BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY.-LOG-BOOK, 1890. 



Jan. 2. — Thermometer box shifted at 16 h 20 m . 

 Height above snow not altered. Bright afterglow and 

 earth shadow seen at 16 h 15 m . Sky cloudless all night 

 after 16 h , but air hazy to W. At 21 h a bright spot of 

 white light was seen to N.W., probably the top of an 

 auroral arch. There was also a faint auroral light to 

 N. at 22 h . 



Jan. 5. — Blowing very hard (force 11) from the S.E. 

 or S.S.E. till 4 h , it being almost impossible to stand on 

 the roof at some of the hours. After this it moderated 

 a little, but continued to blow in heavy squalls from 

 the S. or S.W. all the rest of the day. Apparently 

 no snow fell till about 5 h ; the gauge was first put out 

 at 6 h , but its readings are very doubtful owing to the 

 strong wind and drift. Several heavy showers of hail 

 and hard snow fell. The top was clear occasionally, the 

 sky showing very ugly cumulus. From 15 b 45 m on to 

 about 19 h 25 m many flashes of lightning were seen, some 

 very bright. At 19 h 25 m a spark or flash from the office 

 stove struck Mr. Miller, who was sitting at the desk in 

 office. The shock passed from his neck downwards, 

 but did him no injury. No lightning was seen after 

 this flash. During the lightning the telegraph instru- 

 ment was short-circuited to prevent injury from currents, 

 and on making connection again shortly before 21 h , it 

 was found that signals could not be transmitted, the 

 wire was broken and insulated somewhere, thus stopping 

 the current. The daily report was therefore not sent. 



Jan. 6. — Hard, heavy snow fell in the morning, but 

 at 10 h the top was clear, the sky showing a little cir.-cum. 

 The telegraph wire remained in the same state as yester- 

 day. Thermometer box shifted at ll h 25 m . Height 

 above snow not altered. 



Jan. 7. — Strong S.W. winds all day, very heavy rain 

 in early morning. The telegraph instrument continued 

 in the same state as yesterday, but at intervals in the 

 afternoon the needle gave single clicks, apparently due 

 to earth currents. 



Jan. 8. — To-day Mr. Mackenzie, telegraph lineman, and 

 his assistant came up to inspect and test the telegraph 

 instrument. They found everything right inside the 

 observatory, but were unable to examine the cable out- 

 side owing to the snow. The day being stormy, they 

 remained over night at the observatory. 



Jan. 9. — Louvres of thermometer box badly choked 

 with hard ice all day. Mr. Mackenzie, telegraph lineman, 

 and his assistant left the observatory to-day. Before 

 going they dug up the cable between the hotel and 

 observatory and tested it, finding that the connection of 

 both cable and earth wire from there to the observatory 

 was perfect. The fault is therefore further down than 

 that place. No signals all day, and no report sent. 



Jan. 10. — Very heavy snow and sleet fell in early 

 morning. Thermometer box shifted at 14 h 30 m . Height 

 above snow not altered. Yesterday and to-day up to 

 this time the louvres of the box had been badly choked 

 with hard ice. Sky cloudless from 16 h to 19 h , but fog 

 on the hills round. A lunar corona and fogbow were 

 seen at 23 h . This afternoon the telegraph cable was 

 repaired, and signals could again be transmitted to Fort- 

 William. 



Jan. 13. — Very heavy rain and hail till 4 h , and 

 showers of snow and hail after that, but the measure- 

 ments of the latter are doubtful owing to drift. Top 

 clear at 9 h , but fog all round. Thermometer box shifted 

 at 9 h 15 m . Height above snow not altered. 



Jan. 14. — A sudden gale from the W.S.W. sprang up 

 a little before noon. At 12 h the raingauge was found 

 blown over, and no gauge was put out till 15 h . Heavy 

 rain and hail fell, but the measurements of the gauge 

 were very uncertain owing to drift, even when the tem- 

 perature was above the freezing point. 



Jan. 17. — Sky cloudy with low cumulus from 7 h 

 onwards, and occasional fog blowing over the hill top ; 

 but no fog below in the valleys. The only hour the sky 

 was clear was 22 h , when an aurora was seen. 



Jan. IS. — The dry and wet bulb readings at 7 h to-day 

 are interpolations, it being found impossible after repeated 

 trials to keep the lantern alight. The raingauge was not 

 used, owing to the drift and strong winds — but little snow 

 fell. Lightning was seen at 19 h 3 m , 19 h 9 m , and at 19 h 

 29 m , and may possibly have occurred again afterwards. 

 Wind very squally at night. 



Jan. 19.— The snow which fell in the early morning 

 was dry, large, and hard. No gauge was in use till after 

 18 h , owing to the drift. The barometer was pumping till 

 14 h very heavily at times — fully a tenth of an inch. 

 After daylight came in it was noticed that the lightning 

 conductor was blown over and lying bent up on the N.E. 

 side of the tower chimney. On examination in the after- 

 noon it was found that the copper rod was bent over at 

 more than a right angle, the holdfast at the curve of the 

 chimney broken, and the ring to which the stays are fixed 

 sliding loose on the rod. The insecure fastening of this 

 ring was probably the cause of the damage. The stays 

 not acting as a support, the large surface of fog crystals 

 enabled the wind to bend over the copper rod. At 16 h the 

 conductor was lashed to the anemometer posts to prevent 

 it shaking and getting further injured. 



Jan. 20. — Some faint and apparently distant flashes 

 of lightning were seen at 22 h and 23 h . The hill got 

 covered with soft dry snow about a foot deep in most 

 places, but forming deep wreathes in sheltered corners. 



Jan. 21. — After 8 h the raingauge was taken in and 



