February 7, 1890.] 



SCIENCE. 



99 



Pressure-Waves. 



Cazenovia Lake, or more properly "Owahgena," is about 

 four miles long and half a mile wide, situated twelve hundred 

 feet above sea-level. The outlet issues from one corner, and is a 

 deep curved channel. Two hundred feet from the lake an 

 artificial pond connects with the outlet. A dam at the neck of 

 this pond rises to within four inches of the surface of the 

 •water. No ordinary waves reach this point, but it affords an 

 unusually good opportunity for observing the long waves that 

 are evidently caused by varying atmospheric pressure, apart 

 from the frictional force that produces the common waves. 

 "When the water is perfectly smooth on each side of this dam, 

 which is protected from wind-currents, it flows with such 

 speed over the dam as to show a decided ripple: The flow is 

 alternately in and out of the pond, which has no other opening, 

 and it changes direction about every five minutes. The change 

 ■of level is from three-quarters of an inch to an inch. 



If the speed of this long low wave is the same as the small 

 swells on the lake, ten minutes from crest to crest would indicate 

 that the crests are about one mile apart, — a very long wave 

 with an inch elevation. Tlie phenomenon is regular for hours, 

 and seems to depend very little upon the force of ihe wind, 

 showing no connection with the wind's direction. If local 

 storms prevail, the energy of this motion is increased very 

 much in excess of the force of the wind felt on the lake. 



The variation of atmospheric weight needed to produce this 

 effect would probably be a little less than an ounce to the 

 square foot, or an inch and a half on a water barometer. It 

 suggests a low-tide rise and fall, with eight to ten minute 

 intervals. It would be interesting to know if more skilled 

 ■observers have given attention to water indications of air- 

 pressure of this kind. 



To-day there is ice on the lake two or three inches thick ; the 

 wind south, in strong gusts. At the south end, where the 

 wind is offshore, and at a very sheltered point, I notice, at 

 about eight-minute intervals, a rise of the water made evident 

 by the cracking of the crust that connects the ice with the 

 shore, showing that the long wave acts under the ice in the 

 same way as when the lake is open. L. W. Ledyaed. 



Cazenovia, N.T , Feb. 2. 



wiuter, west winds prevailing, few colds, 'and but little sick- 

 ness except whooping-cough among children. 'Jj — » .ia_^ 

 Over on the other side of the river, north of this about thirty 

 or forty miles, is a Russian settlement. I have heard continu- 

 ally of late of their having influenza over there. I bad no 

 faith in the disease being an epidemic or contagious. A short 

 time ago a few of our Indians went over there trading. We 

 had no signs of the disease here. They returned, and in less 

 than a week one of the families who went were all down with 

 what I thought hard colds. I was called in to treat the cases. 

 In three days, three more strong men were down; and now the 

 whole Indian village is suffering with it, and I am just coming 

 down with it myself. The patients have aching heads, and 

 pain in the side and lungs, the whole body aching as if with 

 ague. They are feverish, troubled with coughing and hoarse- 

 ness, are restless, and have no appetites, but great thirst. Is 

 it influenza? If so, influenza must be contagious. We have 

 such cold weather, surely disease-germs would not survive ; and 

 our winds, being mostly west winds, could not bring disease- 

 germs from the east. This may be of no use to science; but I 

 am so isolated here, — being a missionary among the Indians, 

 and the only white person here, — I thought it might have 

 weight in some direction. M. C. Collins. 



Fort Yates, N.Dak., Jan. M. 



Influenza. 



I LIVE on the Sioux Reservation, thirty-two miles from Fort 

 Tates, the nearest white settlement. We have had a clear cold 



Lightning Discharge. 



In response to invitation in the last number of Science, I 

 send description of lightning discharge. 



In the summer of 1883, when our present public high-school 

 building was nearly completed, but before the lightning-rods 

 were in place, a carved brownstone "finial" in the form of a 

 double cross, weighing about a hundred pounds, which stood 

 on one end of the roof of the building, was struck by lightning. 

 No trace of the lightning was found on any part of the building 

 below this ' 'finial ' ' stone, which was apparently blown to 

 pieces as effectually as if an ounce of gunpowder had been 

 enclosed in its centre, and fired by electricity. It was just 

 before a thunder-shower, but not a drop of rain had fallen. 

 The writer was within twenty rods of the building at the time, 

 and helped pick up the fragments (all of which have been 

 preserved) , which were scattered over a space of thirty feet 

 radius. 



Was the cloud negative, and did the positive discharge go 

 upward? Joseph Hall. 



Hartford, Conn., Jan. 39. 



Children 

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