The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-06
STORM SCIENCE.
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Interesting Description of the Working
of the Meteorological Bureau.
Winds, Clouds, Fogs, Rain, SnOw,
Hail. TOrnad0cS and Cyclones.
The "prabgbilitfs Of The WeaihCr" THE Pc
tuIiarit es OF american Climate
What Metecrology Has Done and Wat
& esks 10 accomplish.


published SOME OF the results Of its first years oh
servations This issue. containing much that is
uew, though bref and concise, ~ rich and lnvaiu
able addition To meteoroogy. More than thirty
years ago Sir David Brewster, tho renowned Eng.
flsh philosopher, discussing the philosophy OF
storms in the E1iabitp Reriec. graveiy prorhesed
that If scleace ''cannot bind over the disturbing
clements 10 Keen the peace It may ~ least organize
an efficient police tC discover their ambush and
watch their movements" Happily for our day-a
day of physical wonders and cOmmott oas this
prophecy has been verified to astonishing degree.
Happily, we say FOR when the paloXJs.ns OK neat
and cold the demons Of the tempest and the electric
nres combine ana marshal themselves and march
forth with desclalIng fury, driving beneath the surge
or whrlIpg into the the floating and the fixed
dwellings q man and shNering he proud
est fabrics of his power he tTenbles and becomes
The yeriasi slave OF terrors taat did fOreSee
IL was for thIs that long ago The barome
ter became the faithful friend ana ,Gonltor OF the
seaman and taught him Dy its silent warning TO
reef his tons ais and prepare Tor baee with the Gle
ments.
80 necessary are premoniliONs OF atmospheric dis
turoances 10 tue human family that, from early Pc
RODS OF history they have been diligently studied
IL IS certain hat tho coasts OF the Mediterranean
ald Adriatic seas, classic ages, signal and
storm warnings Issued both 10 The mariner
and the iandsnan and, Ia one form or another, they
nave III al times been recognized necessity for
every c.vll2ei people.
The honor % applying the grand discovery OF the
electric telegraph to the signalling OF storms
reserved, however, Cor the great American meteor.
oloslst Mr. VIM u Redfe!d, Of New YorA. This
modest bat profound scientist-the Newton OF
storm physicS--n his celebrated paper upon hur-
ricanes prepared IN the early par. OF the year
1916 ana published in the ADleTfcaa Journal OF
.ScttTCG on september ., 1896 the first argue
fer ana demonstrate The feasibility Of using Tie tele-
graph FOR osccTanIng and announcing the approach
ana force OF storms. closing hts paper with these
words;"ln Tue Atlantic ports OF the United States
the approach OF gaze, wnen the storm We. the
Suf OF Mckee IN the Southern or Western States.
may DC made SHOWN bS means OF the electric tce
graph. Wilcn PROBABLY Will soon extend from Maine
co the Mississippi. mis- VIII enable the merchant 10
avoid exposing his vessel 10 furious gaze after
leaving her port.'' The telegraph old soon extend
from Maine TO Mississippi. and, N the rear 1913
january on Professor Henry, boTroxing the susges
tion OF Mr. Reune.d made year and half before,
urged il upon Congressional attention and provision.
But not TITO the history OF THIS new science.
then began is career, and the volume officially
issued 10y the Slgnai rurean contains The g-n-
erali2auon that mete,ro ogis,s IN carrying out
Rclaed's suggestion. ave round 1t safe 30 LAY
down.
METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS Astp WEATHER MAPS.
BY ccnniusuon OF teegraphc circuits, US our
observations OF the weather are taken syiichronousiy
seventy select points in the United states, and
transmitted by telegraph IN 3 weather bulletin,
which Is published ~ all pewsrapors OF any prom.
nencG 10 this country. The first thing 10 be done TO
ascertain the atmospheric changes hGely 10 occur Is
~ transfer the Information contained ~ the bulletin
j. a common map. or, what is more economical, TO
lie blank charts FURNISHED at cost hy the Signal
tGceL Thus the inquirer has graphic PIC.
1al representation Oh the great aerial rs II is
found to be ou1he gwen day The blank charts
On translucent paper, and 1T IL possible to sec
Ihrough severa. Sheets and thus more readily COM
pare successive phases or the weather Tie record
for each station beng entered the chart in It's
appropriate pace rhe wind and weather are iudi-
caied by arrows and black or white circesl. whch
work OF but few minutes, ready 70
sLuuy the Oay' doings OF the atmosphere.
ATNosIHERIo PRESSURE.
few trials Will convince one that IL rs almost al
ways possible 10 draw - Continuous me through
those poiats wneIe the barometer staids at $500
inches Its normal heignI our Atlantic coast.
II from two ncighborng points there are reported
respectively barOmcIc pressures Of 1925 aud 1905,
then half way between them, IN the majority Of
cases. II may be assumed that the barometer stands
at 5000. hy connecting Win red lead pencil lines
oil the points OF eluai pressure thus determined
tnere IS made visible Al glance that marrow band
over which Tue baronetic pressure ls unliorin. 90
After havin1 Drawn the normal Inc oi 5000
inches req lead pencil lines are projected, showing
where the barometer stands al $500, 2l.so, &c,
tue hue OF 5000 inches OF pressure,
one may draw lines connecting points
these Inns OF equal atmospheric Intensity are
called s0taromeiIlc lines, or, more conveniently,
isoJarics lsUbarg. pitenimes tney gradually en-
close within theH DOluGs central area OF tin&ii
extent, aud over wnich the pressure IS decidedly
lower lhan anywhere else on the map II this cen.
Irdi area uc 1903 too near the inllng lne Of our
stations we shai un1 81 completely enclosed Icy the
cnCrclng lines or equal pressure. or isOb1romet.Tc
unes On inc borders ~ Tue greater areas ~ lncr as
ing ana nigh barometer and within The areas o. low
barometer occur nearly aii lie smaller areas oi low
her stor,ns are ,ssocttd IL l. Inc s;dy OF these
qf Ufsfff los f1V
nry Interests me lnceoroogist I1ese areas ysry
gTT wi;ns AvD ruvs BALLOTS law
Assuming nat cur reader has tue ines OF equal
Vress,Ees drawn or weather ehart before uiin5 ne
sncc with the laws of mechanics, must pc pushing
from t4e regions Of higher to iho.c OF lower pres,
tie forces OF uesla ana friction ana D! the fota-
ton o; tie ertA ana local distinctions, IS con-
vertcd into tie local VIRUS. whose dlrochou5 are m
dicdte1 hy ihe arrows upon our map, and whose
veociues arc gwen in miles per hour. 1bese winds
We Will cali local Winds as distinguished from the
general winds IN any section, and from the great
MARTY dcpcndeDt upon the existence and position
OF the areas OF low and high pressure: tue great
currents spreading MS they do over whole CONT
nents ami cnarc'lng the earth, are directly depen-
dent upon me earih's rotation
Hualn any area Of 1igh pressure ,he winds WIN
10 found to be blowing away rom the centre, but
dcreclen towards the rgnt as the move forward.
Within any o! low pressure the wiuts blow W.
ward the centre, ana are also DETECTED toward The
right hand a they move l1.ward. Inus the follow
ing table shows which winds generally prevail on
each side of these areas VI hiyh aud low pres
sure ,, ,.. IN.
-I@e Ire7aln9 Wads &C. ~ be
T7le U1seyrp, BeiHg Lolf J5'tSSHre. mn Pr.sSufe.
On ne q M Sna and ID 4 l. = fna an W w
Ou the W. side. ...... " amt No.. j.. ana ..
On the :. W side. w. and NV. \. b. ana ,. r.
on the ;. sdc........S. and WIN. and L..
On the - T.. side.....o. E and D. w y. ". aia NJ IL
On the n. SIDE. .......E aud S........W ". anh ~.
on the n. T.. side....N T.. and = l.. .S.W. ana ~ W,
Hence, n an observer Is standing within an area
OF abnormally low pressure and on the northwest
side of It's centre he SHOULD md the wind blowing
from some point IN the horizon between northwest