1904.] 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. — LOG-BOOK. 



627 



Mar. 23. — Air very dry all morning. Sky cloudless, 

 apparently all day, but there was fog and mist on summit 

 for a few hours in evening. Lunar coronse were seen at 

 night. A lunar fog-bow was noted at 22 b . The earth- 

 shadow was observed at 6 b . Fog lay below 4000 feet 

 all round at night. 



Mar. 24. — Cloudless all day, but fog all round below 

 and at times passing across the summit. This fog reached 

 up to 4000 feet most of the day, but in evening it began 

 to fall, break up, and disperse. Reddish ring round sun 

 at 15 h and 16 h . 



Mar. 25.— Fog below to S., S.W., and S.E. most of 

 the day and haze to N. At night fog enveloped the 

 summit also. Lunar corona seen at 21 h . 



Mar. 26. — Lunar corona seen at 20 h . The fog that 

 came on at 19 b came on from above. 



Mar. 30. — Fog till 6 h ; clear and cloudless thereafter, 

 except from 13 h till 16 h . Very fine cumulus clouds all 

 round below in morning. Hazy space round moon at 

 night. Thermometer box changed after 8 h . 



Mar. 31. — Till 4 h there was not a speck of cloud in 

 the sky, or fog anywhere below. At 5 h there were some 

 streaks of cir.-s. to E. and S.W. At 6 h some str.-fog 

 appeared on W. hills. This spread, and became general 

 at 7 b , while very thin cir.-s. or cir.-haze almost covered 

 the sky. Fog enveloped summit at and after 8 h . After 

 10 h the wind suddenly increased to a strong gale, and 

 did not moderate till after 17 h . At 16 h and I7 h the 

 Tower screen thermometer was read for the temperature. 

 Snow was falling, and drifting very much. 



Apr. 1. — Heavy showers of snow and snow-hail all 

 clay. Earth currents at 20 h l m . 



Apr. 2.— S. to S.W. gale all afternoon. Tower 

 thermometer in use at midnight. 



Apr. 3. — Strong squally winds till 13 h . Very heavy 

 showers of snow and hail all day. A fall of temperature 

 occurred between 2 h and 3 b of 7°*5, wind veering from 

 S. to W. and N.W. during the same time. Temperature 

 remained steady during the rest of the day between 21* 

 and 23*. Tower thermometer reading entered on daily 

 sheet at l b . Earth currents on cable at 3 b 53 m . 



Apr. 4. — Lightning seen at 3 h . Earth currents on 

 cable 5 h 37 m . 



Apr. 5. — Thermometer box changed at 6 h 10 m . 



Apr. 6. — Strong squally winds most of the day. 

 Tower thermometer reading entered on daily sheet at 

 l\ 



Apr. 12. — Strong S.E. winds all day. Feathery fog- 

 crystals, white in colour, forming in early morning, but 

 during the day the colour changed to a very dark brown. 

 Fog very dense in the evening. 



Apr. 13. — Strong S.E. winds. Feathery fog-crystals 

 forming all day. Earth currents on cable at 9 b 8 m . 



Apr. 14. — Thermometer box changed at 19 b 10 m . 



Apr. 17. — Thermometer box changed after 16 h . 



Apr. 18. — Fog, with showers of snow, till 7 h . Clear 

 since, and some cirrus on sky moving slowly from N.W. 

 Atmosphere somewhat hazy in afternoon. Solar coronae 

 seen at 10 h and ll h ; a solar halo at 15 h , and glories at 

 19 h . 



Apr. 19. — Air very hazy, especially so in afternoon 

 and high up. 



Apr. 20. — Summit clear after 19 h and sky almost 



cloudless. Fog low down over Locheil and Caledonian 

 Canal in early morning. Somewhat hazy all day. 



Apr. 22. — Earth currents in telegraph cable frequently 

 during the forenoon. 



Apr. 23. — Hill-top clear at 6 h , but sky overcast and 

 fog on hills to N. to about 4000 feet ; detached cum.-fog 

 on hills in other directions. Fog or mist on summit 

 during the rest of the day. 



Apr. 25. — Earth currents in telegraph cable at 7 h 

 54 m . 



Apr. 26. — At the ll h observation warm puffs of air 

 were felt between tower and thermometer box. Earth 

 currents in telegraph cable between 7 h and 8 h . 



Apr. 29. — Thermometer box changed after 20 b . 



Apr. 30. — Sun gleaming occasionally in afternoon. 

 Summit clear from 20 h to 23 h , but sky cloudy. A little 

 hard packed cirro.-str. on sky to N. at 22 h . Thermometer 

 box changed after 20 h - 



May 1. — Thunder and lightning at 15 h 15 m ; at the 

 same time a flash occurred in lightning protector of 

 telephone. We removed the coil, which was found to 

 have been badly fused by the flash, and put in a spare 

 one. Later, on trying to ring up the low level observa- 

 tory, we could not get attention, evidently a break down 

 has also occurred at the bottom of the hill. No news- 

 paper report could be sent to-night. Earth currents on 

 cable at 20 h 50 m . 



May 2. — Telephone put in order to-day. The cause 

 of break down was found to be in the test box at the 

 foot of the hill. Warm puffs of air felt at 13 h observa- 

 tion between tower and thermometer box. 



May 3. — Summit clear at midnight, and sky cloudless ; 

 but fog in north cliff and on hill immediately to the east 

 of Ben Nevis. At 3 h St Elmo's Fire heard on kitchen 

 chimney and roof of tower and felt on observer's fingers. 

 Thermometer box changed after midnight observation. 

 Height above snow 40 inches. 



May 4. — Sky cloudless till ll h . Cloudy, with cir.-s., 

 till 14 b . Fog on and off since. Fog hanging about hills to 

 N., E. and S.E. all day. Haze in distance during the day, 

 but clearer to E. Temperature rose rapidly after 5 h to 

 42° at 8 b ; but with a change of wind from N., backing to 

 S.W., the temperature dropped 7° between 8 h and 9 b . 



May 5. — Earth currents in cable at 13 h 55 m . 



May 6. — Summit clear after 19 b , but sky overcast or 

 nearly so. Fog on hills all round, and at 22 b rising up 

 above summit to N., and passing over hill-top at times 

 thereafter. Icy crystals forming on all exposed objects 

 all forenoon. Part of an aurora seen at 23 h . Thermo- 

 meter box changed after 20 h . 



May 10. — The observer, while out walking on hill top, 

 felt warm puffs of air between 10 b and ll h . Earth 

 currents in cable at 8 b 55 m and 8 b 57 m . Thermometer 

 box changed after 20 b . Height above snow 38 inches. 



May 11. — At l h observed a luminous light on sky at 

 a point above the horizon to the N.W., and extending to 

 about the zenith ; also the same kind of light above 

 horizon to S.E. to about 30° altitude. 



May 1 2. — Summit clear from 4 b till 8 b , but atmosphere 

 very hazy all round, the hills on opposite side of Glen 

 Nevis being barely visible. A little cir.-s. on sky moving 

 rather fast from the W. Mist during the rest of the day, 

 with drizzling rain. 



