The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-09-01
spoopendyke Explains the Signal
Service.

Service.
Brooklyn Eagle.
81 see," said Mrs. Spoopendyk
as she laid the paper down. II sc
that we are TO have rising followe
by falling barometer, with nortE
east to southwest winds, and highe
or lower temperature, with clear O
partly cloudy weather and ligh
rains. How is it that they eontriv
to tell so accurately about tn
weather? Do you understand it?
Certainly" replied Mr.. Spoop
endyke; they do il by observation
They have a man out west observ
ing, and a man down east who oh
serves, and fellows observing arounC
in different parts of the country
They put all their observations to
gether, and we know just what it's
going to do"
81 suppose that's what makes the
wind SO different. When one mans
temperature is rising another's is
falling; and when one is clear, al
the rest are partly cloudy, with
mo they amt. Each observer
sends in what he observes, and then
the chief makes up his Mid from
thosa reports what the weather will
be, Can't you understand"
Perfectly" said Mrs. Spoopen
dyke, rubbing her elbows. "If one
sees the barometer rising and an
other sees it falling, and it's oold In
ono place and cloudy in another,
they all say SO. But l should think
when one hits it right the other
would be awful mad"
"What would they get mad
about9" demanded Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke. "You don't imagine that
they all get together and fight it
out, do you? They take the weather
from different points and combine
it. and they parcel 1t out among the
different regions. For instance, if
it SHOWS in the east and is warm in
the west, they strike an average for
the lake region. Nov, what is the
aVerage between heat and snow"
"Rain o. cried Mrs. Sroopendyke,
delighted with her sagacity, ~ see
how it is now, They take what is
usually going on and equalize it all
over the country. I'm glad the
democrats weren't elected"
"What have they got to do with
It2 Do YOU think q barometer is q
"No. But if the democrats had
been elected they would have to
change it all around, wouldn't they?
And the South would have got the
best share. That's what the Re-
pub"
"Blast the Republicans! They've
got no more to do with it than you
have. You have got an idea that
they throw the barometers and OBJ
servers into one end of a steam en-
CINE, and the weather comes out OF
the other. They don't make the
The weather makes itself.
1t is the only self-supportlng thing
about the Government. And these
signal men only watch 1t and tell
what it's going to be-"
81 suppose when these observers
all get together and ;alk it over,
that is called a storm centre, isn't
itY'
That's it!'' shouted Mr.. Spoop-
endyke. you've go: the weather
now. All you want now is your
name painted on the handle and the
spring broken to be an umbrella.
They don't talk it over; they tell
you all they know, and its fixed up
N Washington. They agree on it
here, and then they telegraph it all
around everywhere. 1t is generally
made in Manitoba and sent down
lere."
"How wide is it2" asked Mrs.
Spoopendyke, deeply interested.
Because, if it isn't too big, 1
should think they might stop it."
"Wide! It's just about a feet
q feetl just about as
vide as your measley information.
How're they going to stop it?
Think it jaws the sleeping-car con-
iuctor because there's only an up
Der berth left? Well, it don't. 1t
lires a horsep howled Mr.. Spoop-
,ndyke, land the only way to stop
t is to build a fence around it.
There was some talk about burning
he last one, but the wood was wet"
"Well, my dear, you needn't get
Ingry about it," said Mrs. Spoop-
.ndyke soothingly. 81 only thought
here might be some way they
could make arrangements about it.
think storm centres are horrid,
md the observer in Manitoba must
lave hard time. Ii he has to OBJ
erve much in the winter. he must
,e nearly frozen"
"Does any human being know
Ehat you're thinking about2" raved
dr. Spoopendyke. "Do you s'pose
Ie goes around with a spyglass
ooking behind rocks2 Think he
,rowls around all night with a Ian
ern, hunting up storm centers2
Tot an idea he runs round under
he bed with a broom, like q mar
led woman l know OF, and when he |
atches a center, pulls him out by |
he leg and observes him? He |
ont do anything of that sort. He
as 'em in to spend the evening |
nth him, and gets them drunk and
nds out what they're up to. Un-
erstand it now? All you want is
D whirl round twice and squeak
ights to be weathervance."
81 didn't know how they did it,"
uoth Mrs. Spoopendyke, cOmpla-
emily; "but l see now. If the pro-
had been elected he
ouldn't have done that, and we
hould have been in a bad way.
low that l understand it I'll learn
le indications every morning.
low does a barometer rise and fall"
with cork screws" thundered
Ir. Spoopendyke. Sometimes
ley haul it up with a stump ma
line; then they drop q carpenters
hop on it. When it gets very low
ley plow it up with gun cotton.
nee it Dakota it got so high they
all to dig q hole and ram it down