National Republican., 1882-09-18
WEATHER PROPHETS.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES,
The Rise and Growth OF the United States Signal
Servlcc--Its Varied Functions In War
aud in Peree-Ita Great Value
to the Country.

can Sigual Service for large share of the valua-
BILE knowledge gained in recent years IN this d.
rectlon. Sooner or later the tabled Ajax defying
the lightning" will be living reality in every
town and hamlet. Prior to 1870 the Signal Ser
vice dealt legitimately in matters pertaining to
war. In that year the Meteorological Division
was established, which for more than decade
has proven of such inostimHble benefit to COM
merce and agriculture. Tho work is still ham,
pered and incomplete and more stations In the
interior and the Northwest are much needed.
When the new transcontinental Telegraph line
from Manitoba TO British Columbia Is built this
want will be largely supplied. AS 10 Is, however,
tho approach and the force of storms are prognos-
ticated with correctness eighty-five out Of every
hundi ed times, and 1t is safe ana profitable tor all
who Will be damaged by
THE BATTLING OF THE ELEMENTS
to take heed 10 every prediction since the percent
age promising verifcation Is so decidedly and
overwhelming In their favor. Before the estab-
Of % the Chief sisna oiee we're limited to Inc dis
tribution of books of instruction ami implements
pertaining to Army Signal Service, and tho main.
and we'll drilled sisnalmen at what was then Fort
Whippe and Is now Fort Myer ON Arlington
ors throughout the various military departments,
aud the headquarters of their chici In this city
was In an ancient aud unpretentious edifce on q
street which seemed to remain standing under
protest, and furnished only very Indifferent office
quarters for the gentlemen who occupied 1t, The
work done at that time was merely an improved
and better systemized plan of a very old auxiliary
of war. Dumb brutes aud Illuminate objects had
been made to utter intelligent speech and display
telltale symbols far back In the worlds earliest
ages, aud In all campaigns and wars,
EVEN AMONG RUDE BARBARIAN TRIBES,
signals and cypher dispatches had been used, with
important results. The first regular signal corps
by General Polybius about go years before Christ
and he credits Ceoxenes, of Democritus, with the
ference between it anu the present system as there
is between tue first pattern Of musket made AID
our present Army rife. 1t took three minutes 10
load and fire the musket Aforesaid A sledgc-ham-
mer wns used " drive the So called bullet home,
and the barrel was rested III the fork of trip d,
as even the powerful muscles of stalwart soldier
OF the Middle Ages vert not strong enough to hold
ii up, and was fired with an old fashioned port-iire,
torch. 1t is RELAXED that ilisti@us, anxious 10
took the truest OF his slaves, shaved his head and
pricking the message upon his scalp waited until
the hair grew again. when he DIS. atchet Linn 10
his head aud look thereon" This was one way
to communicate an important me sage
WITHOUT RESORT TO SIGNALING.
Another Is presented in the case of NJ. de Louvos,
French minister of war. TO Chamilly he said:
Go to Bnlse, Switzerland, punctually at p. IN.
Post yourself OH The Rhine bridge and make a
detailed memorandum in fall of everything that
takes place, and at O'Clock precisely take post
| chaise and travel night and day until you reach
| Paris" He obeyed, and was rather ashamed
| ing be submitted his very minute memoranda
oftriaes. But so important was the record that
|
from his sleep, and four courters were dispatched
with haste. Strasbourg opened her gates 10 the
eg d@y by eT @ WIN VEN
| low costume, made note Of by Chamilly, had been
| the message informing OF the success of an in-
trigue that resulted in the capitulation. The
| North American Indians. especially those of the
plains, communicate at great distances by means
of photographs, or polished surfaces reaecting the
| sunlight and by smokes and preconcerted imita-
| tions of the noises made by birds and wild beasts,
and many Id e. in the code of corps among civil
| lied nations are borrowed from these and other
| ba barrie sources.
| THE DIFFERENT METHODS
provide for the differing conditions of the weather
| The flag by day asa the lantern by nIg are the
| ordinary implements on land In clear weather.
| Then there Is the heliograph, mirror which
sends flashes Of light, lne rays of the sun are
object-just as the mischlevous urchin caugnt up
| its warm beams and reiracted them into the flee
of John Sherman, the school master at prayers
and are made to emit successive flashes by pass
ing Opaque object at frequent intervals In front
of the mirror shutting out the light as often MS it
resent l. two flashes 2, and three flashes 5. Then
| If we wish to send u message we can easily, by
u ing the Signal Corps general service code OF
| combinations represent the complete alphabet,
and eve ything else necessary for The purpose.
FOR EXAMPLE 2 2 STANDS FOR A.
| BY making two consecutive flashes, then plusing
| and repeating, we write at the distant point
where our mirror flashes; means N and 2 2
means d. BY making one fash, then shutting out
U
N; then by flashing % in the same manner We
have d. Now we have spelled and. TO show that
we have completed word we flash 8. After we
have finished IL sentence we tasn 3, and at the
end of the message 49, This illustration Is merely
submitted as an explanation of the methods in
use. OF course there are several codes, and all
important messages are communicated by means
ofintricate and difficult ciphers, 80 that the Signal
Service, before the birth of its meteorological of.
spring, was decidedly highly respectable and
scientific concern. The military telegraph is one
of its most important adjunc,s with the flag and
to the left two and to the front, straight down
| between the feet, means three. There are signals
by sound-to be used in foggy weather-time, OF
chronosemic signals,
WHICH DEPEND FOR THEIR MEANING
on intervals of time-sgnals by colors, motions
positions, sound, touch, taste, FORMS and even
odors and it is surprising that out of the host OF
manufacturers of amusements no one has yet con-
structed some novel game or pleasing entertain
ments out of the marvellous and seductive fund SC
freely offered herein for their manipulation. The
towering intellect OF "a REPUBLICAN scribe is seri-
ousy contemplating a descent from more sedate
soarings into the giddy arena of pleasure for no
other purpose than an essay at a semi pantom inc
and farce embodying these elements, and which,
iii every otherwise bore, will at least prove in
teresting as explanation of the pecniiarities
practical value, and utility OF Army signaling
Very pretty and instructive winter evening enter
tainmenis could be had by having cosy stage
with fantastic hangings In spacious parlors where
delightful little pays, In part pantomime and In
part dialogue, with musical accompaniments
could be presented, having as feature consd-
erable amount of correspondence and numerous
placards and posters written in symbols like these
THE EsTHETE COULD USE
the suufower for number one, the lily for num-
Der two, and, TO add TO the fun, cabbage head or
pumpkin for number three. Burlesque warriors
could use cannon, rifle and revolver; house
keepers broom: dishpan, and lineup; painters
could use three different colors, and in TACT, any
three things that the occasion might sugg 81 could
be employed, and the audience, with the symbolic
follow an undertow of mysteiiously written con.
versations which could be made side splitting oil
serious interesting or stupid, in proportion 70 The
talent and labor of the author. good field, in
deed is here offered for those des ring and havinI
the time aud talent to satisfactorily explore 1t. d.
the proper use in the variety of arrangements sug
medium of sweet-scented converse Every con
ceiyable obj ct by the use Of the several differen
codes can minister to ones enjoyment af er th,
fashion suggested, aud for our society people win
leisure to concoct the necessary plans, an at
tempt to apply the same is well worth the tint
and trouLIo II will involve.
THE WEATHER BUREAU
or meteorological division did not get into ful
operation under government auspices until NJ
yember, 1870. During that year there were but g
signal stations throughout the country. In 1877
there were 65. In 1878 these were increased to 40
aud since 1877, when there were 100, the mum
ber has run up to l46 the present year. Each o
these stations, three times daily sends cyphe
dispatch In ten words to the central or chief sigma
Office in this city which gives q complete history
Med,ner IN every as SHOWN by n
|. mometer, hygrometer, thermometer, anepnoscope
rain gauge, &c.-whch record the direction AM
velocity OF the wind, humidity OF the air. natur
OF the upper and lower clouds, rainfall, &c. A
the head ONCE these are translated,
MAPPED. PRINTED. AND SENT
to various points, These maps are CAREFUL
studied by the indications" officer, and his dc
duorOns are sent to the newspapers They ar
also sent TO what is called the fact-room, wher
they are compared comp with actual actual occurrences af.e
reading to go into details, and the whole subjec
can be better understood, and very pleasant tim