50 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XI. No. 269 



all parts of this continent, and our experts are thus enabled to fore- 

 cast the probabilities by a few hours. Day by day the results are 

 communicated to the public by telegraph in time to avert disaster 

 to the mariners on our eastern coast, and facilitate agricultural op- 

 erations in the Eastern and Middle States. 



Although many of the predictions are still falsified by events, the 

 percentage of fulfilments has become so large as to show that con- 

 tinued research will in the future give us fresh forms of prediction, 

 and increase the usefulness of this branch of science to mankind. 



In all departments of geographical knowledge, Americans are at 

 work. They have pushed themselves into the front rank, and they 

 demand the best efforts of their countrymen to encourage and sup- 

 port. 



When we embark on the great ocean of discovery, the horizon of 

 the unknown advances with us, and surrounds us wherever we go. 

 The more we know, the greater we find is our ignorance. Because 

 we know so little, we have formed this society for the increase 

 and diffusion of geographical knowledge. Because our subject is 

 so large, we have organized the society into four broad sections, 

 relating to the geography of the land (H. G. Ogden, vice-president), 

 the sea (J. R. Bartlett, vice-president), the air (A. W. Greely, vice- 

 president), the geographical distribution of life (C. H. Merriam, 

 vice-president); to which we have added a fifth, relating to the ab- 

 stract science of geographic art, including the art of map-making, 

 etc. (A. H. Thompson, vice-president). Our recording and corre- 

 sponding secretaries are Henry Gannett and George Kennan. 



We have been fortunate indeed to secure as vice-presidents and 

 secretaries men learned in each department, and who have been 

 personally identified with the work of research. 



WATER-SPOUTS OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



The Hydrographic Office has published a very interesting sup- 

 plement to the Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean, showing 

 the positions of water-spouts sighted by masters of vessels during 

 January and February in the western portion of the North Atlantic. 

 The map, which is reproduced here, is accompanied by remarks of 

 Everett Hayden, of which we give the following abstract : — 



" Although the reports now at hand for these two months were 

 received from incoming vessels only, yet they are very characteristic, 

 and indicate fairly well the regions where these phenomena are of 

 most frequent occurrence. 



" Before quoting the reports themselves, it may be well briefly to 

 refer to what is known regarding the character and formation of 

 water-spouts, which are simply special cases of whirlwinds and tor- 

 nadoes, as these are special cases of cyclones, but on a much 

 smaller scale. 



" When a whirlwind is formed over the ocean, water is often 

 drawn up the centre of the whirl some distance, owing to the suc- 

 tion created, and at the same time the moisture in the air is con- 

 densed as it rises, so that the name ' water-spout ' is very applica- 

 ble. Indeed, sometimes a spout will burst over a vessel, and flood 

 her decks with water, as a cloud-burst does a mountain-side. 

 When a spout is forming, its upper portion is often visible first, 

 seeming to grow downwards from the clouds. By observing care- 

 fully with a telescope, however, it will be seen that the motion in 

 the column itself is upwards, although the moisture in the air which 

 is rising is condensed lower and lower down, thus rendering the 

 whirl visible lower down continually, and making it appear to be 

 actually descending. 



"On Jan. 12, Captain Hess, American steamship 'Philadelphia,' 

 saw four water-spouts in latitude 36° 41' north, longitude 72° 27' 

 west. On the 19th, Captain Lawson, British steamship ' Lizzie 

 English,' reports several a little farther to the eastward (latitude 36° 

 41' north, longitude 71° 40' west); and from the Dutch steamship 

 'Edam,' Captain van der Zee, a detailed report has been received 

 from third officer De Boerk of a large spout sighted at 7 a.m., Jan. 

 21, latitude 41'^ 50' north, longitude 60° 25' west. In the last case 

 the spout is described as being small and straight at the base, in- 

 creasing in size towards the top, where it mingled with the clouds. 

 Ascending currents could be plainly seen ; there was a strong west- 

 erly gale at the time, with occasional hail and snow ; temperature 



of the air 0° C. ; water, 11°; direction of rotation of the whirl, with 

 the hands of a watch. 



" Another very complete report has been received from Captain 

 Dexter, American steamship ' City of Para,' who saw several large 

 spouts, Jan. 22, in latitude 31° 47' north, longitude 74° 33' west. 

 The wind was strorig from the north-east, and the sky, overcast, 

 with light scud, but the sea was comparatively smooth. Three 

 huge spouts were seen at once, and six in the course of half an 

 hour. The water seemed to be drawn up from the sea, mounting 

 in spiral columns of tremendous thickness, with a loud, roaring 

 sound. Some of the columns were vertical, some inclined at a con- 

 siderable angle ; all of them increased in size at the top, and 

 blended with the clouds. A fine rain or mist filled the air, and 

 continued for some time. The wind soon after changed to east. 



" Perhaps the most interesting cases of all, however, are those 

 which were reported Jan. 26, 27, and 28, for the reason that they 

 were clearly associated with a low-barometer area of considerable 

 energy, which moved across the Great Lakes on the 25th, and was 

 central off Nantucket on the 26th. It has been clearly shown by 

 the United States Signal Service, that, when tornadoes occur on 

 land, they take place almost invariably in the southern quadrants of 

 an area of low barometer. It might therefore be expected that 

 whirlwinds and water-spouts would sometimes be found associated 

 in a similar way with a cyclonic storm at sea. The following re- 

 ports seem to leave no doubt that such is the case. The area of 

 low barometer, which was central over the Great Lakes Jan. 25, 

 barometer 29.7, gathered increased energy when it reached the At- 

 lantic, and off Nantucket the following day the barometer read 

 29.2 ; and in the Gulf of Newfoundland, on the 27th and 28th, it 

 read as low as 28.6. The cold, dry, north-westerly winds in the 

 western quadrants of this cyclone, and the warm, moist air flowing 

 into the eastern quadrants, mingled to the southward of the storm- 

 centre, and gave rise to the conditions most favorable to the devel- 

 opment of tornadoes on land and water-spouts at sea. Accordingly, 

 Captain Haskell, British bark ' Shetland,' reports that on the 26th, 

 in latitude 39° 34' north, longitude 71° 16' west (a little to the 

 southward of the storm-centre), he saw a large spout ; the follow- 

 ing day (latitude 39° 12' north, longitude 70° 44' west) he saw 

 several more ; and on the 28th, still more. Captain Garvin, British 

 steamship ' Orinoco,' reports that on the 27th, when entering the 

 Gulf Stream from the north, in about latitude 37° 20' north, longi- 

 tude 70° 40' west, the sea was covered with thick vapor from five 

 to fifteen feet high. The heavy, low-lying clouds seemed to draw 

 the vapor up, and many water-spouts were formed, both large and 

 small ; temperature of the water, 60^ F. ; air, 40°. Captain Cleary, 

 British steamship ' River Avon," states that on the 28th, in latitude 

 39° 30' north, longitude 57° 20' west, he saw what he took to be a 

 heavy squall to the south-east. Upon looking at it with his glass, 

 he saw that it was a whirlwind, raising the water to a great height. 

 It must have been over a mile in diameter, but he hesitates to even 

 estimate the height to which the water was raised, or the size of the 

 spout, although it must have had terrific power. Shortly after- 

 wards a smaller one passed close to the ship, whirling along the 

 water, and raising the spray to a height of fully a hundred feet. 

 Even as far south as Bermuda the conditions were the same, for on 

 the 27th a whirlwind swept across the parishes of Southampton 

 and Warwick, unroofing houses, blowing down trees, and damaging 

 property generally. 



" Similarly, two cyclonic storms, which seem to have originated 

 about the Bermudas on the loth and 12th of February, as indicated 

 in the weather review published on the March Pilot Chart, were 

 attended by water-spouts, at least one of which was disastrous to 

 shipping. Feb. 10, at 9 A.M., Captain Smith, British steamship 

 ' Ethelbald,' in latitude 28° 1 8' north, longitude 74" 06' west, reports 

 a large spout travelling in a north-easterly direction, rotating, ap- 

 parently, with the hands of a watch. The barometer was rising ; 

 fresh, variable winds, mostly southerly, and sky overcast, with very 

 heavy rain. At this time the American bark 'Reindeer,' Captain 

 Strandt, was about two hundred miles to the westward of the 

 'Ethelbald,' running up the coast towards New York, in the Gulf 

 Stream. On the nth the weather became squally, with light 

 southerly winds ; and at 10.30 a.m., in latitude 32'' 04' north, longi- 

 tude 76° 06' west, when the vessel was under full sail, a hea\y 



