Bairnsdale Clocks

The Admiral Fitzroy Stormglass

The stormbottle, chemical weather-glass or as we call it, the stormglass is an ancient weather instrument. This device has been in existence for more than two hundred years, but the name of the inventor is unknown.

Some give the honour to an Italian sailor, others say that it was discovered by accident by alchemists who were constantly experimenting with the substances composing the solution with which it is made.

According to Admiral FitzRoy who described them in his "Weather book" in 1863, they were introduced around 1750 and were on sale in the shop " Under the Goat and Compasses" at Old London Bridge.

The stormglass is simply a glass bottle, about 6 inches long and hermetically sealed. It contains a solution with a mixture of potassium nitrate, ammonium chloride, camphor, alcohol and distilled water.

It was claimed to be helpful in the prediction of changes in the weather, particularly high winds, storms or tempests. In fine weather the crystals settle at the bottom of the bottle. In stormy weather the crystals rise.

From the many studies carried out by Admiral Fitzroy and others, of the various appearances presented in the liquid and crystals, a set of rules was deduced after comparing the stormglass with the weather over a long period. They were as follows :

Effect	Weather
Clear Liquid	Bright Weather
Crystals At Bottom	Thick Air, Frost In Winter
Dim Uquid	Rain.
Dim Liquid With Small Stars	Thunderstorms
Large Flakes	Heavy Air) Overcast Sky, Snow In Winter
Threads In Upper Portion Of Liquid	Windy Weather
Small Dots	Damp Weather, Fog.
Rising Flakes Which Remain High	Wind In The Upper Air Regions
Small Stars	In Winter On Bright, Sunny Days, Snow In One Or Two Days

The higher the crystals rise in the glass tube in winter the colder it will be.

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