ila\'; shducis Tlnn>(la\." 'I'lii^ \\a> pcrlcctly correct and ac- 

 cordiiif:^ to law. but there was a ""Liiw" standing' over Dodge City 

 at this very tiiiu- iS a. in. of the iord). .\t noon we had not 

 yet seen a einu- cloud t'nmi the "Low" in the .\. \\ . ; hut they 

 were coming from the one over Dodge City, Kan. We there- 

 fore conchided tiiat the latter was advancing from the S. W. 

 Thursday morning brought with it cirrus cUnids from the S. 

 showing that the "Low" was on a course towards the Atlantic 

 and woidd miss Cleveland. On Friday morning the prospects 

 were still poorer : a rising barometer and clouds from the S.-E. 

 showing plainly that a ■"High" was forming between the "Low" 

 of the X.-W. ruid the "Low" of the S.-W. ; a conclusion that 

 was confirmed In- the map on Saturday morning. This is only 

 one of man}- cases in which cloud observations supply, we may 

 say, an hourly map of the meteorological conditions of almost 

 half the Lnited States. We have demonstrated to our entire 

 satisfaction that the law formulated by Father Vines holds good 

 in our surroundings, and that we have found in it a most efficient 

 help in the work of fore-casting." 



The fundamental law of Father Vines is that the current of 

 the cirri goes in a radial direction, and it is seen that not only 

 does this hold in a tropical hurricane but also in these cyclones 

 which cross the L'nited States. 



Observe how Father Vines' celebrated law is confirmed : 

 "An experience of about 23 years of assiduous and minute ob- 

 servations, embracing multitudinous experiences under the most 

 varied circumstances, has impelled the conclusion from all evi- 

 dence before me that, in the storms of the Antilles, the cyclonic 

 rotation and circulation is as follows : The inferior currents are 

 generally more or less convergent toward the vortex ; at a 

 greater altitude the currents are approximately circular ; at a 

 still greater height they are divergent. It should be particu- 

 larly noted that the divergence is much greater as the column 

 arises to the point from which the most elevated cirri start out, 

 wdiere, in many cases they are completely divergent, standing out 

 radially from a common center." 



In their study of cyclones this is the notable law which the 

 investigators have promulgated. We do not wish to say in this 

 that cirrus clouds are always indicia of a cyclone or storm move- 

 ment ; many times they are not ; but under given conditions 

 where they assume certain forms, they are of the greatest value 

 not only in this observatory, but also in Manila, in forecasting 

 cyclones. 



The Director of the Observatory of the Orient. Father 

 Algne, in his excellent work on "Cyclones in the far East" 

 notes the radial direction of high currents as among the most 

 thoroughly established phenomena. 



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