Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-15
TIT SiCyij SERVICE,

OF the lot OF man through science and inven-
lion such us no thousand years Of the pas
can show. And in certain departments the
advance has been so rapid within few years
past that could as recent n generation as that
of our crandfuihcrs revisit the pale glimpscs
of the moon 1t would find a new and strange
world The telegraph and the railroad are
but tie things Of Yesterday the telephone
aud the electric light are things of to-day,
and almost every wear witnesses some new
practical application OF the forces of Nature
BIT nothing less than these triumphs Of ic.
search and inventive genius would strike
a rcprcscnlutiv, of the last generation
more frcibv than the system of foreclsting
the weather which has become such an I'M
poltnnt and valuable part Of the functions of
the Government in relation to the people.
But Il few years ago he whose interest or
p casurc depended upon the weather had no
more trustworthy index of its coming charac-
Ter than the appearance of the changing skies
and a few musty weather proverbs, like that
which makes the weather following Candle
mas depend upon the action on that evcntful
day of the cheerful woodchuck, or that which
makes the twelve DAYS following the first of
January ''rulr the varied year" In place of
these no, altogether satisfactory observations,
omens and poltcnts, the Signal Service now
daily predicts The character of the
weather for the succeeding twenty.
four Lours, the predictions being
based upon observations taken over a
vast range of territory and attaining, these
days an accuracy nearly approNima'ing per
lection, 10 be sure we have our Nennors
ami other prophets who evolve from their
inner consciences predictions us 10 what the
weather viii! Ire not only day but year
ahcad Int their success s not such as to en-
courage the publicto pin their faith to them
with amy great degree of confidence. In
fact, to put The Thing little stronger, their
forecasts are as gross humbug as can well
be imagined The Signal Service does not
profess to tOrccas, the weather Tor more than
few hours ahcaI--it does not profess any
ability TO accomplish miracles, but it confines
HscIi 10 strictly scientific methods and accom-
pIIShes entirely practical results. 1t is not
gwen 10 man OF II 'herc IS such gut man
mas mol Ntt discovered Ito forecast The
"e"'hcr Tor !ons peflods 10 come. W mai
tiihl VIII DC, Ceprnus upon Inc Ruicr OF the
winds and storms and man can only watch
inc uaily manifestations u Ills WILL
/" what an extent ms i done may be
learned from inc Dsufes gwen IN inc annual
report % Tue sigma service pu''"u' Every
uaN hl'cPh huhoreu weather reports arc re-
cc'Vc" Ut Tue central olllce al washington
ana on 'h'se Tue oaily productions are p'seu'
~ P''",''''''' !" ''' aio 'e'S''f"c" "
u" ''t u"'A p"lc's III INC county 70 more
'u'" ''4'! '""us"nu P''''N "he'e "''S o'c
'''''','''' wv '''' ","'i'' u ,o 'a''''''s' '"u
VIZ ''"'''" """ my ''i"o"' ''u'pa"'c''
""' '',, "'''' ut twenty 'u''e ''uu'eu std
u''''' . ''' ''''.' 'Sp'o''''s' '"' ua''' p'e-
~ ''''' u'' '"'''' "'" W WHY
'N' =" vi" PcT -'o' our PoP"'"'on III
''u'-S "u' ~" "'''n''s-th'S "'t =" 'n-
'eics' az" Hn'por'ahce' put more tHah
'"''' ,"- "u'''' '"'"'sNes winnings VI 'P,
l''''"'"s "oS' " 'o''op' suSa'' oi'n3c anu
,'''''1' 5'o"''S at '''' '7"u'n' "u" 'hc pan
mas p''''u ~ 9u'o'Ssiui 'Ha' II Is 10 uc IN
~ ,r NV ""''' ''"', ''', -,o"' VI '"'
''N'" "'7' 'u''''"'' s'oiii'
5"''' ""'i navy oec" VI 'hih'cnsc 'al"o
- ''N'' anu '"' SEA 'oas'' Inc
''"o ~ i''r'''H '"'.u "u'l'''''y y" 'nc '"NeS
, .'''','''' :" T,''oV'oVo i"c property
u''''ncu III port curing INC september cy-
1'0N' ~ '"e ""'N'us Vi 'hc "acthcr bureau
- 'S'''h"'p" ut f"'i'o,'oo' exclusive oil inc
Pun VI NC" iorN' "ilcrc 1t was Impossible
perry "c'a'hca is estimated III from Se,Ooo,-
ooo W HiV'ooo'ouo' similar warnings saved
vast amount property from being en-
p"scu 10 inc Jury ol Inc October cyclone |
And beside these notable cases, the warnings
every week save life and property. Predic-
tons OF the rise and fail Of the great rivers |
are also issued by the bureau, and are found |
10 be Of great value.
Sucn' piief1y stated, are some OF the bene-
Iits which the Signal Service is comforting up |
on the country, and they can hardly be spoken |
OF TOO mighty, AT the same time the service |
has hardly had its deserts at the hands of
Congress, and we hope to see it strengthened
and enlarged In Il recent circular the chief |
signal officer, General llazen, urges u reor-
Ianization OF the Signal corps, and his plan |
appears 10 he a good one lie says that the |
service eau moi be properly maintained with
out military organization which guarantees
via,;ra ,.,rlo,;,y il, ,,,,orro,io,s M,