The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-25
The Telegraph and Our Weather

Watchmen.
The country is now looking daily with great
interest for the general breaking up of the
fiery season through which we are pass
ing and all classes are deeply interested in the
daily reports of our weather watchmen
Although the equinoctial season is usually sup
posed to commence only when the sun is YER
teal upon the Equator in September, it must
be remembered that the atmospheric forces
which then engage in tempestuous battle
begin to array themselves several weeks pre-
viously, and are already deployed If the
Italian astronomer Tacchini is correct, as he
doubtless is in his recently announced dis
covery of the singular appearance Of magne-
SUM in the chromosphere of the sun, and the
coincidence between the brightness and broad
ness ofthese spectroscopic magnesium lines and
the more pronounced and brilliant flames in
the eruptions of solar volcanoes, it may be
that this year, though somewhat delayed, the
phenomena of storm and hurricane will be
peculiarly grand. At any rate the arrival of
the changed season will be as eagerly looked
for this year as the annual arrival of the sun
within the Arctic circle is looked for by the
Esquimaux or the Laplander. 1t seems, there
fore, fitting time to call the attention of the
public to the conditions which must ever un-
derlie safe and useful meteorological system,
such as that of our Signal Bureau at Wash
ington.
When the almanac maker had the monopoly
OF weather science it was very natural to laugh
at every augury or prediction of what the
Roman poet called ''vdri,la ct m,tabae SEM
per-" Sensible men knew the difficulties of
foreseeing the operations Of the atmos-
phere, and until very recently, when the
telegraph spread its network of wires over the
world, scientific men dared not undertake q
system OF storm signals. Experience has,
however, demonstrated so fully as
in America, where the immense territory pre-
sents advantages Of meteorologic study en-
joyed by few other nations-that, with COM
plete and continuous chains Of wealth er sta-
tons crossing the Continent on parallels Of
latitude along which the storms of every coun-
try chiefly move, it is possible to announce,
hours and days beforehand, the advent and
force of these violent meteors, and to fore
warn alike the farmer and the seaman. Indeed,
it may be safely affirmed that, with the present
light now obtained on the law of storms,
the chief problem of weather telegraphy
is how to maintain a perfect sys-
tenn of accurate and prompt kilograms
from the various reporting stations of
the Signal Bureau AS long as these tri-daily
kilograms are punctually furnished by the
telegraph companies to the central Office of
the Chief Signal Officer no fear need be felt
that any dangerous tempest can sweep over
the land unheralded. As the graphic weather
map of the War Department, issued by the
Chief Signal Officer, shows every atmospheric
eddy, every current, every cloud that moves or
floats through the deep caverns of the aerial
ocean is detected, Geographically announced
and clearly charted for the eye of the meteor
ologists at Washington who have in charge
the deductions and probabilities Of the
weather to ensue. Unfortunately, however, the
continuity and completeness of these kilograms
have for some months been seriously interrupted
and their timely information suspended by
the refusal of some of the telegraphic corpora
tons to transmit them at rates within the
means of the Signal Office to pay. As long
as this evil lasts it must, we presume, fire.
quently occur that at the most critical juno
lures, as at the present, reports of OBSERVE
tons at the different stations will be delayed,
and the correctness of the forecast be rendered
most precarious, to the great jeopardy of our
shipping and of thousands of lives embarked
on our coast steamers and trading vessels, and
to the annoyance and disappointment of the
entire public. 1t is obviously unjust and alb
surd to expect successful probabilities of
the weather, especially in the changes
of the stormiest equinoctial seasons, I'M
less the chief Signal Office is enabled
as we reliably learn it is not now en-
abled-to secure regular and prompt trans
mission of it's bulletins and reports in cipher.
The attempt to foretell the weather without
previous reports revealing all the varied agen-
cies at work can surely be little more than
mere vaticination; and it will be a scandal to
the nation if the splendid success which has,
uniformly attended and still attends the
Weather Bureau should for any period of time
be marred by such difficulties as now embar-
rass it. So frequently and gravely do these
difficulties now obstruct its work that many Of
the reports furnished the press state that, dur
ing the past eight hours, no intelligence. has
been received from the majority of its sta--
tons. Whole sections, and those often.
whose reports furnish the key to the weather,
are not heard from and their reports
to the central Office, though always made, are
declined by the telegraph companies and re-
fused early transmission. Fortunately for the
good Of the public and the good name of the
Signal Office, which has been won bya series of
brilliant successes under q good telegraphic
system, the statement of ''no reports received"
g.. ~,.xA ax,d anch aactiona. will be nndar.