THE PASSING OF "LOW" BAROMETER. 105 



trended more or less to the northeast, extendmg to an arc of forty-five degrees, 

 and not taking a direction more north than this. The one preceding this of the 

 1 8th, was picked up in Texas, at a higher hne of latitude, yet it did not sweep a 

 curve higher than Washington, and then took a slight downward course, and 

 passed off the coast in the neighborhood of North Carolina. From all past ex- 

 perience, it was expected that this lo7v would reach a higher line than Washing- 

 ton, or that it would reach this locality before the 20th, and probably not until 

 the 2ist; and little was it expected that it would go in the direction of Chicago. 

 But instead of doing what its predecessors had done, what was naturally suppos- 

 ed it would do, it, instead, took an unprecedented course from where it was at 

 II o'clock on the night of the i8th, and went with unprecedented speed almost 

 due north ! 



For the day of the 19th of March the indications for the " lower lake " re- 

 gion were " fair weather, westerly wind, becoming variable; stationary or lower 

 temperature, nearly stationary barometer." 



By the time the indications were in press, the outer lines of the storm had 

 reached Chicago, and presented a strange contrast with them. 



In order to have brought that snow storm to Chicago on the morning of the 

 19th, low, at the least calculation, must have traveled fully a thousand miles in 

 twenty-four hours, and that, too, in a direction as remarkable, if not more so, 

 than the speed. Had low moved only afthe rate of 350 or 400 miles in twenty- 

 four hours, when it reached Chicago, it would have brought so much warm air 

 with it that it would have produced a very warm rain, instead, as it did, a severe 

 snow storm. With the map in the like condition of March i8th, the chances are 

 that the same indications would be given to the country every time, and ninety- 

 nine times out of a hundred they would have been fulfilled. 



With those ignorant of the weather system, the passing of this low was very 

 detrimental to the signal office, and brought great honor to the "weather prophet" 

 of Canada. 



Here are the facts of the case, and no white-washed or dressed-up facts are 

 they, for such facts as these cannot be covered or made to appear in any other 

 light than that in which they appear and are recorded. With this knowledge there 

 are only two lights in which to see Mr. Vennor, the "great Canadian weather 

 prophet." He is either ignorant of the whole weather system, or has allowed 

 himself to be unjustly praised, and that, too, when this praise has carried with it 

 the severest censure upon a worthy and honorable institution, and more, upon 

 worthy, able, honest and earnest men, who are trying to make our weather 

 bureau the most complete of the world, and who are laboring industriously for 

 the advancement of true science; and even carried with it a slur upon Americans 

 as a people, and America as a nation. And yet in this contest, a contest worthy 

 of the interest of the wisest, where do the intelligent people of the country stand 

 — even scientific men ? Why, they fold their hands, refuse to investigate the 

 weather system, even at the paltry cost of two cents a day, and join with the rabble, 

 who know no better, and actually condemn their peers without the trouble to in- 



