The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-08-24
operations of the Signal Service Bureau.

Operations of the Signal Service Bureau.
Although the Signal Service is yet in its in
fancy, and must be patiently nursed and cher
ished by the people for some years before it can
expect to do and discharge its full mission, un-
der General Myers indetatigable care and skill
full management it has already achieved much
good, and more than compensated the public
for the expense of its establishment. Since it
was instituted last summer "the chief signal
officer has," to quote the words of the New
York World, thoroughly organized and equip
ped system which now embraces in its scien-
tific grasp every part of the land from Sandy
Hook to the Golden Gate of California, and
from Key West to the Dominion of Canada"
Three times every day synchronous observa-
tions are taken and reports made from the sta
tion-one at 8 q. m, one at 4 p. M, and the
third at midnight. These observations are
made by instruments all of which are perfectly
adjusted to standard at Washington. They
are also taken at the same moment exactly,
these observations and reports being also timed
by the standard of Washington time. The
reports from the stations are transmitted in
full by telegraph. BY combination of tele-
graphic circuits, the reports OF observations
made at different points synchronously are rap
idly transmitted to the different cities at which
they are 10 be published. They are, however,
all sent of course to the central office in Wash
ington. These reports are limited to fixed
number of words, and the time of their trans
mission is also fixed number of seconds
These reports are not telegraphed in figures,
but in words fully spelled out. There are now
about forty-five stations for which provision has
been made, and which are in running order.
These have been chosen or located at points
from which reports of observations will be
most useful as indicating the general barome-
trio pressure, or the approach and force of
storms, and from which storm warnings, as the
atmospheric indications are, may be forwarded
with greatest dispatch to imperiled ports.
These stations are occupied by expert OBJ
servers furnished with the best attainable in
struments, which are every day becoming more
perfect, and to which other instruments are be-
ing added.
The reports of observers are as yet limited to
a simple statement of the readings of their in
struments, and of any meteorological facts ex-
isting at the station when their tri-daily report
is telegraphcd to the central office in Washing
ton.
Each observer at the station writes his report
on manifold paper. One copy he preserves,
telegraphs the contents to Washington. The
preserved copy is voucher for the report ac-
tually sent by the observer; and if the operator
is careless and makes mistake, he cannot lay
the blame on the observer, who has copy of
his report, which must be fac simile of tho one
he had handed to the operator. The preserved
COPY is afterwards forwarded by the observer
sergeant to the office in Washington, where it
is filed, and finally bound up in volume for
future reference.
When all the reports from the various sta
tions have been received, they are tabulated and
handed to the officer professor Abbe) whose
duty it is to write out the synopsis and deduce
the probabilities" which in few minutes are
to be telegraphed to the press all over the coun-
This is work of thirty minutes. The bull
letin of probabilities" which at present is all
that is undertaken, is made out thrice daily
in the forenoon, afternoon, and after the mid
night reports have been received, inspected,
and studied out by the accomplished gentlemen
and able meteorologist who is at the head OF
this work.
The probabilities" of the weather for the
ensuing day, 80 soon as written out by the Pro-
fessor, are Immediately telegraphed to all news
papers in the country which are willing topub-
tish them for the benefit of their readers.
Copies of the kilograms of probabilities" are
also instantly sent to all boards of trade, cham
bers of commerce, merchants exchanges, socie-
ties, etc. and to conspicuous places, especially
sea- ports, all over the country.
While the Professor is preparing his bulle-
tins from the reports just furnished him by tel
cgraph, the sergeants are preparing maps which
shall show by arrows and numbers exactly
what was the mcteorologic condition of the
whole country when the last reports were sent
in. These maps are printed in quantities, and
all the signal stations A dozen copies are laid
on the table with sheets of carbon paper be-
tween them, and arrow stamps strike in them
(by the manifold process) the direction of the
wind at each station. The observations as to
the temperature barometic pressure, etc., are
also in the same way put on them.
These maps are displayed at various conspic-
uous points in Washington-e. g., at the War
Department, Capitol, Observatory, Smithsonian
Institution, and office of tho chief signal officer.
They serve also as perfect records of the wealth
or for the day and hour indicated on them, and
arc bound up in book for future use.
Every report and paper that reaches the Sig
nal Office is carefully preserved on file, so that
at the end of each year the Office possesses a
complete history of the meteorology of every
day in the year, or nearly $4,000 observations,
besides the countless and continuous records
from all of Its selfregistering instruments.