Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-16
The Weather Reports.


ORDER.
The transmission Of the weather reports with
the rapidity and accuracy required by the signal
service is one Of the greatest achievements of
teiegraphy. The following interesting descrip-
ton OF the manner Of collecting the weather
reports of the signal service is taken from an
official order recently prepared by Lieut.. Caz-
iarc, acting signal officer, and issued by direc-
ton of the chief signal officer:
The system of telegraphic circuits for trans
mission Of weather reports, as arranged by the
chief signal officer. extends over the United
States, and by arrangement, over the West
Indies, and tho most populous portions of the
dominion of Canada 1t embraces the lines of
the Western Union. Northwestern. International
Land and Ocean, West India and Panama, Mon
treal, Dominion Government, and Florida Tele-
graph companies. besides q half dozen small
companies whose bills are settled by the West
ern Union. Working in unison with this sys-
TEN Of circuits. for the purpose of forwarding
weather reports, are the U. s. military telegraph
lines in several of the territories and along the
Atlantic seaCOaSt
Telegraphic weather reports are received tri-
daily at the Washington. DC, Office from 40
signal service stations in the United States, from
sixteen stations in Canada, and from Havana,
Cuba Reports are also received from five other
stations in the West Indies in August, Septem-
Der and October, or during the prevalence of
hurricanes.
Teegraphic observations e. e., those to be
transmitted by telegraph to the central Office at
Washington. DC, are taken at each station at
Tam, 3 pm and II pm, Washington mean
time. The observations are for height of barOm-
eter, reading of thermometers, Exposed, max
imum and minimum;) the dew-pOint, state of
the weather, direction and velocity of wind,
amount, kind direction Of clouds, rainfall, and
the rise and fall OF rivers These data make up
weather report" and are forwarded by CT
pher words, the reports from any station making
on an average message of seven or eight
words.
THE REPORTS,
enciphered, are filed at the telegraph office
within fifteen minutes of the time they are taken.
Inc operators have heretofore been allowed ten
minutes additional time to get their wires ready
Tor circuit work. Promptly, then, at 7:25 am,
so p IN. and 11:25 pm, Washington mean time
the work of forwarding weather reports COM
menceS BY arrangements made with the tele-
graph companies necessary wires are reserved
exclusively for the circuit work. from the time
TRANSMISSION commences until all reports that
go over the circuit are sent to all the signal sta
lions on it. This includes, for any one circuit
not only the forwarding of reports to the central
office, but also the sending of them, from the
centers where they are collected, e., route to the
central Office, in various directions to selected
points where it is desirable that they should 60
inns, (supposing everything to work on
washington all reports arriving on the circuits
which center there, Cincinnati sends reports
from the lower Mississippi valley and the coun-
try adjacent thereto to Chicago, and reports
from from the upper Mississippi valley to New
orleans, Not only do Chicago and New
Orleans get these, but the principal cities in the
Mississippi and adjoining valleys as well, the
reports being copied at each signal station on
the circuit. AS described for Cincinnati. other
centers send reports to cities where they will be
nj ntrrn
commercial points are supplied during the cir
cunt hour with all reports that will be of in
terest to them.
For the peculiar privileges of the circuit sys-
tenn. rates are paid in excess Of those for Ordi-
nary government messages: but when the num-
Der OF drops are considered, each statiOn'copy-
ing all reports passing over its circuit without
extra expense therefore. the average cost of the
system is far less than it would be under the
schedule OF rates for ordinary government bust
uess.
THE AVERAGE TINE
occupied on the principal circuits in transmit
ting these reports at each signal hour is about so
minutes. When the lines work well they reach
the central Office at Washington in from less
tnan one hour to one hour and a quarter When
lines are interrupted, down, &C., this time NAV
be heightened out to cover the signal hours of
one day. three in number) but no report twenty
four hours old or more is forwarded; nor, save
in the case Of the West indies are thew ever
sent. except at the signal hour, unless specially
called for.
In arranging the circuits. the stations on each,
and IN designating the reports that shall be
transmitted over them, the following principles
have governed:
Frst;-To secure the greatest length of line.
the greatest number of stations for
valuable weather reports that can be worked
and rapidly
SecOnd-TO secure for Transmission those re-
ports which will be of the greatest advantage to
stations on the circuit.
THE CENTRAL OFFICE
at Washington, d. c., has circuits running di-
rectly to New York city; to Cincinnati, Ohio; to
Knoxville. Tenn; to Lake City, Florida, and to
the Atlantic coast Military Telegraph Line. New
ork collects reports from New England, the
Lake region and the northwestern section. Gin
clnnati collects from Davenport, Omaha stations
along the Union and Central Pacific railroads
from the Pacific coast and the southwestern
part of the United States. Those from the West
indies and the Gulf states, with a few Texas re-
ports. arrive at the central Office via the Lake
City circuit. Those from stations on the Atlantic
coast Military Telegraph Line come directly to
the central Office. Those from Canada east of
the great lakes, come from Toronto. Canada. to
Buffalo. N. Y. thence direct to Washington
Those from Canadian stations Immediately west
Of the great lakes arrive via Milwaukee and
New York; while those from the Pacific coast
Canadian stations come as special message
from San Francisco. When the regular channels
for transmission Of weather reports are inter-
rupted they are, during the circuit hour. for
warded to the central Office by any available
means, either by circuit or as an ordinary mes
sage.
The actual work on circuit may be described
as follows: At TBS am, 3:25 pm, and lies
pm, Washington mean time, the station fdrthest
from the central Office On each circuit running
directly into that Office starts his report; it is
copied BY every station on the circuit; az soon
as this station is through, the next station
sends; he Is followed by the next, and 30 on
until every station has sent it's report While
this is being done, all other circuits are collect
ing reports at the terminal Office of each nearest
Washington; the station On each circuit nearest
this terminal sending first, being followed by
the others in regular succession the last to send
being that station of the circuit farthest from
Washington. As this is a simultaneous move
ment on the various circuits 1t has the effect of
the reports at the same instant of
time, by various paths, upon the central Office,
When the signal hour Is up, the circuits, by q
preconcerted signal, close, and missing reports
have to wait till
THE NEXT SIGNAL HOUR.
In circuit work, repeating stations give the
central office precedence above all others. They
allow no considerations to interfere with the
prompt and rapid forwarding of reports to the