24 



possible concerning its rise and progress. This task, which is by no means an 

 easy one, has been undertaken by others who liave ininsnal facilities for accom- 

 plishing it, and it will be desirable to confine this brief account to the results of 

 the records made in the observatory, and their description may be borrowed, with 

 slight modifications, from a discussion of the principal meteorological features of 

 the storm, given by the writer in the columns of the Ja^xin Weelly Mail, soon 

 after its occurrence. 



Although it can hardly be said that this storm gave any marked indications 

 of its immediate approach, yet it is important to observe that there was a steady 

 fall in the barometer from the previous Thursday — September 30th — up to the 

 time of maxinuun violence of the wind. Chart mmiber 10c exhibits the baro- 

 metric cm-ve during the most interesting period; i. e. from 7 o'clock a. m. on the 

 3rd of October, to 2 o'clock p. m. of the 4th. Previous to one o'clock on the 

 morning of the 4th but three observations are recorded; at 7 a. m., at 2 ji. m., 

 and at 10 i>. m. These indicate a steady decline in the barometer and it is not 

 likely that any extraordinary fluctuations occurred during this time. After one 

 o'clock a. m., the observations were made hourly, and during a considerable por- 

 tion of the time they were half-liourly. It will be seen, however, that a very 

 important portion of the curve, from 10 o'clock p. m. to 1 o'clock a. m., is 

 doubtful and it is not at all milikely that, had intermediate observations 

 been recorded, the fall of the barometer would have appeared much more sudden 

 than it does. The minimum observed height was 28.735 inches at 2 o'clock a. m. 

 At 3 o'clock the height was only a trifle greater than this and, from the nature 

 of the curve before and aft(;r the interval from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock as well as 

 from the velocity of the wind, it seems highly probable tliat between these hours 

 a lower point tlian any observed was reached. The curve is constructed to show 

 the actual vertical movement of tlie merciu'ial column. From the minimum it 

 rose rapidly until G o'clock a. m. at which hour the height was 29.3Sn inches, 

 and from that hour the rise continued with less rapidity but witli great steadi- 

 ness, mitil the night of the following Wednesday, when the reading was 30.378 

 inches. Thus tlie range of the barometer in three days was 1.643 inches. This 

 is more than two-tenths of an inch greater than tlie range for the whole of the 

 last year and nearlj' three-tenths of an inch greater than the range from the 

 regular series of observations for this year. At no time during last year did the 

 barometer reach so low a point as 29 inches, and the mean height for the year 

 was 29.952 inches. 



Chart nmnber lOcZ shows the velocity of the wind at dilYerent hours extend- 

 ing over the same interval of time. These velocities are computed from a 

 continuous record made by the anemograph consisting of a Eobinson's anemometer 

 with Beckley's registering apparatus attached. From this curve it will be seen 

 that, so far as the wind is concerned, up to about 11 o'clock p.m. there were no 

 indications of the coming storm. At that time a breeze sprang up, which conti- 

 nued at less than twenty miles per hour until about 1 o'clock a.m. when it 



