and Canada, by 

 Captain Dunwoody, illustrated by seven charts prepared from 

 data from about 1000 stations. The annual mean temperature 

 was highest in the southern parts of California, Arizona, and 

 Florida, where it rose above 75°, and it was lowest in Manitoba, 

 where it fell below 35°. The highest maximum temperature 

 was 117° at Yuma, Arizona, on July 3. The highest tempera- 

 ture ever recorded by the Signal Service observers was 119°, 

 at Fort McDowell, Ariz., in 1887. The lowest temperature 

 reported by a regular station of the Signal Service was - 43°, at 

 St. Vincent, Minn., on February 23. The lowest minimum ever 

 reported by a regular station of the Signal Service was - 63°, at 

 Poplar River, Mont., in 1885. With regard to atmospheric 

 pressure, Captain Dunwoody remarks that the effect of marked 

 departures from the usual distribution of monthly mean pressure 

 was noticeable on the paths of the storms. In August and 

 December, for instance, when the pressure over the Southern 

 States was more than o"l inch above the normal, no cyclone 

 traversed the country east of the Mississippi and south of the 

 Ohio Rivers. With regard to rainfall, at several of the stations 

 in the Middle Atlantic States, the annual amount was the 

 heaviest ever reported, and the greatest deficiencies occurred in 

 Louisiana and Washington. Fogs occurred in the vicinity of 

 the Banks of Newfoundland most frequently from April to 

 October ; in August, fog occurred on 22 days, and in January 

 and December on only 5 and 4 days respectively. The charts 

 show, in addition to the mean values for 1889, the departures 

 of that year from the normal values. 



The occurrence of St. Elmo's fire at sea has been lately 

 studied by Captain Haltermann, of Hamburg, who made ex- 

 amination of a number of ships' log-books for 1884 and 1885, 

 reporting 156 cases, in 8oo months of observation {.Met. Zeits.). 

 He finds a greater number of cases in north than in south 

 latitudes. And of 63 cases observed in the North Atlantic (the 

 stormiest sea in winter) 49 occurred in the months November to 

 April, and only 14 in the other half of the year. Of the total 

 (156) only 27 were unaccompanied by thunder and lightning, 

 and only 6 by precipitates of some kind. Snow and hail showers, 

 with strong wind, seemed specially favourable. Of 133 cases 

 accompanied by rain, there were only 15 without also thunder 

 and lightning ; while of 32 with hail, 18 were without thunder and 

 lightning; and of 14 with snow, 12 without thunder and light- 

 ning. As to wind, there were instances with all degrees of in- 

 tensity. The wind was in most cases (beyond 35° lat.) from 

 equatorial direction, and this, with the commonly observed 

 decrease of pressure, indicates that the cases mostly occurred in 

 the front part of depressions. In 46 cases the barometer rose, 

 and in 8 it was unaffected. In most cases the thermometer fell. 

 Between the equator and 10° N, lat. 12 cases were observed, and 

 not one in the corresponding region to the south, where the trade 

 wind generally prevails. In the region of the constantly blow- 

 ing trade wind St. Elmo's fire is never met with. The western 

 half of seas extending polewards from 30° lat. seems to afford the 

 best conditions. On the whole, the occurrence of St. Elmo's 

 fire may probably be ascribed to the same causes as give rise to 

 thunder and lightning. 



Mr. J. Lloyd Bozward, of Worcester, writes to us that 

 "during a rainstorm on Tuesday (July i), black rain fell in a 

 district lying between the parishes of Crewle and Broughton 

 Hackett in this county. In road-ruts where rain-water had 

 collected, a considerable film of black sediment remained the 

 day after the storm. The day had been remarkable for a dense 

 canopy of shifting masses of dark-coloured clouds of the nimbus 

 formation. Great rainstorms had been prevalent in this and 

 the adjoining counties. The temperature had been low, and 

 the weather rather like that of November than of July. " 



