New Britain Herald Newspaper, November 27, 1928, Page 19

““Yes!”’ Cries a Famous Sea Captain, and Gives His Reasons--- “Nonsense!’’ Retorts the U. S.Weather Chief in This Surprising Argument EDUCATION BY EAR. Pesed Phote Showing “The Cellege Girl of the Future,” Listening to Her Lectures by Radie As the TIA‘I‘ man’s aew - found ability & flash words and musie through the " ether st the speed of light may bring down upop him @ grave reprimand from Mother Nature for tampering with ber most elemental laws has formed the basis of a strange new contreversy. That there is @ mysterious rmum @hip between radio broadcasting and the weather has been known since the dawn of the wirsless. It has «lso deen recop nised that thers are many phenomens in connection with this relatively new invention which science bas net vet been able to explain. Summer nights when the air s eharged with electricity, every owner of @ home receiving set knows that radio concerts and speeches are frequently broken into by distressing gratings and weird squealings. “‘Static,” saye lis tener, and lets it go at that But the fact remains that there is stil) some doubt as to exactly what static is, what rwp of eauses is responsible for it, and why it cannot be completely elim- inated. Static and “fading” bave not yet been satisfactorily di , although the keenest minds of science have been brought to the business. Now comes an astonishing—and vio- lently contradicted—new mnr(: that the (7 7 of the world s being influenced, and for the worse, by the constant and growing play of radio waves through the ether. Tt was first advanced by Captain WAVES, Diagrams Showing Hew Redie Waves Vary According to the Instrument Being Pla; and How They “Shake” the Ether. ther Becomes Mere and Mere Charged with Wireless Waves W. A. Parker, then skippe: of the White Star liner, Homeric. now commanding the Olympic. Captain Parke: v s veteran navigator. His high position ss master of one of the world’s most celebrated ocean liners, and the fact that he has had to study weather closely for many vears, entitles his opinion to more than paming sig- aificance. Not long ago he returned from s voy- age unusually beset by <torms. “The weather seems to be getting worse year by year,” he tola newspuper the storms we encounter while shorter in duration than of old. appear to be getting sharper and more frequent. | believe radio is re- sponsible.” Of course, radie engineers and mete- orologists all over the world oricked ap their eurs at thir astounding statement. Cngum Parker was <hortly embroiled in o brisk controversy How, demanded everyone, eould radio broadcasting possibly influence the weather? First. it might be well to outline briefly ‘!.he structure of the atmosphere which surrounds the earth There are two belta, like shells, around the giobe The lower of these i» called the “troposphere” and the outer one (¢ known ar the “stratosphere.” Between these two (s 8 region called the “tropopause.” e lnpo:ghen or lower belt. seems to regulate the familiay changes in the weather. Behind all sudden shifts in the weather which appear to as in the form of electrical storms, rain and wind. is a process known to weather men as “lonization.” This Is thought to be caused by the friction and contact be tween atoms and electrons Each minute particle of moisture, such that which clings to 8 bit of dust in the air contains electrical charges, and falling rain can produce intense ionization, due to the constant impact of rain drops agninst each other and dust particles. with their combining and recombining. Captain Parker's idea is that the world waves. moving from thourands of sta- VOICE COMMENTS. A Represeatstion » by Mme. Totrassi s Veice, and Below, o Similar Picture Caused by & Chorus of Veices tions all over the world, shoot through the troposphere the speed of 186,000 miler per second and thue liberate eleo e trical energy which affects the weath Radio waver are of varying intensiti and “lengths.” They move in what may be roughly ealled “waves” because the ether is shaken very much as » rope b shaken when short. <harp ferks are ap plied to one end. Unguestionably since the wireless was invented and the popularity of the radio began to extend from glittering palaces to the humblest home. the stmosphere has been charged with » vast amount of force to which it was not previously so- customed. should have s direct effect upen weather i+ an extremely novel concep- tion and giver rise to s chain of intar esting, it improbable, speculations. The radio i» growing, both in the scope of its uppeal and in the number of stations from which the vital little waves are sent forth tions are actually being changed by them, it takes no great imagination te picture s day when legislation will be aeeded to curb an epidemic of “radio storms.” On the other hand, it is conceivable that science will find in radio new in- strument for controlling the weather; that thunderstorms and rain may he pro- duced at will, and that the entire mete- orological map of the world may at last be plotted in advance through the use of radio “weather-mak- ing_machines.” ;fl-n fantastie con- ception. while within the range of remote possibility. in view of the astonishing ad- vances of modern sci- , ence in other fields, bas unfortunately, serted emphatically. “The buresu s ready to @0 on record as ssying the radie has produced no unwonted storminess. “1 suppose it ia the natura) (nclination of people to spply new eclentific inven- tions to the solution of eld meteerologieal problema But though we have watched weather conditions carefully with the effect of radio upos them in mind. ination has been fruitiess. o1 changes, sometimes sbruptly but these changes have slways been, and the use of radio hay not altered them in the eyes of the eci entific observer.” When the fact was mentioned to Dr. Marvin that there had been mcentl{ [] serias of storms throughout the United States. and even in othe world, accompanied by fl rts of the and great That this electrical m-m \ It climatic condi-, Recent New England Floed, Caused by Terrential aad P HIT BY HEAT. A Familiar Scane On » City ob Hoat Prostration About Radie Waves Decrease o1 Increase Thess Accidonts Throu, the bulk of modern scien- tific opinion ajainst it. No sooner had Captain Parker delivered himself of ngrossing theory than s dozen weather men d other scientists refutea it in no uncertain terms A few ranged themselves on the side of the iconoclastic sea captain.: Dr. Chartes F. Marvin, who for (ifteen years has been head pf the United States Government Weath- er Buresu. was quick to gkl {ssue with Captain vsically there’s noth- ing in the theorv” he as UenSE. W, Wermtema Fesiure Guvic M GIN ValD Gight Gaserven, Street in Summer. A We te Be Rushed to the Hes, wil - gb the Weather? property damage, he replied that such things move in eycles may not occur again for a long time Captain Parker, however, ts convinced that there is at least & small relationship between the recent Porto Rico and Flor ida hurricanes, o curious succession of Atlantic storms and the New FEngland .nnl‘ Southers floods due to torrential ns. “ don't see how anyone can deny that the weather i» cl ng,” declared the veteran of the sea. “For 8 guod many years | have watched na-:hcfleeha and there seems to be no doubt m"fi 1) last few yoars definite and re markable changes have taken place in the weather. “You eee mere storms now than yoo aned o see. and mest of these eeem to | ot oceyr in the areas where radio broad- casting is most common. Along the At lantic seaboard the weather is more vie- lent, in my opinion — that |:| when an average s observed over lx: od of time —than ever before n my day. James H. Scarv, forecaster of the New York City weather bureau, agreed his chief that Captain Parker was wrong. He said: “Why, 8 single bolt of i tains more energy than the radio broadcasting sets in the world. It (s ridieulous think for s moment that weather conditions are in sny way altared by the wireless.” Yet there have been ranged on Cap tain Parker's side some Im;_ymnt opin fons, too Dr. Emst Q. Zimmermann, noted German meteorelogist, claims that tning con- SOCIETY SPEAKS! Mise Anne Morges, Daughter of the Late J. P. Meorgan, Bresdeasting. WILD WEATHER. Scene Durini ly o Partisl Result of Atmospheric Disturbances Due te Radie. there may be some truth in the theory. “1 do not believe that radio waver are capable of causing specific storms,” he elaborated, “but it eeems to me not un- reasonable that the constant ‘whipping up’ of the ether by radio currents may predispose the weather of certain regions to an unsettled condition.” Whatever the reason, an examination of United States Weather Bureau records discloses the fact that thers were two inches of rainfall above normal during the month of April, 1028, in comparison with .02 above normal during the correspond- ing month of 1827. (April is chosen be- cause it ir generally spoken of as the rainy month. Departure from normal meane the amount of rainfall over or under the mean for o particular locality.) New England. too, shows an increase of rainfall for April this year over the same month in 1927, and there was 8 three-inch increase over the South At lantic group of State Mere rainfall means little, however, even though it is true that in most parts of the United States this may be spoken of as an unusuall n‘n‘ ‘ull. It is also true, however, that 1928 witnessed an unwonted number of storms of more thas ordinary severity. Whatever the final solution, 1t I» an lnuunlnr debate. Health. wealth and even civilization depend to s surprising degree upon weather conditions, and even the suggestion that radioc waver may be ruining the westher of the ;lu te 8 .:dn of .lh;‘u:m capable of eeping entists meteorologists awake st night. FACT OR FANCY? Captain W. H. Parker. of the Whe Believes Thet the Weather Werld ls Being Upset by Radie Woven