New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-30
METEOROLOGY.
ORIGIN OF THE WEATHER REPORT SYSTEM

THE FIRST SUGGESTION IN THIS COUNTRY 'Lh"'D
TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY COMMODORE "hUkY-
EXTRACTS FROM MS LETTERS AND SPEECHES
To me RdttOr OF The Trt6hhr
SIR: Experience shows that of toe many
things that attract public attention there ar ~" "
make impressions ovanesccnt than the authorship
OF great idea Nor is IL perhaps strange inst should
be So for public, beng only concerned with "h't
makes for its good may at be profoundly
moved by thought and after some maniiesiatio" OF
enthusiasm toward the or nator OF IT, lose ssht 81 nm
altogether, bis right originator parakng often W"
much Of the nature OF private interest az FIRST u WOMB
seem to hold permanent place IN the pubic memory.
II ia true that after the idea root and fruct
fed i'm great results there springs up controversy
IA TO where the honor Of II lies but owing to the ugi
tive impression authorship made IN the hrst IN
stance IL is sort OF controversy which, 1t sometimes
happens, Is not readily composed
nv mind fell into this train OF thought day iwo
ago on reading on article in Harpes Weekly OF the l2h
OF July last under The caption. Scientific Intelligence
The writer calls attention to certain statements lh
French Journals attrbuling TO tho late C"innod"r"
Maury the credit OF creating the Signal once anh
establishing present system Of storm Signals ana
then proceeds TO assert that is not too much TO say
thar the published reports and other documents show
that Mr. Maury has had nothing 10 do with H." The
writer further states that the Signal Office IL purely
military institution that 10 had no existence az such
until gradually developed during the late war by iis
exigcncies and the genius of Gen. Myer; that during
the war Mr.. Maury" was Of the leaders OF the
Southern cause that Mr. Maury" had hand IN
getting enacted the OF 1870 authorizing the Secretary
of War TO commit matter Of storm signals" to the
Chief Signal Oiicer that the way had been paved Tor
this pubc-spirited enterprise mot only by The sue
cess of the longesabshed system Of storm signals iD
Europe bnt by the still earlier labors OF American me
teorOlogists."
Now 1 confidently assert that Matthew f.
Maury was the urge upon the public attention
the great value Importance Of using the eecromag
netc telegraph the means OF making practicaDe
system daily weather forecasts. IL was he and not
another who toiled over and sated In that Jealous
way OF his valuable idea Of this pubcsprted su
terprise" In furtherance OF it he much of that
precious time, which he was ever employing Tor inc
good OF mankind; and however large is the need Oh
credit due to the distinguished gentleman TO whom Is
given the honor OF bringing INTO practice this great idea
our countrymen should not in their appreciation OF his
valuable abors forget TO do Justice TO the great man
who was the first the earnest apostle OF the valuable
system Of telegraphc storm signals and daily weather
forecasts and who, Ike all thinkers much in advance oil
their time was compelled to employ laborious demon
straon to the merit and value OF an Idea which
ntutiyely by the men OF to-day, VINO are no"
enjoying the rich fruits OF that idea.
So far from the field Of Maury's laboTs being ereu'
sively upon the ocean, as the writer says, we ma
Maury, some months before the assembling OF the
Brussels Conference in August 1852 urging the secre-
!
OF that body when 1t came together directed To the
diepsting system Of meteorological observations em-
bracing both and land It being evident 10 Dlin that
tho meteorological phenomena on both clements shou"
be studied together Early In the last deca1e M"nry
began to urge the importance OF weather forecasts 10
agriculture and commerce, and although my meaDso Oh
reference are at this place limited, we are able 70 say
that in the year 1883 Maury had produced such an i'm
nresson In the Northwest the subject OF using the
telegraph for the purpose OF making weather forecas
according the present pan that no less THAN eHh Oh
the lake cities, Buffalo among them, memorla%ed 'o-
eress IN the same year, 1885, 70 establish general -ys
TEN OF daily Geographic reports for discussion at
central office The law thus prayed for was not passed
nj that session. but II admits OF doubt That the
recent aud ardy action OF Congress In obedience 10
| the Impulse first given by Maury. Having at hand
valuable letter from Maury TO l.. i, Dorr OF bnIa"
gentleman living. dated Observatory Washington.
18th December, 1885, make IeW exraots ~ S"PI"' '"
what IS above given:
That Capt Meade and his able corps OF assistants who
surveying the lakes should DC alIeaD p.o''u.Id
with barOmeters, psychrometers, therm1netrrs, shn
wind aud rain gauges is a fresh and striking hlusiia-
ton of the fact which called the attention OF the
Lake people with much emphasis, viz. that the means
and appliances for such system OF meteorooRIca coop
Grafton aud research d a. mai Po gf rsd iSr 10 BE- d is 10
elqrdI upon them He hegrdphte ledlure "'I. me P,""
Meades observers, addition 10 the observations th'y
are already making ana entering IN ther lp,rha AZ.
I nmire u ioy also to transmit certain of them
! Nv telegraph to his office; that he had force
nS neni at once that he might detect storm while
II is yet gathering ana then To seld OUT by hSiaPh
again warning the lake shipping OF IT. approach II
he had means Of doing THIS he eoud yer Dc do'.g
the roy thing Gdroeate, and there "ou'a oe IL"
| necessity OF further action on our ptfi.
Again referring the existing system OF meitor0log
zeal observations in the army, he that they 40 well
as the like observations at sea, diner from the system
propose" which system, he goes on to say, Il " That
certain Of the observations be reported ANY 10 ce""
apdf pis feIeV rq,hlp "A
Improvement upon the sea plIn Inc army sSTte" u
| not telegraphic." Again:
In these observations graph not used az all,
ami the results instead Of being proclaimed On me ~
slant amt announced TO gave warning OF the Drew
ing OF the storm, are frequently not pnOllShr" "h'l
years have elapsed
Again: But the lake plan proposes to warn You
from observations Eade to-day IS To the weather YOU
may expect tomorrow" In this letter Many refers to
the necessity for Congressional action, and urges MI
Dorr and his feow-czens 10 put their shoulders to
the wheel" in flrtherance Of the telegraphIc plan
IL is evident the tone Of this letter that Maury
had aRltated this interesting subject before the year
| 1883 In an address delivered oy hun on the iVh
of October 1882 at Decatur Ala he says; some wears
ago proposed, you recoeot, system of aS.cuturai
meteorolo-y for the farmers and u daily weather re-
ports by telegraph from all parts OF the country Tor The
| benefit of mankind" This address was published IN
pamphlet form and generally circulated regret that
have not az hand the papers upon this subject written
! by sfaury prior TO the year 1885,
| Before concluding, must notice. an extract from
letter OF Maurys to Nc Zurcher and Mareoe. given
In their II cent work entitled La Prcsiondu Temps THIS
letter Is dated April r. l0 As have not access 10 the
original must Translate the French version Maury
saws: | hope for new conquess. But To the end of
making them complete 10 - necessary to call ia
the daily cooperation Of the electric telegraph"
Again: The necessity OF extending TO The land
the system pursued at sea was sSnazed By the Brus-
L. r.