The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-05-11
rhe aeleoroIogieal observal.On..

I
General Myer, the chief signal officer,
TO whose care the weather telegram and
stoTm,IOTecasiing system was assigned,
informs us that he Is making arrange.
menls with the telegram lines for inCreas-
ing the number Of points at which sym
Chr0nous atmospheric observations are
daily taken and forwarded TO Washing.
ton. lie hopes to be able ere long 10 re-.
Ceive reports from between seventy and
eighty places, instead Of thirty.twO, the
present number When this is'done, he is
confident the weather can b. iVretold
with great certainty. The accuracy of
tho forecasts now furnished by Gen. My.
ers department, arc alike surprising and
gratifying. Day after day, the prognosti.
cations are partially or wholly verified,
until the people are coming to look for
them with an interest which accompanies
filth. Judging from what has already
been demonstrated, We sec no reason why
Gen, Myers most sanguine hopes and GX-
pectatlonG may not be fully realized.
In England, scventy.three per cent Of
the official storm warnings have proved
correct, while The ratio has been still
greater In France. Commodore Maury
has demonstrated, in recent magazine
article, that meteOrOlOgically the United
States is most happily ind advantageous.
" situated, probably lar more 81 than
either orthese two countries, and that no
storm can strike any part Of our vast con.
tinent "betOre every other part may he
notified Of the danger"
The corps Of observers employed by
General Myer were put TO work after u
hurried course of study and training
They, together with others selected, are
daily increasing In experience and skill.
The instruments used IRE also being i'm.
proved, thereby permitting Of more nc
Cnratc observations being made. These,
together with other causes, afford strong
hopes Tor believing that the day is not
fur distant when storms can be heraldCd
In advance from Washington with almost
uncrring certainty. The benefits which
will result thGrelrOm II Is impossi.
bic to Ovcrestimate, Hundreds Of lives
and millions OF property will be annually
saved, Congressman Paine informs Cap.
tain llOwgale, under whose immediate
supervision observations are recorded and
published, that vessel with cargo val.
ued ut over n million % dollars, recently
delayed her departure from Milwaukee,
because storm was predicted by the
Signal Service bulletin. Two vessels,
which disregardGd the forecast, and left
port, encountered n severe storm ut the
time named in the bulletin, and were lost
Many similar instances mightbc narrated
II Is computed that there urc nearly
two thousand vessels employed on our in.
land lakes alone; add 10 these the water
craft which ply up aud down our sea
coast, or maintain traffic with adjoining
islands or other countries, and We can OBJ
tain some idea Of the extensive interests
which will be benefited and protected by
the weather bulletins. The latter will be
in time consplCuOusly displayed in all the
coast and lake cities, SO that ship.Owners
and sailOrs Gun provide against many Of
the storms so destructive to life and prop.
Grty, by remaining in port until a fair sky
and smooth sailing nre guaranteed
The lesscning of the risks OF shipping
will naturally diminish Insurance prcmi.
ums, and so reduce other expenditures rs
to warrant reduction in the rates for
passengers and freight The statistics Of
tho Lake Boards Of Trade prove that
owing to the heavy risks they incur during
the "wintry and cquinoctal gales" their
tariffs "arG now nearly doubled for the
transportation Of every product Of the
farmer, the merchant, and the mechanic"
These risks, partially or wholly re.
moved by weather forecasts, freights, as
we before observed. will go down, and
the immense amounts Of grain which,
owing to high freights, are yearly held
back at Western centres, producing q
glut, and causing siagnation in Western
markets, will come forward more freely.
THUS 1t Is that the benefits Of the weather
observations may extend directly TO the
farmer, enabling him to realize better
prices for his crops. They may, further.
more, he of signal advantage TO him in
preparing his lands for these crops and in
sowing, Cultivating, and harvesting them.
We might allude 10 the advantages
which mankind generally will derive from
knowledge of what the weather is to be
during several succeeding hours or days.
But they will readily suggest themselves
tn fhn raaInr