METEOROLOGY

Otago Witness, Issue 3234, 8 March 1916, Page 9

METEOROLOGY

THE ROMANCE OF THE WEATHER,

The subject of the illustrated address given in the Burns Hall on the 3rd inst. by _ .Mr Clement L. Wragge was the fascinating, if obseuto, one of weather forecasting—" Meteorology and the Romance of the Atmosphere." Sir Wragge proceeded to show tho importance of meteorology to agriculture, to horticulture, and to public health. The forcefulncss of the genuine enthusiast was in ill Mr Wragge's utterances, and as in previous cases the attractiveness of his own tin.'que personality formed perhaps tho chief interest of the lecture. With tho aid of lantern slides he showed the marvellous transformation he had made on a most unpromising spot near Brisbane, where he had made his homo. There is a climate, ho ?ays, not only of tho air, but of tho ground, and through a knowledge of this ho had converted a barren rocky ridge into a garden of 'uxuriant beauty; "Go in for deep cultivation and drainage. You can alter the climate of the soil if you will," was tho essence of his address to agriculturists, lie won emphatic applause by his plea for tho work of Mr Bates (dominion meteorologist), whoso Government grant, he said should bo very considerably increased in the interests of tho people. Speaking of long-range weather forecasting, he showed the paramount infiuenco of tho sun, and referred also to the effect of tho moon and the plarets upon tho atmosphere. He had occasion to tell the remarkable story of his connection with the observatory on Ben Nevis. When the Scottish Meteorological Society realised tho great desirability of establishing a station there it had, as usual with scientific societies, no funds for the purpose. In that difficulty Mr Wragge came to tho rescue with an offer to climb Ben Nevis from Fort William—44o6ft and seven miles threo furlongs, as ho reminded his hearers—every morning of the year to take observations punctually at 9 o'clock. The offer was greeted with amazement, but gratefully accepted. Thick fogs and blinding snowstorms, bitter cold, and howling gales were alike insufficient to deter or defeat the enthusiast, who carried through his selfimposed task until money was forthcoming and a permanent establishment could be built. His services were not unrecognised. Ho proudly carried a gold medal presented him by tho society. " Eighteen carat," he said, adding, "It is not every Englishman who carries gold out of Scotland!" The latter part of the lecture dealt largely with Mr Wragge's meteorological work in Australia, and included an outline of the history of the observatory on Mount Kosciusko, made possible through tho support of Sir George Reid, but which afterwards had to bo abandoned in tho depths of ' winter through the parsimony of a later Government. The lecturer, by means of a number of charts and pictures, showed how he combined tho various reports telegraphed to him from all parts of the continent, and was able to trace and foretell the track of the various cyclonic and anti-cyclonio disturbances. He had many interesting observations to make about tho aneroid barometer, and incidentally condemned those "miserable words" ''Rain, change, fair, dry. very dry." which ho said were practically meaningless. He laid down the rule that in the Southern Hemisphere, if you stand with your back to tho wind, tho barometer will always be lower in the area to your right hand than in the area on tho left. An exactly opposite rule holds in the Northern Hemisphere. A number of examples of particular weather conditions and forecasts brought the lecture to a close.