October's London Fog

[The Good Michael]

Barnaby,

I disagree with that. All of JTR's murders, with the exception of Kelly, included escape routes, or so it seems. Heavy fog would hinder escape if routes were not easily seen, and I definitely believe he was about speedy getaways. I do believe that the fog may have provided fewer victims as well. This would have meant more time prowling in obscured circumstances. I'm sure he would have felt trepidation in this environment.

Mike

[Jon Guy]

Hi Barnaby

Yes, he might not see the police, but he is listening for the police. The police are not necessarily listening for him. He is the predator who has the element of surprise. The fog would work in his favor.

The Police and Vigilantes were most certainly listening out for him, and during October they were probably turning every dark corner half expecting to find the Ripper hunched over a body.

Although a predator, as you put it, the Ripper was the one that was been hunted, especially during October.

[mklhawley]

A London Fog

A London fog is brown, reddish-yellow, or greenish, darkens more than a white fog, has a smoky, or sulphurous smell, is often somewhat dryer than a country fog, and produces, when thick, a choking sensation. Instead of diminishing while the sun rises higher, it often increases in density, and some of the most lowering London fogs occur about midday or late in the afternoon. Sometimes the brown masses rise and interpose a thick curtain at a considerable elevation between earth and sky. A white cloth spread out on the ground rapidly turns dirty, and particles of soot attach themselves to every exposed object . R Russell, London Fogs (London: 1880), p. 6

The Medical Times and Gazette in December of 1873 described one recent fog as “one of the most disastrous this generation has known,” going on to point out that “to persons with cardiac and respiratory disease it has in numerous instances proved fatal.” In fact, 273 people died as a result of bronchitis caused by the coal-smoke saturated fog which enveloped the city for days.
http://vichist.blogspot.com/2006/11/london-fog.html

People didn't just couch or get sick, it seems many even died.

Sincerely,

Mike

[mklhawley]

These unfortunates had to survive. Instead of not being on the streets, didn't many just double up? ...but, maybe a bigger reason why unfortunates did not populate the streets in October was because these female objects of health may have been forced inside because of the health effects of the fog.

Just thinkin'

Mike

[Rubyretro]

I think that you're right Mike.

It is hard for us to imagine what those smogs were in reality.

My Mum has recounted a tale to me from her teenage years in the 1950s, about one of the last London 'smogs'.

She said that she got off the train from her job in London, to walk back to her home in Perivale, and she could not see a hand in front of her face; She had to go and knock on a stranger's front door to find shelter.

I know where the station is, and where her home was, and the distance is not so great. That must have been a helluva smog !

A London smog could hardly have been conducive to prostitution or mutilating murder, nor to anyone with health problems !

[Barnaby]

Barnaby,

I disagree with that. All of JTR's murders, with the exception of Kelly, included escape routes, or so it seems. Heavy fog would hinder escape if routes were not easily seen, and I definitely believe he was about speedy getaways. I do believe that the fog may have provided fewer victims as well. This would have meant more time prowling in obscured circumstances. I'm sure he would have felt trepidation in this environment.

Mike

I agree that fewer potential victims would be available. That huge caveat aside, I still believe the fog works in his favor. Yes, there were a score of policemen on the lookout for him. But they were looking and they wouldn't be able to see him unless they stumbled onto him. Jack probably would make little noise as he went about his mutilations. The question becomes, how much noise was the average beat person making as he conducted his rounds? If slight, then I suppose I agree with you and this was a game of probability and there were many more of them than Jack. But if he could hear them coming and if he was quiet, I contend Jack had the advantage. As far as escape routes, I'm not sure it really mattered where he went, as long as he distanced himself from the body.

[Barnaby]

Occams Razor

Of course, although it was very foggy in October, the lack of a kill could have nothing to do with the fog and simply a consequence of the increased police force.

[Archaic]

London's Killer Fog

Hi Mike, how are you?

You might find this story on NPR Radio interesting, it's about London's 1952 "Killer Fog". The eyewitness descriptions are fascinating and give one a vivid idea of what 19th C. London fogs/smogs must have been like. The foul air was largely the result of coal-burning fires, as it would have been in the 19th Century. People actually died of its effects.

Killer Fog of '52: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...storyId=873954

I think we discussed it a couple of years ago on the 'East End Photographs & Drawings' thread, but I couldn't find it again.

Here's a Wikipedia article called The Great Smog: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog

Best regards,
Archaic

[Archaic]

I just listened to the NPR radio segment again where Rosemary Merritt tells of her father dying after walking home though the December fog.

She said there were so many dead in London (close to 8,000 in a weekend) that they couldn't bury her dead father for nearly 3 weeks, and he lay in the front room of their house the whole time - shades of 19th C. Whitechapel!!

Interestingly, Rosemary said the fog came "right through the windows"...which made me wonder what it might have been like in Mary Kelly's little room with the gaping holes in the window-glass.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Rubyretro]

Utterly, fascinating stuff...

[mklhawley]

Hi Mike, how are you?

You might find this story on NPR Radio interesting, it's about London's 1952 "Killer Fog". The eyewitness descriptions are fascinating and give one a vivid idea of what 19th C. London fogs/smogs must have been like. The foul air was largely the result of coal-burning fires, as it would have been in the 19th Century. People actually died of its effects.

Killer Fog of '52: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...storyId=873954

I think we discussed it a couple of years ago on the 'East End Photographs & Drawings' thread, but I couldn't find it again.

Here's a Wikipedia article called The Great Smog: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog

Best regards,
Archaic

Hi Archaic,

I just saw your post. I'm doing great. Rubyretro is right -How interesting! I teach a weather/meteorology unit, so I had the opportunity to add some of my ripper interest into my lesson because of this. Thanks Archaic!

Sincerely,

Mike

[Archaic]

I didn't know you taught meteorology, Mike, but it's really cool that the radio segment let you work your Ripper interest in! Glad I could help.

(I'm picturing you teaching the weather class in a black cape & top hat with a fog machine or at least some dry ice behind you... )

Archaic

[Archaic]

1952 Killer Fog

Hi Mike, here's a photo of what the 1952 fog looked like.

The fog-shrouded figures look both mysterious and rather creepy... I can't imagine trying to breathe that murky air!

I wonder if there are Casebook members who have family stories about it?

Archaic

[Carol]

Hi Mike, here's a photo of what the 1952 fog looked like.

The fog-shrouded figures look both mysterious and rather creepy... I can't imagine trying to breathe that murky air!

I wonder if there are Casebook members who have family stories about it?

Archaic

Hi Archaic!

Is the photo in black and white? A real 'pea-souper' was a dull yellow in colour. Also, to someone (me) who has experienced several (last one in November 1962) then the photograph must have been taken when the fog was just beginning to get its act together! In the November '62 fog I was on my way home after being let out of school early in the hope of getting home 'in time' but I didn't manage it. The visibility was much worse than in the photograph - a man and I just managed to avoid colliding into each other! We saw no shadow of anyone approaching and no sound. The fog at its worst deadened all sound. A very eerie sensation!

We lived south of London in Chatham, Kent, and sometimes the London pea-soupers made their way down to us in the Medway towns. London warned us a fog was on its way and we children who lived more than three miles away from school were allowed out of school early.

The strange thing is (thinking about it now), we children were never afraid of the fogs and what might happen. We just looked upon them as an adventure. If I was caught up in a pea-souper nowadays I would be VERY afraid of what could happen.

Writing this makes ME feel archaic, Archaic!

Carol

[Beowulf]

Greetings all,

It’s been noted that the Whitechapel murders were not committed during any of the notorious pea-soup London fogs. The evenings in question had, at best, the natural light, misty fog. The thick London fogs were the result of the condensation of water vapor (on days of high relative humidity caused by the location of the Thames combined with a cold ground) on the high volume of soot in the air from ‘sea coal’ being used to heat homes. This nasty ‘smog’ has been the cause of many deaths in the past, but thanks to the Clean Air Act in the 1950s, these London fogs rarely occur.

[/I]

This is very interesting to me, as I thought London fogs were common, like nearly daily. Duh. What do I know? Also, did not know the fogs were colored, or due to the burning of coal fires, which is understandable, but I did not know that. Interesting. Gee, I guess the ripper would've voted for that clean air act heheh.

I can well imagine no murders were committed because of the fog. But it would be interesting to see if there were any murders at all committed in 1888 during October, hard to believe there wouldn't be. Murders outside that is.

Why wouldn't there be a fog in November, though? London is by water, people were burning coal...? I know there weren't as it is recorded.

As far as the ripper being an asthmatic, well, cold sets off asthma attacks, and it's even colder in November. Just sayin'.