The Portland daily press., 1871-01-21
A Beneflcen, Csmineresal sfea,a,e.
cFENING OF A GOVERNMENTAL SIGNAL
STATION TN pOPTi.ANiy

A Benefcent Ceminereial Measnse.
oPEN1NG OF A GOVERNMENTAL SIGNAL
STATION IN PORTLAND.
It's generally known that within the last
yea, our national government has with very
be lefcial design, entered upon an enterp ris2
| of Ia progressively scientific character, which
must soon rebound to itsl great credit, and will
! produce in its practical application, an untold
| amount of benefit to the commercial aud hu-
mapitarian interests of our country. We al.
| lude to the establishment of the United States
signal corps for the purpose of making meteo-
rological observations. several times daily, at
various and widely distant points in the coun-
try, and the desps telling Of weather kilograms
and storm warnings to all points along our
greatly extended seacoast and lake shores.
1t certainly is matter of national pride and
one for which we may Justly claim that our
| progressive and liberal institutions are the d.
rect cause that the United States is the first
of the great powers which commenced the
work of collecting systematic series Of meteo-
Biological observations over all of the habitable
globe, more especially on the oceans; and our
| government as early as 1853 endeavored to in :.
/ duce British statesmen to unite with this gov
] ernment in the work of making these obserya-
tions. But England collly received our be.
| nign propositions, as she has perhaps too often
done in more respects than this while Admi-
raj Fitzroy, an eminent British meteorologst,
did all he could to enforce his views upon his
| government, and during the year labove allud-
| ed to. was able, as the President of the Lon
don Board of Trade, to carry them ont in the
Meteorological department of that influential
body, and which led to the introduction of SIM
| liar institutions insFrance, Holland and other
European nations.
The subject of the law of storms was brought
/ to the popular attention some quarter of CEN
| fury ago by Prof. Espy, who delivered lectures
upon the subject in our principal .cities, and
since then Mr. 1William q. Redfield of New
/ York, an able American meteorological,
Mr. Buchan, A. NJ. of Scotland aud others,
nave pursued the study of this law aud its OPP
sratons with great success. And it is safe to
assert that if the subject had been better IN
lerstood, and system of telegraphy c,nnec-
ted Herewith had been in operation only lew
years earlier, that some of the fearful ship
wrecks upon our colst and the great lakes of
the Northwest, would have been avoidable.
The first official storm sig nal reduced to
utility in the United States was bulletined at
the Merchants Exchange 10 Chicago on No
sember 9Th last, warning all observers along
he lakes that high wind was prevailing at
Omaha, with barometers falling and thernom-
,ters rising at Chicago. Detroit, etc. On Nov.
10th the Cleveland Herald declared the value
If this storm signal service by saying that the
.ale from the Rocky Mountains travelled east
word and reached the lakes at the time pre-
licted. So also the signal service, at later
lay indicated that storm travelling eastward
rom Chicago might be expected in Cleveland
u the course of the afternoon; and true as
cience, it did reach there at twenty minutes
past three o'clock on the next day, coming in
Ill its fury, blowing down chimncys, wrench
ing off signs, flooding the streets, and almost
without moments warning.
This subject only became matter of law
lbout one year ago, when Hon. H. e. Paine of
Wisconsin offered joint resolution in the
House of Representatives which passed Con-
,ress on the 9th of February 1870, to the effect
that the Secretary OF War is authorized to pro-
vide, under the immediate charge of the chet
signal officer Of the U. S. army, for the taking
Of meteorological observations at various mill
tary stations in the States and territories of
he United States; and to give notice on the
aorlhern lakes and on tue oea coast by magnet
telegraph aud marine signals, of the ap-
roach and force OF storms.
BIT. Brig. Gen. Albert j. Niger is charged
with the execution of this enactment. and all
commanding officers of the army are required
60 give their aid in its accomplishments.
10 accordance with this law, Gen. Myer has
Just opened signal station in this city, in the
building belonging to the Thomas heirs, at the
Il OF of Exchange street, and over the store of
Mr.. Cyrus H. Farley This is an admirable
location, as by this arrangement, the observa-
tory and instruments OF Mr.. Farley upon the
top of the building can be used The station
is in charge of Sergeant William Lewe of the
signal service q. s. A., who has been under in
struction lately at Fort Whipple, Va, for
this service.
1t may not be generally known also that Mr..
Farley makes daily observations of the stars
for the purpose of ascertaining the true time,
and rating his chronometers, and then he teie-
graphs his results to the principal watch iewei-
lers in the prominent places in the State..aHa--
is the emily standard time keeper in Portland,
who has regularly employed the telegraph in
this respect. We yesterday at o'clock P. NJ,
went up with Mr.. Farley and Sergeant Lew
en- to witness ther reading of the starry
heavens Tin the day time,) and the atmospher-
&c phenomena presented at that time. And on
this observatory Mr.. Farley has frsta fine
transit rejecting telescope aud by it we MOTTO
ed the star Beta in the constellation Ceti,
which was still visible above the horizon at the
South at that hour of the day. Just as the
star passed the representative of the zenith in
the instrument, Mr.. Farley telegraphed TO the
operator in his store beneath, using Geographic
wires OF his own; and this saves transcribing
the time from chronomeSer. Then there is a
vane with cardinal points, to show the direc-
ton of the wind, and an Anemometer to
measure its velocity. Then a fine Barometer
and Thermometer, of course to measure the
weight and heat of the atmosphere, with a
view to determine probable change of the
weather, and lastly Pluviametor, with which
to measure the amount of fall of raiu; and oy
| this instrument we noticed that SO 100 of an
inch of rain fell DUNG the tw enty- four hours
| of Monday last.
Certainly better location could hardly be
selected in our city for this station, especially
as this observatory is in the immediate vicinity
of the telegraph Offices.
We would mention in this connection as
very conclusive evidence Of the utility of this
| storm signal service that our stable and sue.
| cessful line of steamers, running between this
city and Boston the old Portland steam
Packet Company-tban which there is no safer
| line OF public travel in the whole length and
breadth Of the country, has ever since the tel
egraph was established, employed it daily to
learn til, state of the weather at both places,
particularly at Boston, and then to act upon
| the wal ming of storm so ascertained, and by
| this means perhaps, their valuable steam pack
| cts have been preserved so long and so well,
| and human life thereby protected. We would
say in conclusion that very readable article
by Prot 7. B Naury, on this subject appears
| in the February number of the excellent
"Scrbner's Monthly" and it is illustrated full
| ly, and second paper is promised for the
March number.
The FAKIR.-Crowded houses seem to be the
/ order at the entertainments OF the Fakir OF
Vishnu. There was perfect Jam last evening
and everything went off pleasantly and with
much applause. This afternoon be gives q
matinee, the doors opening at 1.30 p. M, per-
formances commencing at 230. The Fakir has
e H.