Storm Glass

The failure of George Merryweather’s Tempest Prognosticator (see left) was partly down to the popularity of a device dramatically named the Storm Glass. Its unknown inventor used a glass tube into which was poured very precise measurements of camphor and distilled water, along with ammonium chloride and potassium nitrate dissolved in alcohol. It was claimed that changes in atmospheric conditions – even apparently insignificant ones – would cause different sorts of crystals to form in the translucent liquid. The device was championed by Royal Navy ViceAdmiral Robert FitzRoy (after whom the shipping forecast sea area is named). He identified no fewer than eight different weather conditions that could be confidently forecast using the gadget. The government subsequently sent Storm Glasses out to coastal villages around Britain to help prevent the loss of fishing boats. Sadly, it’s now known that, as a predictor of the weather, the instrument is virtually useless.