Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-12-16
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Special Correspondence.
NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 1873

NEW YORK, Dec. y, 1878.
The recent experiences of this i'll
starred section of country over which
the weather clerk seems to have turned
on the celestial faucet, and then gone
off on ten.day vacation, suggest to
me q few remarks on the subject of that
institution whose destinies are swayed
by the weather clerks vicar general in
America, Gen. Myer, and which is CON-
monty known as the Weather Bureau.
An Englishman on his native heath
is never without an umbrella. '.You
never know, you know what trick an
innocent-looking sky will play you
there in its fckleness. But an Amer
lean rebels at the thought of being
chained to an umbrella. In the rush
with which he always coducts his bust
ness, this alpaca nuisance is invaria-
bly, in the way of arms and legs, while
the mental anxiety generated by the at
tempt to remember where the article
had been left, as he appears empty
handed at home. is enough to drive
his religion training into corner where
it will not interfere with few left
handed remarks. If it really rains. he
accepts his umbrella as an unconforta-
BILE accompaniment to his overshoes, for
no Yankee has yet got ahead of nature
to the extent of inventing patent
cloud turnover to make it rain the other
way. 1t is only the carrying of the
webbing apparatus all day with no signs
of moisture after the first half hour in
the morning, that brings about the Ia
mentable state of profanity limited at.
Nowadays the several morning papers
publish probabilities" as to the state
of the weather, and umbrella carrying
has been reduced to system. For
this thanks are due our Signal Service.
The practical working of this organiza-
ton is under Government control, and
is familiar to few outside of these i'm
mediately interested. With a central
Office at Washington, there are about
two hundred branch station scattered
over the country. At all these stations
three observations are taken daily, the
results of which are telegraphed to
Washington. Upon the arrival of each
set of dispatches chart is made out,
and forwarded to the principal cities.
The tri-daily reports to headquarters
include the state of the barometer, ther-
mometer, hygrometer Showing the
moisture in the atmosphere), direction
of the wind, the velocity of the latter
in miles and pounds of pressure. the
kind and amount of upper and lower
clouds, rain. hail, snow or sleet, as the
case may be, and such other informa-
ton as may carefully describe the at
mospheric surroundings of the locality
whence the reports come.
In New York City the office is situa-
ted on top of the Equitable Insurance
building. l paid visit to the superin-
tendent in his sky parlor. the other day,
and was particularly interested in the
little machine which indicates the rate
at which wind may be blowing at any
time. On an elevated place where the
breeze is unobstructed, are four hollow
hemispherical cups so arranged as to
catch the wind. The cups are at either
end of two rods which are crossed at
their centres. and rest at that point on
a registering rod connected with disc
which in its turn is connected by cleo
tricity with a registering drum in the
Office Of the superintendent. The disc
on the rod is SO arranged that it makes
one revolution as each mile of wind
passes. The electric current is broken
by points coming in contact with each
other during a revolution of the disc
causing pencil in the registering ma
chine to indicate the fact upon drum
covered with paper and kept revolving
by means of clock-work. The paper
over this drum is divided by lines will
spaces representing hours and fractions
thereof. The pencil follow a straigh
line until the magnet is released, whel
the lead point makes mari
to the left, and Immediately flies bacl
again. The spaces between these mark
: indicate, of course. the velocity of tn
wind per hour. The large stations ar
supplied with presses and type, ant
early in the morning (three or fou
o'clock bulletins are printed and mail
ed to postmasters in the vicinity. Thes
are called Farmers Bulletins" an,
are posted where they can be readil,
, examined. The New York Office send
, out over seven hundred of these eacl
f morning. The apparently difficult pro
blem of determining storm centre, ant
the direction in which the storm is tray
cling, readily solves itself when fe,
points are understood
AS reports are received at the Wash
D ington Office, red lines are drawn upo
a chart connecting places having th
same atmospheric depression. Hig
0 pressure always moves towards lo'