New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-14
WEATHER FORECASTS.
ORIGIN OF THE SYSTEM OF TELEGRAPHIC
REPORTS.

UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL-OMGINAIITY OF
CONCEPTION NOT CLAIMED FOR Hm-NAURY
TIE MORSE OF WEATHER FORECASTS.
TO the EdftOr OF The tribune.
SIR: | cannot admit that your correspond
ent Wv. III. g." Of Lowvile, ~ Y, has brought for
ward anything viii ch even makes against let alone dis
lodges me from, the position that to the late Commo
dore hauy is due the honor of being the FIRST 10 I'M
press upon the public mind the great benefit TO be de
rived from that very system Of daily weather forecasts
aud storm signals which IN now in operation at Washing
ton Commodore Maury emincnty practical NJ
well as sagacious No man better skilled IN adapt
ing TO ends. The Importance Of making the
electro magnetic telegraph subsidiary 10 the purposes
OF meteorology deeply felt by him. but, unlike
others who were interested in that subject he saw
clearly that unless set foot and maintained by the
Federal Government the great must needs be car
RED out in the tentative and ineffective devised by
Mr.. Stephens and Prof Espy, according to w. III. 81"
and by Prof Henry of the Smithsonian Institution, as
informed by another correspondent " Y. Y r."
Accordingly lie went to work with zeal and enthusiasm
endeavor get the Federal Government to move in
the matter Aud now, observe how admirably he pro
oeeded Convinced that tho most direct way to get the
of Congress TO stir up the peo-
pie, he directed his energies to popularzDg
his great plan; and in selecting field IN which
TO begin his work before the people, he
displayed excellent judgment. Il was obvious to him
that of all the people in the country those who transacted
their business on the perlOus waters Of the great lakes
would be most benefited by his system OF daily weather
forecasts aud storm signals aud for that reason would
be the most easily impressed by hn with the value and
importance of his scheme His field Of operations being
selected he entered upon 1t with zeal aud determination,
proceeding from one lake city to another and 80
profound the impression he made upon the people
of that region that have already said in my first
letter. eight the lake cities memoriazed Congress in
1853 institute Just such system of weather forecasts
and storm signals az is established, and bill for
that purpose was introduced in OF the Houses OF
Congress the same year. but did not become law.
1t is important 10 keep in view that the claim ad-
vanoed by for Commodore Maury Is that he was the
first aate before the public not only the importance
OF the identical system OF teegraphic weather reports
ana storm signals that now in operation, but also the
necessity that the General Government should establish
and maintain that system The interference Of Govern
was in his apprehension absolutely vital to the
success Of the scheme and any other scheme which
wanting In the feature Of Governmental interference
essentially different from ana inferior TO Naurys,
and cannot be termed the thing And it is not pre-
tended as far as know that Prof. Redfeld or Prof
Espy, Mr.. Stephens, or Prof Henry ever said one
word with "A view to inducing Congress TO take hold OF
the subject All OF them were satisfied to work with
imperfect means, without material aid from tho Gov
ernment" the words of your correspondent x.
and with no frmer foundation to build upon than
to quote your correspondent again Those distinguished
gentlemen were content to struggle almost hOpelessiy
for the attainment OF an object which Maurys sagacty
taught hun could possibly be achieved except by the
powcr and resources OF the Federal Government The
assistance Of the munlcent bequcst OF James Smith
con" and the enlightened policy Of the telegraph com
panies" were wholly inadequate means TO the great
end which MauTy had IN view. He saw how his scheme
could be made great boon to science, and from the
moment he it his ardent genius had no sunerance
for half or inadequate means. Nothing would
satisfy HIM but to make his scheme one OF the lnstitu-
tons Of his Government deriving its sustenance from
tue public treasury. AMI dependent upon no mans
bounty and no mans enlightened policy.
Your correspondent "W III. s." SAYS that early as
the Winter OF 1882, the Hon. Alex II. stephens and
Prof. Espy concerted plan by which the telegraph
companies were to send short daily weather reports to
Washington gratuitousy and the editors OF The National
Iateuigencer to publish them the same terms.
We are told by w H. s." who to be the obsery
ers but inference is that the telegraph operators
were TO render that service. The most that was
attempted was TO publish daily the state OF the weather
in different localities items OF news after this man
| ner: New Oreans-Rain; wind S. W." Chicago
Clear cold wind N. W." BY this plan, so far as shown
by Nv. H. S." there no discussion OF daily reports
at central office with daily publication OF results and
10 attempt give warning OF the approach of istorms;
and so far as the public concerned the daily
ports might Just 10 well have been made by mail rs by
telegraph. NOW it to me that II these dis
ungushcd gentlemen had possessed Maury's fore
sight to perceive the way by which grand system such
as he advocated could be established, they would have
employed their energies at to enlist the coOpera
ton Of Congress- especially they had 10 fund what
ever Of which 10 meet expenses and as one OF them
was leading member OF that body. But, 20 far from
that we left 10 infer that the plan was dropped
without any results. Certainty these eminent persons
cannot be allowed credit for being instrumental in get
ting the Government 10 establish the present system
and as they wholly failed take advantage OF the great
opportunity they had 10 agtao the subject beioreCon-
gress before the people, as Maury did, 1t would be
uncharitablc to suppose that either Of them had de-
terminate conception, Maury had Of the great thing
to which the little germ they were playing with
WAS before many years to grow. The plan
which those gentlemen devised being wanting In
the feature OF frequent daily discussions OF each day
reports with daily publication Of results and III the fea-
ture OF giving warning OF the march OF storms lacked
the gushing and valuable points of the system
now established and really failed the telegraph
in particulars in which It's agency ~ most valuable,
by simply employing u to furnish me pubic with ds
IL ID difficult conceive how any resemblance can be
traced that system and the present one further
than in the use OF the telegraph, and II Is also difficult
TO see how either MI. Stephens or Prof Espy can be
given the credit Of having been the hst TO urge upon
The public attention the identical system OF weather
forecasts and storm signals now In operation az wash
| iDgton which is what / claim for Commodore Maury
Indeed neither Of those gentlemen appears even TO
have effort to arouse the attention OF the pub
| lie TO tine subject.
| Your correspondent tx. Y. r." OF Washington who
will pardon me supposing that he has
become in party to this discussion, does not
pretend claim for Prof Henry the honor OF having
ever urged upon the public, upon Congress the I'M
portance OF the Governments establishing and nam
tanning present or any other system OF weather i0re
casts and storm signals. All that Is claimed Tor Prof
Henry that he did his best TO MAKE some such system
branch OF operations OF the smithsonian Instttu-
lion He never asked the aid Of Government, and was
content to rely upon limited financial means aud the
good Will and hberality OF telegraph COMPANIES; ana
we are left to infer that he dependent upon tele
gaph operators or other irresponsible persons for his