, 1874-11-18

oi oseioHos which sometimes sweep In singlt
contso ata through tue ieantla md over tue who'll
eahloln portion OF tho United States In tut
Ticin'ty Or the aeas. Tho service of the West
lnti,nn stations Inns rot something Of tho impor-
ieet1on 1'o to tl1olr recent establishment. Tht
thern has been but for short t}tne accomplishcd
and it IL frequently Interrupted Tho obsoryorr
canuot bo held to that rigid rule which makes
IT,, the ireg'llars reports Of TIC aorvIco throughout
Tho delay OF tho distant reports, oven fur q day,
does n1t. however, always destroy tleir useful.
ness. The tf:no of tho movcmnnt OF any storm
may 1ast for days altor It's ravagoH hayo CON-
noncod md heen reported. as time goea On,
and tl'o work takos porlnauont sl,apo, Sl1on 70.
ports shall bo regularly received ut tho hourr
duo, and thur Indications understood by tried
experience, it seems almost impossible that the
great HURRICANES which pasa tho stations and aro
"atchod thus from tic bceluuiug of thoir
c9ulne, naould precipitate themselves unGorad~
Gu oa our conat. or reach thom without such
warnings given as will enahlo those who hood
thnm to shuu tAeir forco.
ING added atntto,ss accured in the Northeaat
anu Canatih ehRblo better euro to DO lad Of tho
New England and Northeastern coaats, and will
III timu tcacll something Of the disturbances
which, paahing to tho northward Of tho northern
limits of the unltod states hf.ve beeu hitherto
TOO Boot! lost from tho atudy.charts to admit Of
tlor being properly examined. III tho soasona
or approaching froBtH. and In thoHo in which
markedly, low temperatures accompany high
wartl, tho Indications horo trsf noticed permit
informatlon valuable to agriculture aud othor
interests to 6o giyen Tho additional stations In
the far Northwest furnish adsed facilities for tic
worK 1or Bnch prognosscattop, besides M
swcrlltg tho Immediate purposes of their
iocation,-that il. to onab!o moro COM
ploso pc study to DO had Of disturbances Which
arc iirst ilottced In the Northwest. Those ata.
lions falling to approauh the Western lakes WITH
out being 10 soon perceived. the limo OF stations
west Of the A1iunissp 1aa boon pressed steadily
westward q along tho wholo length Of the A1issis-
slppi Valley: Each OF those stations incroasea
by its reports tho value uf tho whole systom Of
reporth ant. each Rids IN tho long atrtiy which
innst 10 Ind before tho metoorio condition oyor
tn! tao yast nlateeu Of the Western inseror streto
ing north md Aonsh to tho limita Of tho United
atates, east md west until it closely approaches
tho mississippi Valley anl Pacific toast, can ba
lnlIy understood, or tho Indications to be had
from from tl,9 tlapge thero be rightly combined With
ward and at lower 1oyoIs for tho studies Incl
dental to tho duticH Of this oiRce 1t B by tho
western limit OF stations here described the moro
accurate studies Of the Office nro now lmtod.
Tlero las boon no incroaao OF stations upon
tic paciifc COAST tho diHtanco tho difficulty Of
,te1egraphic communication, and tho amall sums
a1pproptintod for the sersico. having rendered it
hitherto almost impracticablo to make one. Tho
with the extension OF tho military telographs ii
Arizona and California. 1t is contemplated to
mako the stations upon those lines reporting
stations aa rapidly as they are occupied BY the
Signal Service. The station on tho A1eutan
laiauds, halr way across the Pacific, has boen
continued. and station bus bcen established at
It, Michaols, Alaska, to mako a connection az
ctosely as possible with the Russian systom of
meteorological observation Tho preliminary
action has been had for the record and forward
ing Of simultaneous observations to be taken at
the Sandwich isiands aud Oh tho nermuaas.
a brief reference NaH made IN the last annual
report To the bonot1te hoped to result from the
1r0CEGlinrH Nf Ihh Wanna EnI1nrH9A nf hf1tnnr.
oloEists, which lad then worry recently terms,at-
ed 'ts session. A proposition to tho effect that
It is desirable, with WOW to tholr exchange,
that at lcust QUO observation OF such charactor
as to bo suitable for tho publication Of ayuoplo
charts bo taken aud recorded daily and slnlulta-
ueouBy at as many stations as practicable
throughout tho world had boon unanimously
adopted. This Office bud already entered into
reports with different officers aud institution
representing different nations. Tho assent OF
tho meteorological HorYice of Russia was that first
Ind, and llas been followed by that Of Turkey,
Eng(And, Austria, belgium, Denmark, France,
Algscrs. Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain,
Portugal, Switzerland, and tho Dominion OF
Canada. Tho concurrence OF 10 many nations,
ropresentirg d territory covering tho larger in.
hablted poltious of tic Northern Hemisphere,
seems to put bayond question tho ultimate sue
cess Of tho undertaking to secure daily Bimul-
taneous report Of tho moteorIo conditions ovot
tho Erenter portion Of tho carth's surface.
to countries which bnre yet entered upon it, and
to develop the System Of sinlar observations
already commenced by the office upon the sea-
Tho opinion has become TO general among acion-
ttic men that it ia necessary to study the atnos-
phero Of the carth aH unit, mud tho prospect Of
valuable discovery is SO fair TINT Dkillod aud en-
ergeto c0-lahO1erH arc fpnnd wherever the re-
quest SAs 1nalo.
connection with tho life-savlng service, has
grown steadily III Importance. The act Of Cou-
Ercss requiring thiB service contemplatcs tho
eRtnbshMont Of siEna-Btations at ilfe-snving
coaat III such manner that tho coast and tie sea
IN their vicinity may be kept at onco under OBJ
seryation, warnings Of approaching storma DO
given t., vossels within signal distance, aud
Information Of disasters aud other nsldonta
occurring be1 rapidly given to the Chain Of lifo-
saving stations and to tho central office.
An advantage incidental to suoll dutioa
u, tAat tIey, hermit communication e
IN any. station. A naval vessel Appearing oil
! Que Of tho signal~statlonB can transmit a
communication to Washington or receive ordera
iu cipher or by signal. In time OF war, with tho
system completely no part Of tue coast could be
centres, ut headquarters, a1ong tho coast, or
throughout tho country, If need be- OF tho carac-
tor Of tho menace and tho !oeaAsy, III limo OF
ponce, it desirable for commerce, record can
DO kept OF passing veHsels showing tlelr slgnRl,
or brief llleHEa9es ca,l DO alEnA!tu to or tlonl
them. Al the illIca and stations arc oxtvn1ou in
pursuance ot law, these advantages. now limited
to the Atlantic cuast. will reach 1!so tho shoros
Of tue Ereat lukcB, The Gull c0asts uni tho eoaat
OF tho Pacific. Tho work Of extension must ba
slow-perhaps tin labor Of years. Tlo resulta
to bo lad aro worth both tho time and the labor.
RAILWAY POSTAL SERVICE.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT.
Nashiaqton [op l6> Dspatn to tc Bostoa .4dvtrtser
1'ha animal raDnrf nF Ea0rra Hnuoa Enrortr-