The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-10-18

Smithsonian Institution alone fiji up
wards of three hundred large folio
volumes. All this was very well, and
might assist scientific men in their in
vestigations, but was of very little use
to the public generally. One good
result, however, was brought about,
namely, public attention was called to
the subject, and consequently on the
9th of February. 1870, the following
resolution was offered in Congress by
Paine, of Wisconsin, and adopted
without: dissent:
"Rcsoired, That the Secretary of
War be, and he is, authorized TO pro.
vide for taking meteorological obser-
vations Mt military stations in the III
terror Of the continent, and 1T other
points in the States and Territories of
the United States, and giving notice,
on the northern lakes and OH the sea-
coast, by magnetic telegraph and ma
rine signals, of the approach and force
of storms"
Thus was the great department of
the Signal Service called into exis-
tcnce. An appropriation of $4,000
was made, and the new department
was placed under the control of Gen.
Myer, who, in its organization and
management, has shown an executive
ability of the highest order. it was
laborious undertaking everything was
new, and there was no guide or prcce-
dent to assist him The difficulties he
had to encounter cannot better be sta
ted than in the words Of his first an
nual rep".t:
"The organization of II service Who'll
ly without precedent OH the scale OIL
which this was to be organized; te
provide for that service i'll every pnrt,
both rs to the personnel and to the
equipment without n precedent exam
pie i'll this country to establish
system of stations, with practiced
observer at each to negotiate with
telegraph companies for work Oh
their part, of which their records show
not even n scmblance before attempt
cd; to diffuse some general knowledge
of the plans and aims TO be accom-
plishcd, and to secure the cooperation
of scientific establishments, and of
those commercial interests for the good
of which the work was especially
planned, have been some of the lubors
dcvolving OH this Office"
The outside world can hnve little
idca Of the vast amount of labor this
involved. Yet all was satisfactorily
accomplished, and the department put
i'll gooti running order in the course of
II few months. and lis course from. that
day has been one uninterrupted sue
cess.
AT first people doubted the utility of
such movement, and "Old Probs"
has been made the subjec. of more
stale jokes than any other individual
that ever existed. "Old Probs," how
ever, did not mind, but pursued the
even tenor of his way, surmounted the
numerous difficulties that lay in his
path with IN unswcrving faith in ulti-
mate success; and to-day he has the
qualification of seeing that success re-
cognized throughout tho length and
breadth of the land. People laugh at
him no more. The merchant before
he ships his goods, the ship-owner be-
fore he trusts his ship to the waters,
the traveller before he takes his Jour
ncy, and the farmer on all occasions,
come gladly to consult him regarding
the prospects of the weather, so that
he is now power in the land. From
his Office in Washington his lines of
communication extend over many mil
lions Of miles of the carth's surface,
from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico,
from California to Nova Scotia. AT
prominent points along those lines cd
ucatcd and intelligent men, who have
been carefully trained to the duties
pertaining to their Office, are stationed,
who record and report Mt specific times
the atmospheric conditions existing in
the neighborhoods, and at all times
note the pcculiarities and changes that
may occur within their sphere OF OBJ.
servation. Consequently no storm of
any dimensions can show itself on the
coasts or within the boundaries of the
United States without his having time
ly notice, so that the districts most
concerned can have due notice thereof.
The benefits thus derived by the
shipping interests of the country are
incaiculablc, and millions of dollars
worth of property nhoat in the lakes
and around the coasts has been saved
from destruction by storms owing to
the timely warnings given by the Sig
nal Service Department Of the ap-
proach of those storms. AS nn in
stance among many, we may mention
storm that swept over the lakes Oh
the 9th and 10th of October, 1875,
which in severity has not since been
equalled in that region. The damage
to shipping OH that occasion was, how.
ever, not very great, owing to the
timely display of the storm signal at
the various lake stations. A great
number of vessels took refuge in Mil
waukce bay. One, the Tanner, laden
with wheat, put out on the morning of
the 9th, but had hardly got outside
the. bay when the storm struck her and
drove her ashore, where she went to
pieces next dny. Before leaving the
harbor, the Captains attention was
called to the storm signal" but he
said it did not matter he would 20
out anyway. He did. and lost his ship
and MS life into the bargain. Had
Others gone cut us rashly as he did the
damages would. probably. have heem