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A NOTE ON THE QUANTITIES GIVEN IN DE. MAE- 

 LOTH'S Px\PEE -ON THE MOISTUEE DEPOSITED 

 PEOM THE SOUTH-EAST CLOUDS." 



By Charles M. Stewart, B.Sc. 



(Eead July, 1903.) 



The interesting experiments carried on by Dr. Marloth between 

 December 21, 1902, and February 15, 1903, constituted an attempt 

 to measure the amount of moisture deposited during the prevalence 

 of the so-called summer " South-Easters," winds which are usually 

 accompanied by a cloudy mass on the top of Table Mountain, form- 

 ing the well-known "Table-cloth"; in other words, an endeavour 

 was made by the author of the above-mentioned paper to ascertain 

 the quantity of moisture deposited on a vertical surface by what 

 may be assumed to be a saturated, horizontally-moving current, as 

 against the amount deposited on a horizontal surface, represented 

 by an ordinary rain-gauge. 



The quantities given in the account published in the Caj)^ Times 

 of 27th of May last are so enormous as to have excited considerable 

 astonishment and wonder ; it therefore seems advisable to inquire 

 into the method adopted so as to ascertain to what extent the figures 

 are reliable, and thus enable it to be decided whether or not the 

 problem has been satisfactorily solved. 



Dr. Marloth's description of the apparatus employed by him is 

 given in the following paragraph : — 



" In November, 1902, I took two five-inch rain-gauges to the top 

 of Table Mountain, and placed them about midway between the east 

 and west ends of the upper plateau. One I left open in the usual 

 way, the other I surmounted with a framework representing a 

 bundle of reeds. The arrangement consisted of two rings of 5 inches 

 diameter, which were connected by four rods of stout wire, the 

 v^hole framework being 1 foot high. Pieces of wire netting were 

 fixed inside the rings, and reeds were drawn through the meshes 

 and fastened with thin wire. The frame was then inserted into the 



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