According to the August Dr. Augustxx
Normally, these pages are devoid ofcommentary regarding the current climatological debate, or anything else meaningful for that matter. But Staff makes an exception here, for we have happened upon this intriguing possible correlation between weather phenomena and the density of railroad infrastructure. We cannot vouch for the veracity of Dr. August's words since he has no presence on Wikipedia, but we do wonder. Given the massive decline of railroad route mileage following transportation deregulation in America, by extension of his theory one might suppose that the loss has been sufficient to affect not only local weather, but climate itself. Staff is a bit skeptical nevertheless, since there are no railroads within 2000 miles of Wx4 headquarters, yet we experience very little weather beyond "nice".
Dr. August's theory comes to us from the Schnellpost by way of the Febuary 19, 1849 issue of the California Star.
INFLUENCE OF RAILROADS ON THE WEATHER
The well known natural philosopher, Dr. August, makes the following communication in a Berlin journal, on the "influence of railroads on the weather":
When an extended portion of the earth's surface is brought by a net of railroad tracks into connection of electrical conductors, the accumulation of electricity in the lower part of the atmosphere is prevented; as the iron works effect a constant electrical equilibrium between remote regions. By this means, a violent storm is rendered unlikely, and if one should arise, it will undergo a continual, if not a considerable diminution. Doubtful as the theory of storms may be, so much is certain, that their origin is in the effort of nature to produce an equilibrium of opposite electricities, and that they break out with the more violence the greater the intensity of the opposition, which is produced beforehand by chemical processes that accompany evaporation. If one of these opposites, the electricity of the lower atmosphere, for instance, is conducted away to other regions, the variation with which the equilibrium is established, is diminished. By being thus conducted away, the influence is lessened which the electricity of the lower atmosphere has on the clouds, and by which it attracts its opposite, thus accumulating storm clouds on the electrical point. For this reason, in a level country, where there are nets of railroads, a storm cannot acquire that force of opposite electricity and produce that heaping up of clouds which is possible where these conductors are wanting. For some years past, the writer believes that he has observed a change in the storms of this place, and asks the attention of students of natural philosophy to the proof of his hypothesis. It is a fact, that since Berlin has become the focus of several railroads, there have been no violent storms, and all that have arisen have had a rapid and gentle termination.
