New-York tribune., 1876-08-11
was fully explained to the Senate the bill

WAS IUIIy PAlldlltu W but bthNtO ohO ""A
passed without a dissenting vote.
In the view taken by the Senate, the public
will heartily concur. The Signal Service has
become what is popularity called "an institu-
tom So far as lis recognized value to the
country at large and to each community Is
concerned, it has long since passed the period
of babyho0d and is not regarded as on trlal
or good behavior. It's predictions are not
always successful, but they are so rarely wrong
that men and women in all occupations ana
ranks of life have come to be mere or less
guided in their arrangements for each day Dy
the Probabilities announced in the news
paper. The Signal Service has arrived at the
point Of usefulness where it cannot be dis-
nenscd with unless some system equally ser
yiceablc could he substituted for 1t; and
hence the whole public has an interest that Its
pcrmancucy shall be secured. But previous 70
the introduction of this bill in the Senate
there has been no legislation concerning the
Signal Service which recognizes the fact that 1t
is no longer an experiment. The weakness OF us
position has been recently demonstrated. The
mere wlim OF the House in scramble for rep
utation of economy, by cutting down the ap-
propriation for the Signal Service, has seriously
diminished its capacity, so that IL cannot fur-
pish rs full or as valuable reports as hereto
fore. Far more than is saved BY tins paltEy
economy may be lost IN few hours IL 1t
should happen that in consequence the storm
warming is rot given in season at this or any
other large commercial port. Evidently an
other sweep of the pruning knife III the hands
Of carcessncSs or ignorance, might deprive us
a. al
however. its only danger. It's entire corps OF
skilled, trained, and faithful men might al
any moment be depleted by orders in the War
Department The whole corps might be SEM
ont 10 garrison forts or overawe the South or
Join the army in the field: the observers who
have been practicing for years IN the use OF
the thermometer and the weather glass, might
be required instead to sight their rifles ana
use them, on the banks of the Little 8lg Horn.
The question is sometimes aSkcd-Nhy Is
the SIGNAL Service connected with the Army ar
all ? One or two efforts have been made IN
Congress- 10 take it out of the War Depart
ment. At first sight there does not appear t.
be any special cODcruity between the duties OF
n soldier aud the occupations OF the SlSnai
COrps. But tins whole question was canyaS3ed
and rightly decided when the Service was hfSt
Organized Absolute, clOckwOrk regularity In
making. recording, and transmitting observa-
tious is required Of The corps. Ihis Is not
matter to be kept up for few weeks and
then rntia!ly neglected it must he attended
IN with punctuaty at fixed hours through
every day in the year. Many of the stations
are bleak and distant from all the ordl-
nary conycniences of life and society.
,nrt a
civil life could men have been obtained
10 be depended on for such service.
The Army alone could furnish them, and
insure thc accuracy of the work by Its strictly
enforced regulations. Let Us give these men
full credit; they do then work cXcellcntiy, and
il is no trinlng service TO be an accurate OBJ
server of the weather As for what has been
effected by the Signal Service a. whole, 1t Is
perhaps as much as The means permit Less
has been done than WAS ut first hoped IN
attaining scientific knowledge of the laws
governing atmospheric movements, and II
seems likely that all the advances In the
science of mctcorolcgy will be made outside
rather than inside oi the Signal Ohicc. The
system of the Army fayors conservatism, and
thcr, are few improvements adopted. The
uItIN llttltklbIlN- i'i'N Ai''i' ~ ~
the ca,c-cover 80 wide q range that they be-
come too indefinite as 10 any particular local
ity: Tur TRIBUNE has consequently found II
uccdful to supplement them by lO1a, observa-
,ions adrpted for this city and circuit OF
100 miles, and giving more precise facts
concerning coming weather. But these
exceptions do not essentially diminish the
great value of the Signal Service TO the
whole country. BY having the uncertainty
substantially removed rs to weather for each
coming twcnty-iour hours, not only mariners
and farmers, but all who have access to a
daily newspaper are constantly enabled to
effect little economies of time and money IN
their undertakings The cash value of such
service cannot be reckoned; in the aggregate
il may amount to many hundreds of thousands
of dollars in year. There has also been a
wider and more general popular recognition OF
the value of scientific work since the Weather
Bmeau has given this practical display OF It's
powers. The appreciation OF the work is the
first step; due honor to the workers will
surely follow.
The Hon. Caleb Gushing. United States Minister
to Spain whose departure from Washington TO his
Of Iuf, a f,D Ll~tpuPl : N.Ill