The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-15
THE SIGNIL sERTICE.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: I will
now proceed TO give a history OF ono Of the
meancst frauds ever pcrpetrated on Congress
or tho people. A resolution offered in the House
10y Mr. Clark OF Missouri WINS passed in january
last. ordering nm investigation Of the Signal
once by the Military Committee. and was by
them referred to the Hon. A. A. Clark OF New
Jersey as n sub-committen Of one. The rcsolu-
ton was written by II. W. Maync. formerly Of
the British navy. and more recently OF Myers
Signal School at Fort Whippc where he had
some lively experiences. Maync and myself
nut ourselves in communication with Clark. rs
the two principal prosecutors. and he requested
us to write up our cnse in the form of questions
to MJcr. This We did Maync combining him
self principally to the army signal service.
while | devoted my years OF experience with
| Mycr to tho Weather Bureau. We presented
these papers 10 Clark who promised to call II
meeting as soon rs he retured from N'w Jersey.
whore he had to hn absent on law business But
/ when he returned he had the chills for "A week
/ then away TO N'w Jersey on moro law. and then
/ Finally. after about two months and ai least n
| dom appointments ana disappuintmeuis, he
I called Gen. Myer rs q witness at his CLARK ~
residence, kept by j. W. Mcknight one oi Boss
! Shcpherd,s especial iavorit's, Three meetings
| were held ON three succeeding mornings for
about two hours each. CLARK put n"arly 9 the
= questions. not from those prepared anu iur-
! nlsled him by Us. but from paper prepared
| 10y himself. These qucstions wore generally
| desultOry and irrelevant. seemingly put To XIII
! time and prevent the appearance Of anytime,
| damaging 10 the signal service. But ho did
elicit one answer Of Importance Mycr sworc
/ that but one different system OF storm warnings
! from that at present In usr had been proposed
! % him. namely. the laTgng of coming storms
| California.
This plan was published by mo in tho Cironi-
| cie tWnshingtonl some three years ago. under
Myers very eyes. and he must have seen it,
| Hui aside from this. my plan 81 storm and flood
| signals by the telegraph AMI cannon, mainly
for the benefit Of farmers. wasthe FIRST ever pre-
sentsd at his Office cght years ago. 1t had
! been urged for adoption every year since. and
| had been twice rejected 10y the present Scere-
! iaryof War through Myers instigation. only
! last summer
However. after spending three mornings With
| hut little damage 10 the signal service. Clark at
! last permitted me- - question Gen. Myrr Tor
about ton minutes. Mycr sworg that he in
vented the system OF army signals used during
! the war. when IN inct system Of army signals
WAS in lull operation under MAJ. NichOdemus
/ when Myer took command of the service This
system wh- found 10 De SO Inefficient that Lieut..
| Geo III. Felt. ut tho signal corps tuuthur and
inventor. Of New York city, who will verify all Of
! these statementsl, invented and patented I, very
! superior rocket signal and code. which Myer
! adopted into the service md published as
his own invention. And Notwithstanding
Inquiry Mver swotc that no system Of
army, signals was invented by Felt, and he
even had the ehront"ry To swe9r that he knew
no such man as Felt rs Il member ~ the signal
corps during tue war. And at last Myer sworc
! That u" invented the present system OF weather
We told Clark that We stood ready 10 prove
every charge IN ths resolution ordering the in
| vcstigation: that Lieut.. Felt was ready 10 come
| on with record evidence To prove the lnisiiy ~
| Myer; and that we could prove bv lit1roys
| " Weather Book in the Congressional, liz
| brary. that the present system 81 weather warm
! was Invented and established in Great Britain
Gy Admiral Ft5rav In isC2 or eeht yenrs tr,
| vious 10 the uassage 81 the act establishing the
| Weather Burcnu IN this country. and that the
| same system, with imprnve menis, mad been In
| operation in England and Eurcp De ever since.
Clark promised us an opportunity 10 produce
| NJ ~ ule npoNe "Nluen. ~ we n.y., lncct'Il-
whlrh next hfciing, however, never came
| Clnrk said that Nlyer was freak. but when
Can't. Howgate came t. testify We would see u
| very superior man. HowEato attended Myef
! nj each ofthe three meetings. Clark then made
| ut least a dozen more appointments for meet.
| ings, but no more meetings were held. And tC
| make the work complete. the following wns
published. MAY 3. in the papers oil the Associ'
| aied Press:
isnuety ie.t c6ar,ns he .gna ser,ie, win fteen
cy amt exiravagance @ management AMI directing
inquiry whether the -eryice could not be cons0ia lated
vantage t. the lgee interest. ys''erday submitted re
thorough examination. nnls that the Is both cf
Gent aud economical that 90 far A. arpears from The
other drpartments nsmst' aui that while the service b
ana i, ersed nv ne C,i ra Cse,r c.trsl,v to
u. t,tsnt %, i.e iarmis esnmnnll ~, :. Ato,,ih'
War has asked for m appropriation ct $4,000
The above was false in almost every partcu
lar No report was ever made by Clark, no t's
timony submitted. | Immediately inform.
ed every member OF the Military Commit
tee 10y letter OF this mon-trous fraud. an,
uskcd Tor six hours only OF the committee e
provo II on" OF Ia" neAnrst swlull"s of this ol
any Congress. But no note" WIS taken Of my
letters. | also wrote 20 Mr. Atkins. Chairman
Of the Appropriation Committee. all the facts
But he paid no attention 10 me. and put in Ny
crs usual sum Of s3u1,uOO; and to put dom,
on the whole fraud. when this item WIS under
consideration In tho House. Clark moved 10 in
crease II $780, 900. which was done.
AUGUSTUS WATSON.
| WAsHINGToS July ISIS