“Doncaster Weather” and Health

Some interesting information.

At the opening of the Doncaster Scientific Society’s winter session last week, Mr. R. Watson delivered his Presidential Address and presented an interesting paper on local meteorology.

During his general remarks dealing with the ramifications of the Society, the President regretted that the science of chemistry did not seem to be much in favour with the general student, seeing what a very important part it played in almost every industry.

Here, in the Doncaster Technical School, some provision was made for instruction  in chemistry – elementary it might be; nevertheless, useful as a start. There had been, however, very little response on the part of the students. He gathered that last year the average attendance at the chemical class was six 0 so small a number that it had been considered advisable to drop the class, and this winter the prospectus contained nothing that might afford the faintest notion that such a subject as chemistry existed.

It was deplorable, and one could not but wish on behalf of this Society, which knew something of the value of chemistry, that it would draw public attention to the small degree of encouragement given to the work of the Technical Instruction Committee and the Principal in this connection.

Chemistry might be considered dry, and it certainly required much study and work, but troublesome or not, the economic value of the science made it worth the while of technological students to include at least the elements of the science, with perhaps a little physics, in the programme of their studies.

Coming to the subject proper – local meteorology – the President said that, as they were all aware, the physical conditions which produced “weather” were not, as yet, thoroughly understood. While the main causes of the movement of air, the evaporation of water, the formation of cloud, and the downfall of rain were not unknown, the full influence of solar heat, and the precise physical effect of land and water had still to be determined before any definite rules could be formulated for the  guidance of weather prophets.

Sufficient success had been achieved in the ordinary way to enable the Meteorological Council to issue tolerably correct forecasts of weather 24 hours in advance, and if these were not uniformly correct, the meteorologists were not so much to blame as the insufficient information with which they had to work. Comprehensive data could be obtained only from a large number of stations of observation, and with some of these permanently placed in mid-Atlantic. The percentage of successful forecasts during the year 1905 was as high as 83, of which 56 per cent were complete.

For the North East of England, which includes the Doncaster locality, the per centage was as high as 92, 55 being complete successes and 33 partial.

Apart from the difficulty of determining the exact course a cyclone, or other disturbance, would take in passing over the country, forecasts might obviously be upset for any particular place by the mere irregularity of the surface of the ground, and in the district known as the North East of England (running from the Cheviots to the West) was ample room for variation. That variations did exist, and in comparatively small areas too, could be noted in a single contrast.

Take, for example, York, Doncaster and Lincoln. The rainfall during June last was respectively 1.37 inches falling in 14 days, 2.02 inches in 11 days, and 1.92 inches in 9 days. The subject, continued the speaker, had its utilitarian side, and might, too, have possibilities beyond present thought.

The observation of meteorological surveys as to degrees of change of temperature and barometric pressure of wind and rain and humidity, had a useful application in our knowledge of life and health, and the production and cultivation of foods and the like.

He had lately been devoting a little attention to some records of the weather and which this town of Doncaster was blessed. He assumed it was blessed, for Miller in his “History of Doncaster,” published in the year 1804, said that the climate of the town was “generally speaking, more temperate and equal than that of most other parts of the land” – indeed, he went further, and said “For the greater part of the year the people I no part of the world can experience more comfort or be more happily situated than the inhabitants of this district.” After dealing in an interesting manner with wind and rainfall, Mr. Watson went on to say: “Humidity has an important bearing on the question of health and upon one’s physical feeling generally. I should have been glad to include figures of the relative humidity of the Doncaster district but unfortunately have not been able to get sufficient data.

Some slight reference to a few observations, however, may be of interest. Let me first say that moisture in the air is always necessary. As Professor Tyndal said years ago, the removal of vapour from the air for a single summer night would mean the destruction of every plant by frost, and its permanent removal would be followed by a glacial period. At the same time one can have too much of a good thing.

The whole question is one of relation. The extremes of moisture are inconvenient, and one prefers a decided tendency to climate dryness. An excessive amount of moisture tends to check perspiration, enervates the system, and produces depression of spirits. It is said, too, that air saturated with aqueous vapour at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, contains 2 per cent, by bulk of water, and reduces the percentages of atmospheric oxygen by 0.4 per cent, so lessening the proportion of the very necessary principle of life.

I have said that it has been difficult to get figures of the relative humidity of the Doncaster district, but as I have already referred to York and Lincoln for the month of June, it may be useful to mention that the average per centage of humidity for these two places was respectfully 77 per cent. And 82 per cent., the rainfall being 1.37 and 2.02 for that month. I believe anything from 53 to 72 per cent. may be considered agreeable.

Some three or four years back, having then recently removed from Lee Valley to this town, I was curious enough to test the relative humidity of the two places, andhad 8 days’ observations taken during the month of August, 1903. The average of the 8 days was, for Doncaster, 72 per cent. of moisture, and that for the Lee Valley 87 per cent. – showing that this district for the week in question, at any rate, was blessed with some 11 ¼ per cent. less moisture than that in which I had previously been living. I had been led to expect this from my physical feelings.

Notwithstanding this fact, complaints are frequently made of the relaxing effect of Doncaster air in the summer, although probably the comparison is made with that of higher ground, such as the Derbyshire and Yorkshire moors, the whole question being one of relation. Sooner or later we shall get better understanding of the laws governing climatic conditions, and our prognostications should, by degrees, be more exact.

We, at any rate, are getting past the time when forecasts could be spoken of as the Danes spoke of the almanacs – “Man makes the almanacs, but God the weather.”

I the subsequent discussion, the Rev. H. Thomas, Mr. G. Greenslade, Dr. Corbett, Mr. Cuttriss, Mr. Golledge, Mrs. Golledge, Mr. Plant, and Mr. Vaughan took part.

From the Doncaster Gazette 19^th October 1906