Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-04-03
Storm Signals During Harvest.


The following plan TO aid in preventing in
jury 10 grain and hay crops from storms dur
ing harvest, is submitted for the consideration
OF farmers, county officials, Agricultural soci-
eties. telegraph companies, the press, aad the
public generally.
Ii may be estimated taat az least one. .thiro Of
the grain and hay crops are niured ANNUALLY
by storms during harvest. Large quantities
are cut down, and then a storm comes up sud
oenly, or as settled rain, and they get wet
10 degree that they materially Injured
Thete storms, n OF con siderable duration
generally commence in the Far West, ana fire.
q1ehhy extend over several States clear 20 the
ocean.
IL farmers had srcrRiag OF these approaching
storms in time 70 get their grain or hay under
cover, or In Situation 10 shut out the ram,
much OF this injury would be pre- vented. By
adopting the following general plan AZ Is be-
Heyed that this may be effected:
When storm commences IN auy part of the
country. and is travelling in a certain direction
or IL spreading In all directions, the fret tsl
eeraph station over which IL passes il 70 send
the news instantly 10 all telegraph stations al
county seats, scores and hundreds OF miles m
advance, IN the direction that the storm is tray-
ehng. AT each OF these county seats a cannon
Is 70 oe kept ready by the officials At the court
mouse, ana as soon as the news is received OF
an approaching storm IL is 10 be fired fkr,e
tnes, At intervals OF three minutes AZ AZ in "a
l,u a. AT intervals OF See minutes il the
storm Is travelling rapidly, and AZ intervals OF
ten minutes II ~ is travelling eSowly
AS cannon can be heard from fifteen 20
twenty miles in all directors, by firing one az
eacn county seat the farmers for hundreds of
miles over the whole cosntry would be warned
In time TO get their grain or hay under cover
OF In conditlon 10 shut out the rain; and this
warning would not only be usef1l IN harvest
but also In seeding time. and in MANY con-
dltIons too numerous TO mention, both 70 farm
ers and TO the public generally, and ee pee ialIy
time TO prepare for it,
ltwlll be seen that tins plan is in strict i'm
ltauon OF nature as exhibited in storms the
hnnn foAwn
clouds are ever seen. BY this plan the tele-
graph represents the lightning and the ean
non the thunder, but nature is vastly sur-
passed in time and extent, as the flash will ba
Understood, and the roar will be heard a. the
same moment, hundreds Of miles in advance
OF the actual lightning OF the thunder The
eost OF mis- plan will be trtfiing compared 10
tue advantage gained. Nearly every county
seat owns cannon, which can be fred by
some Of the officials The actual expens. be-
ing the cost OF q short telegram from the next
county seat, once or twice a week for three
or four months during summer, and TIE addi-
uonal cost OF a few kegs of powder The
Nnoie cost TO each couHty could no, be
more than hfty dollars annually when from
this trifiing outlay tens OF thousands wouId ba
saved 10 each county, and millions to many OF
'he ger grain and grass growing States.
As every county-seat may not own a car
non suitable for Storm Gun and as the Stasa
ana national arsenals have an abundance of
tne very best quality, all DEFICIENCIES may De
supplied from this source and inns these
cannon nov lying idle may be put to a useful
purpose by Initiating thunder, giving warning
OF approaching storms hundreds OF miles in
advance OF the real thunder or the clouds
II thls plan should meet with general ap-
provaI, arrangements should be made 10 nus n
IN operation early in the coming summer
Ssen arrangement may be made between the
county omcials and a telegraph company. or
some telegraph company may make arrange
ment by circular with the county or ciAIs in
ali the States III the newspapers would then
publish the Norm Signals, which should be
posted IN every house throughout the whole
country tne plan would be complete, and IN a
couple OF months the Storm Guns would com
mence 10 roar, giving warning OF approaching
storms and hurricanes hundreds and even
thousands OF miles in advance of the actual
'nuhoer or the storm. A. WATSON