National Republican., 1880-09-06
WEITHER INDICATIONS.
storm and Flood Signals by Telegraph ant
Cannon

storm ana flOod signals by Telegrnph ana
Cannon.
To the Editor of The National Republican:
SIR: A recent article in THE REPUBLICAN,
on the subject of "meteorology" was the fair.
est / have seen, rs far as It won't, but in the
omission of one important fact it thus became
exceedingly unfair Undoubtedly Professor
Henry OF tho Smithsonian was tho first to or.
ganize system of weather reports in 1857.
Leverrier of France was also early in an eff
fort to give weather warnings by means Of the
telegraph. But the article wholly omits
Admiral Fitzroy, who in 1861 established the
present system in Great Britain. In 1862 no
published "Fitzroy's Weather Book" of 400
pages, proiusely illustrated, in which the
whole system as now established in Europe
and America is fully described, including ba.
rometric reports from numerous stations, prob
abilities and cautiOnary signals the system
being mainly for the benefit of commerce.
This was eight years before Professor Able es.
tablished his system at Cincinnati, and ten
years before Myer establish ed the same sys-
ten in 1871. Filzroy was therefore the first
'Old Probabilities" and not Abbe or Myer. In
1867 / published my first article in favor of
my plan Of storm and food signals by the tele-
graph and cannon, to give certain, instant aud
general warning of tornadoes and destructive
storms for the benefit Of commerce and the
general public; also, rain storms during hay
ing and harvest, and sudden floods on rapld
rivers. The article is right in saying that
MyeI knew nothing OF mcteorology when he
established tho weather bureau, as lie told mo
that he had never read book on the subject,
aud he promised TO give my system test. This
he aitcrward refused, and persistently refused
for ten years, though my plan was indorsed
by Professors Morse and Henry, the inventors
of the telegraph several c0mmodOres in com.
maud of navy yards and presidents of state
| agricultural societies, and tho Western Union
Telegraph company three times offered free
kilograms to test the plan. The prescut Eu-
ropcan and American system is OF but little
value even for commerce and for tho general
| public, rs 10 is too slow, too limited and too
! indefinite. 1t is of no value whatever in
agriculture during haying and harvest, whom
| so many millions in hay and grain are in
| jurud or destroyed by storms; it can give no
warning of sudden tornadoos nor sudden floods
on rapid rivers, both so very destructive of
property aud life. Since the death of Myer
| have again proposed my plan to the war
department and tho signal Office, aud | am
| assured by Captain HOwgate that mo further
obstacles will be intorposed by the officers of
| the weather bureau against test of my PLAN"
If, therefore, the acting signal officer, General
| Drum, shall interpose no objection the plan
| will be put into operation Immediately by
means of the Western Union Telegram com.
pany, who will furnish the kilograms of
storms and floods free to test the system, and
by cannon fired at military stations, when, ii
| successful at these the plan may then be eX-
| tended by tho local authorities TO every city,
country-sea and principal town ofthe United
States at no cost TO the general government
A, WATSON.