Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-06
THE UNITED STATES SIGNAL SER
VICE.
WHAT H., for What IL Exists. and How
tic Work L. Dome.

There are many branches of the United
States service which were created and exist
for the benefit of the people, but which
are for one cause or another, very
little understood by the mass Of the
people One of these is the Signal
Service Bureau. People are interested in this,
for the question is often asked, What is II
for and how is the work done - a want of
time, however, prevents their studying the
official reports aud wading through the mass
Of statistics there presented, 10 gain the de-
sired information. We, therefore this morn
ing propose TO give II hriet account OF the SER
vice, how it originated, the way in which it
has increased and how the work is done.
We have no time to speak of the attempts
that have been made from time immcmorial
to presagc great weather phenomena, In
former times an ancient Italian custom was
widely spread over the earth. To give fore
warning of approaching ,empcsts on the coast
of the Adrialc the Italian and old Roman
castles, MS described by an Antique writer,
had on their baslions pointed rods, 10 which,
as they passed, the guards on duty presented
the iron points Of their halbcrds, and when
ever they saw an electric spark to follow,
they rang An alarm bell to warn the farmer and
fisherman of I'm approaching STERN. From
this small beginning originated the forecast
of storms, which has now become by the use
of the telegraph national in its character. We
say national, but perhaps international would
be the more correct. for it is such to n GER
tain cXtcn, and arrangements are making to
render it completely So 1t would be inter
csing to trace its progress the accidents
that have been averted by even the imperfect
methods that were until reccntlyin use aud OF
those which might have been prevented had
the present high degree of efficiency been
attained. But such was not our intention
and we at once pass over to the time when
the present United States Signal Service was
cslahli ihcd, February ., 1870, An apprOp-
ration of $50, 900 was first granted and ii few
stations established. From this small begin
ming the service has increased by rapid strides
to its presents position.
The Bureau is under direction of the War
Department. and in charge Of a chief signal
officer, appointed by the President. Each
station is in charge of an army officer and at
Fort Whipplc, Virginia there is regular
training school, somewhat after the nature
of those at West Point and Annapolis. About
300 stations, divided into several classes, nc
c0rdng to the nature and amount Of the
work done, are scattered throughout the
United States Those along the coast dis
play signals TO warn navigalOrs OF approach.
ing storms, while those in the great farming
districts issue bulletins printed nj the signal
Office, which are of great advantage 10 farm
| crs.
The subject in which tlxsBuhlic of this
part Of the country will he m0N interested is
an account of the instruments in use, the OH
servitious taken and how the publications, "
which We fluid in our morning papers, are
made out The instruments are briefly,
the barometer, read by means of YER
nicr TO thOusandths, which is all
important to the meteorOlugist, for by
its rise or fall the approach of fair or
.Oul weather is usCertained the ordinary
thermometer giving the temperature of The
air. the maximum and minimum thermOm-
ctcrs, giving the highest aud lowest tcmpera.
lures during the day and which are set after
the / / p. N. observation for the next twenty.
four hours For obtaining the "dcw point
1r the temperature at which dew begiLs tC
form, there is also another thermometer
called the 'wct bulb" II is an ordinary lher
momctcr with the bulb covered by muslir
from which pass few threads OF darninl
cotton into II small vessel containing pur'
rain water The water rises by capillary ri
traction, thus keeping the muslin constant,
> wet When the air is dry, evaporation goes ol
rapidly from the muslin and on account o
, the heat lost by this evaporation, the we
p bulbindicatesa lowertempcralure than the N