THE MOON THEORY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 18, 21 January 1914, Page 4

THE MOON THEORY.

Like most. Ijiii not all. official astronomers, the late Sir Robert Ball had no I'aitli whatever in the traditional theory, winch seems to Ik- alm<>-t as old ax humanity, ihn: the moon in[luonccs the weather. Hts wastepaper basket, was rilled witli tellers ~f tliese moon-weather theorists. ■ circlo-squareis, Hat-earth men, disbe-j [ievers in sunhcat. and astronomical j cranks generally. Unlike the Dukej of Wellington and Mr Gladstone, wlioj used to reply to most of their cor-j respondents, however little they might deserve attention, the kownliea.n Professor answered none. "Why, the archangel Gabriel could not con-J vinec the Hat-earth man," he would say with a laugh. sir Robert ridiculed the idea, prevalent a lew yearago, that cannon-firing could produce rain. One reason lor this view was the stupendous eruption of Krakatoa i n 1883—to Vvhicli he devoted a large amount of consideration. That unparalleled explosion, in August, ISB3, scattered the greater part ol an island to the winds and cost 30,000 lives. I shot into the upper levels ol the. atmosphere cubic miles of finest dust of pumice, such as all volcanoes in eruption vomit forth. This dust was carried by atmospheric currents round the globe, not once or twice, but five or six times, producing over a large part of the world wondrous sunsets for several months; but marvellous as was the outburst, it caused no great rainfalls.