Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-05-04
The Weather Bureau.

The weather reports furnished by the
United States Government having now
become an interesting feature of the daily
press, brief description of the system OF
which they are the fruit will not be inap-
propriate. What may be called the head
quarters of the Weather Bureau is in
Washington, and presided over by the
chief OF the signal corps of the army.
This officer has about him small but
thoroughly efficient staff of assistants, and
all the telegraph wires of the country are
thrown open to his use. instruments of
the most delicate and complicated con-
struction are SO arranged that they catch
and record the slightest change in the at
mosphere, and by the aid of maps and
signs which cannot be easily explained to
the uninitiated, the operators can tell at a
single glance what kind of weather is at
that moment prevailing in any section of
the Union, what are the prospects of a
storm, from what quarter the storm will
come, how long it is likely to last, and va
rious other interesting particulars.
There are now about forty observing
stations, but this number will probably
be largely increased hereafter. The sta
ton farthest east is Portland. Maine; the
most western is San Francisco, and the
most southern is New Orleans. A regularly
is detailed for each station, who, hav
ing undergone the necessary preliminary
instruction, is competent to manage the in
struments in his charge in accordance with
the code of instructions. Three observa-
tions and three telegraphic reports to head
quarters are required daily, and these must
be made as nearly as practicable eight
hours apart. The telegraphing is brief,
uniform, and always done in cypher. The
reports are expected to particularlize ba-
rometrical changes, thermometrical varia-
tions, the direction and force of the wind,
the appearance of the sky, and whether or
not there is rain, hail, snow, sleet or fog,
1t is intended that the reports shall be
made at every station at precisely the
same moment, and being based On COM
mon standard by instruments of exactly
| the same construction, conveyed in the
| prescribed formula, they are necessarily
uniform, and present a clear and intel
| lible result to the central office. The
system is, of course, far from being
fully developed, but, even in its in
fancy, is considered superior to anything
of the kind existing in other countries.
The operators very sensibly do not at,
tempt too much, and their weather proph-
ecies mover go beyond the scope of "prob-
abilities" and then only for about twelve
hours in advance. Already no small
amount of progress has been made in the
investigation Of the laws which govern
storms, and this most important branch OF
knowledge will receive great accessions
hereafter, as the sphere of operations en-
large.
It is, we believe, intended to locate sig
nal posts along the shores of the Atlantic
and the northern lakes, and signal passing
vessels regarding the storms which may
be threatening in other quarters. This in
formation the vessels are expected to trans
NIT to crafts farther out at sea, which will
enable many ofthem, by seeking a harbor, ,tc
escape disaster and shipwreck. In short, thu
Weather Bureau is useful and beneficien
department of government, and, we trust
will not only be continued, but elaborated
and enlarged, until the science of maj
shall have mastered, as far as may be, tn
signs written on the heavens and tn
warnings which float upon the passing
breeze.-lNiss0uri Republican.