Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-03

now THE WEATHER REPORTS ARE COL
LEoTED AND DIsTRIBUTED-A VIEW OF
THE OPERATIONS OF THE WEATHER BU-
REAU.
WASHINGTON, June %.
The day star will soon be in the as
eendant and Sirius ruler of the sky. The
cheated term, as the summer solstice is
not inaptly called, will be uppermost
of all the seasons for representations
and probabilities, and the morning
and evening weather reports will be
consulted more zealously than ever for
promise of ''falling temperature, and
s'clear and cooler weather" Few, how
er, are aware of the elaborate, ingenious
and expensive system by which the
knowledge of the currents of the air,
the degree of the thermometer, the state
of the barometer and hygrometer, the
approach of storms, and the other va
ried climacteric changes of this ''bound-
less continent" of ours is conveyed to
the people twice in every twenty-four
hours. This system has now been es-
tablished not quite three years, and yet
has grown, from nothing, as 1t were,
into a great and national bureau OF the
public service, with its ramifications
reaching over the country, from south
ern Florida TO Pembina, and FROM North
eastern Maine to San Francisco. Under
appropriations from Congress, at first
quite liberal, "Old Probabilities, as the
bureau is often called, has steadily in
creased in the efficiency as well as in the
extension of the character of its service
till it has compelled the most strict con-
stitutional c0nstructionist to admit that
it quite comes within the scope Of the
requirements . for the promotion of
the general welfare"
The signal service bureau Of the war
department so stretched its lines IN
pleasant and unpleasant places in 1872
that so per cent of its probabilities were
verified and 20 per cent of its caution
airy signals realized in storms. This tri-
umphant record in itself indicates at a
glance the efficiency and trustwOrthiness
of the weather bureau, while some OF
the details by which it is reached will
be found very interesting. General Al
bert J. Myer, the chief of the signal
service bureau, who was charged with
organizing this novel service in 1870, thus
wrote of the new system in his first re-
port:
The duty thus imposed upon the depart
ment was one for which the popular mind
had been in some degree prepared by the
recorded laDOrs and theories OF meteOrOl-
Ogists, and the detached efforts made at
different times to accomplish the ends IN
/ view, but without fixed organizations and
with necessarily contracted plans. Inc
undertaking upon q scale of such ma9nl-
tude as that provided by the law had not
! generally been contemplated even In TINS
/ country. \ careful examination
/ Of European firms and consultation with
/ experienced physicists in the United
a. 1R.fa
of the meteorological observations and
/ reports which ought to be made.
/ The original plan of reporting the
/ probability and advance Of storm by
/ telegraph every eight hours in the TWEEN
/ ty-fOuT, on the theory that a storm would
/ not travel more than three hundred
/ miles in that time, is still adhered TO
with telegraph cipher system that in
1 sures reliability as to the state of the
/ thermometer and barometer. When the
/ telegraph is in working order TO every
/ one of the seyenty-siX stations of the
/ bureau, the observations of the Their
momcter, barometer, thermometer, etc,
is made at the same time and simulta-
neOusly transmitted here TO the central
office where the scientific application OF
/ these gathered facts enables the most
accurate and wonderful representations
to be made, reaching, as already stated,
/ quite so per cent of the realities. Thus
thrice daily the headquarters have sy-
/ nOptic view of the atmospheric condi-
ton of the States and Territories, and
/ are therefore enabled to trace the pro-
/ gress of a storm or note the atmospheric
condition which may indicate the COM
! ing of one, or the substitution or con-
tinuance of clear or clearing weather.
The selection Ct stations which was
made when the bureau was first estab
lished was based on the knowledge OF
the relations of the geographical points
to each other, and while they have been
enlarged, they have not been materially
altered, they are now as follows:
THE STATIONS OF OBSERVATION.
AIpena. Augusta. Baltimore, Boston
breckenridge, Buffalo, Bolivia, Burling
ton, Cairo, Cape May, Charleston. Chey
enne, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cor
inne, Davenport Denver, Detroit, Duluth
Escanaba, EastpOrt, Me; fort Benton
Fort Gibson, Fort Sully, Grand Haven. Gal
weston, indianapolis, Indianola, Jackson
vile, heokuk, Key West, Kingston. Can.
Knoxville, La Crosse, Lake City, Louis
vile, Lynchburg, Marquette, Memphis
Milwaukee, Mobile, Montgomery, Montre
al, Mount Washington. Nashville. New
London, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk
Omaha, OSwegO, Pembina. Philadelphia
Pittsburg, Port Dover, Can; Port Stanley
/ Portland. Me: Portland. Or 4: Punta Rassa
Quebec. Can; Rochester, san Diego, SaI
Francisco, Sante Fe, Saugeen, Can: Savan
nah, Shreveport, st. Louis, st. Paul, TOle
do, Toronto, Vickburg. Virginia City
Washington, ID. o.; Wilmington, \. G
! Gankton. Oak.
The United States stations are also il
cooperation with the following stations
located in the British provinces
Nova Scotia, Plaster Cove; New Bruins
wick, ST. John; Canada Montreal, Quebec
Toronto, Port stanley, Port Dover, Kings
THE WEATHER DISTRICTS OF STATES.
The synopsis of the reports are nov
applied to the United States as follows
New England, Northeast or Eastern
Maine, New Hampshire, Yer
mont, Massachusetts, Connecticut anC
Rhode Island
Middle or Atlantic States-New York
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland
District of Columbia and Virginia.
South Atlantic States-North Carroll
ma, South Carolina, Georgia and North
crn and Eastern Florida.
Gulf States - Western Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas
Sometimes the Gulf and South Allan
tic States, and Virginia, Tennessee
hentucky ana Arkansas are grouped 10
gether as the Southern States
The Lower Lakes-Ontario and Erie
The Upper Lakes -SuperioT, Huron
and Michigan.
The Northwest-Th country betweeI
the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
The Southwest-TeXas, Indian Terr
tory, and New Mexico.
, Pacific Coast or Pacific States-Cal
fornia, Oregon, and Washington Terri
tory.
The Ohio Valley Zone two hundre
, miles broad from Pittsburg, Pa, to Ca
, 70, Ill.
The Mississippi Valley - Belt sam
width from Vicksburg, Miss, to Day
export, Ia.
The coasts-Include land between ia
coasts and the parallel range OF coas
hills or mountains.
! Northeast means within The quadrar