The New York herald., 1879-11-17
HERALD WEATHER SERVICE.
Review of the Work Accomplished
by the Bureau
AN UNBIASED ANWSER TO CRITICS
The Annual Report Of the Herald Weather Bureau Proved
To Be Correct in Every Particular.

When the HERALD Weather Bureau had completed
its first years work of cabling storm warnings to
the European coasts the Secretary of the British
Meteorological Council undertook to show how and
why such system Of warnings was not worthy of
the confidence of the interested public. The learned
critic based his arguments to prove the worthless
ness of the HERALD predictions on certain state
ments the reliability Of which would not stand the
test Of serious investigation. An answer to criti
cism which the fruit of prejudice well as
roneous deductions comes to from n rather unex-
pected source. In the November number of the
Gentemdn's Magazine Mr.. G. Hatred Thompson. q
prominent English scientist. takes up the cudges in
behalf of the HERALD. Under the head OF american
Storm Warnings he expodes the fallacy of Mr..
Scotts allegations and fully sustains the claims Of
the HERALD Weather Bureau to the large percentage
Of its successful warnings. Attempts had been
made" writes Mr.. Thompson, 'in 1S65-66. by NJ le
verrier. of the Paris Observatory. to utilize the
submarine cables from America for the purpose of
warning Europe of the approach of storms from
that country. These attempts failed. but NJ le Ver-
rier by means considered that his failure due
to any impossibiity Of obtaining data sufficiently
accurate to make warnings of any practical use in
Europe" ''Some years after the aban-
donment Of M. le verrier's attempts the English
Meteorological Office took the matter up. For four
years they received kilograms gratis from the Anglo
American telegraph station at Hearts Content. but.
finding that they would in future have to pay for the
kilograms. they resolved to allow the service to
drop, as they had been unable to turn them to any
practical This occurred in 1871 and further
attempt was made Except an isolated warning re.
ceived from the United States Meteorological ONCE
in 1879 until the HERALD commenced the present
system in February. 1871" Mr.. Thompson then pro-
ceeds to show that there question to the
cause Of the failure of the attempts made by the
English Meteorological Office between 1867 and 1871.
and Of the wide difference Of the data upon which
they based their warnings. compared with those
upon which the present ones are issued. The ad-
vantages which thoroughly organized and trust
worthy system Of storm warnings would confer
upon European nations, and more especially upon
Great Britain. obvious to any one. 1--WE all
member" writes Mr. Thompson. "many an instance
where vessels. after long voyage. have been lost
lnhospitable shores, almost. as it were within
sight of home. The Royal Charter was an instance
OF this. but that is still fresh in all our memo
ries is that Of the Eurydce last year. The violent
squalls which occurred at that time predicted
in . telegram from the HERALD Weather Bureau.
which reached England Ave days previously. and
had any means existed Of warning the Eurydice by
signal that storm centre was expected to reach
here that very day it is not very likely that her cap
tain would have kept either his studdng sails up or
his ports open.' 'It must be remembered
that, situated as we are in England. in position
which catches the first brunt of storms that have
crossed the Atlantic system Of elegraphing from
European stations can much help us. At the best
it but give Us Q few hours warning. TO be
OF real service those hours must be turned
into days. ana that Is what the HERALD
Weather Bureau hopes to achieve. and to some
tent. at any rate. has already achieved" After
describing the different classes Of storm centres and
the routes they generally travel over when moving
eastward Mr.. Thompson enters upon the subject of
the HKRALDs work OF predicting their arrival the
European coasts. He gives complete list Of the
warnings sent between March and September. those
being the months in which the least percentage of
success was obtained. I'm foot note he says:-"It
must be remembered that the period taken includes
the months least favorable to the chance Of
predictions. The corresponding period this year.
1879. will show still more favorable results.') His
description of the actual weather that resulted in
Europe. and particularly over the British
Islands, is very voluminous, and shows that
his examination OF the manner Of fulfil
ment Of the predictions most thorough.
During the six months above mentioned there were
twenty-seven storm warnings cabled to Europe. and
seventeen
completely successful; eight successful in
many particulars-that is the weather was bad at
the time named in the warming. but the wind did
not increase to the force expected and two were
failures. Speaking of the partial successes" he
says-''It must be remembered also that those
reckoned partial successes caused bad weather
and heavy rains in most cases. although they did
not bring the heavy gales or strong winds predicted
They therefore just valuable to the general
public as those that proved complete success. for
to them the great benefit that will be conferred if
these predictions prove permanent success
will be the knowledge that 1t is useless to
mako engagements that require the weather
to be fine particular dates Four or hve
days warning that particular day is
almost certain to be wet will often vast
deal Of discomfort even IL IL does No bet
ter proof Of the value of these warnings could be
given than the that the second and successful
voyage Of Cleopatra's Needle Mr.. Dixon had daily
weather kilograms sent him from the HERALD
Weather Bureau to enable HIM to choose the day for
the start from Ferrol. Our English meteorological
Office has not hitherto received the warnings from
the NEW York HERALD with much favor. Mr.. II.
Scott +. II. s.. of that Office published pamphlet
in 1877 to prove the impossibty Of getting infor-
nation of real value in that way. The chief point
he raises that meteorological in the United States
cannot say WHICH, out OF sevcra gales passing out 10
sea from the American coast, will be likely to travel
across the Atlantic with unimpaired energy.
In stating this Mr.. Scott appears to for
get that IL is not the gale which is pre-
dicted about to the Atlantic. but the centre
of atmospheric disturbance Tor depression. IL IL
usually called) which the gale. The gale IT.
self the effect of that depression and not the cause
and the wind in fact circuatcs round the centre OF
the depression like water round the centre OF whirl
pool That these dcprcssons have at any rate ten
dency to cross the Atlantic from west to east is dis
tinctiy shown by the writings OF Captain Toynbee,
rho Ar ia