The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-09

The Weather Bureau and tho National
steamboatmen's Convention-PopuIar De-
mand for Extcnsion Of the Signal
Service.
We copy elsewhere from the Nautical
Gazette resolutions of the late National Steam
boatmen's Convention regarding the Weather
Bureau. The Convention, representing more
than two-thirds of the entire steam tonnage of
the United States, express their unqualified
appreciation of the value and usefulness of
the weather and water reports, as well as the
probabilities, as furnished by the Chief Signal
Officer daily to the press and the various ex-
change and news rooms throughout the
country" and urge on Congress the main
tenance and support of the Signal Service by
all appropriations necessary. On the 22d
ult the HERALD, anticipating the great danger
from the melting of the heavy SHOWS of the
West, warned New Orleans and the cities of the
Mississippi Valley of the now imminent inun-
Signal Officer, on the strength of the warning,
Immediately issued orders to all observers at
stations on the western rivers to make
special reports by telegraph Of any sudden
or unusual change in their waters, to
enable him to forewarn the steamboatmen Of
disastrous ice movements and floods. Our
readers have already learned by kilograms of
the giving way of the ice in the Upper Missouri,
proving that the HERALD's forethought and
the Chief Signal Officers orders have been
well timed, and may be the means of saving
hundreds of lives and millions of dollars worth
of property. The threatened foods in the
Northwest, unless carefully watched, may be-
come as disastrous as the great autumnal fires
Of the Northwest. The Upper Missouri, drain
ing Western Dakota, Montana and Idaho,
courses along the Southern edge of that great,
mild and semi-tropcal belt created and swept
by the eternal southwesterly warm and vapor-
laden winds from the North Pacific, and the
impulse there given to ice floods will be fear
fully augmented between Fort Benton, st.
Louis and Cairo, if the Platte and similar
streams become simultaneously swollen, 80
that the western and northwestern cities are
as seriously endangered as those of the ex-
treme South.
We cannot, however, advert to this sub
ject without at the same time pointing out the
profound Importance of the new feature in the
national system which now combines it's water
reports with the weather reports, which have
already reflected so much credit and popu-
larity on the War Department and the govern
ment. The widespread usefulness of this sci
entifc bureau, in charge of General Myer, is
constantly receiving new proofs in the frequent
demands of the people of all sections for its
immediate extension in new offshoots to every
part of the country, and for the wider dissent
nation of the meteorologic information it has
gathered in. This information is greedy
sought after by agriculturists, planters and ply
sicians, as well as by all trading and nautical
men east and west; and the Meteorological
Office from which it emanates, in an incredibly
short space of time, has, by its exactness and
promptness, become almost as much of an
institution as the telegraph or the Post Office.
We notice with great regret, however, that
the Chief Signal Officer, in the correspondence
published to-day between the Steamboatmen's
Convention, the Secretary of War and him
self, expresses great anxiety lest this years
appropriation for the Signal Service entirely
fails to meet the wishes and wants of the
steam interests and others. The amount ap-
propriated to the whole service is less than
one hundred and eighty-fve thousand dollars,
and to enable him to give satisfaction to the
demands of the people he estimates that this
sum should be increased to two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. Such an estimate is
moderate indeed, and, considering the immense
value of the storm signals alone, would be
mere trife. Congress annually appropriates
Just three times this amount to the Coast Sur
vey, and we see no reason why it should not
extend every possible facility to the Weather
Bureau, which is the most popular and bene6-
cent branch of the government.
Young as it is, it has already been pro.
nounced by the old weather offices of Europe
their superior. If only furnished with means
to advance it's network Of stations to the West
Indies and the far Northwest of the United
States, and to meet the popular demand for
the service it renders, it will doubtless rebound
still more to the honor Of the country and
the government. Such an institution must
shed an Augustan splendor over any age or
any administration that fosters it.