Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-24

| THE WEATHER BUREAU.
Its Daily Forecast a. 10 Appears the Nay
| Afterwards.
THE wKATHERwIsE PArRlARcHs AND OLD eRuBRR's
| ALNANAc-A CORRESPONDENT WHO THINKS TIE
BUREAU HAS FORFEITED CONFERENCE.-THE U1sFIoa,
OF FURTHKR RxPKNDrTURB.
! To the Editor of thu EVENING srAn:
| About the first thing in life that seriously at
tracts the attention Of the inQuiring mind OF the
school boy Is his efforts to forecast the future 30
| far as to enable him to tell what the weather win
| be on the next Saturday or holiday, that all his
plans for hunting, fishing, swimming, base ball
and the flk, may be contaminated to his hearts
content. II all the signs OF the previous evening,
which his gray-haired sire has learned from ex-
perience, and to which he has listened and
needed from the time he could hear, are
suspicious dsi NJ, ior fair day, he retire e
enjoyment, and brain SO worked up with expecta-
ton that his hours OF sleep are spent in that land
delight often to be blighted in the coming morn by
storms and clouds. Where is the boy that has not
passed through this experience7 Again, as he
the expense and trouble OF Spelling each word
before he can call 1t, day after day will he pore
almanac, and his limited Snowiedse is so somewhat
surprised II
OLD NAN GRUBER
should be at fault, especially on holiday or Sat
urday; but then the idea Of one being able to peer
into the future to read its hidden secrets by
mysterious power, and forete1 the weather for
more than year in advance, whether it would be
warm or cold, fair or FOUL stormy or calm, has,
and OF right should have, more Of attraction for
his young and untutored mind than the psyche:
NANCY OF the present day Yields over the minds OF
professors and scientists. But time soon taught
the lesson that Gruber's almanac was not
he could with safety predict his heat for summer
and his cold for winter, the cloudless sky with
ts sun rays the gathering clouds Of the
and clouds, all came In the cycles Of time, but it
was beyond his power to foretel the day and hour.
Hesthr e. saa as 20
bic Information contained In his almanac on other
subjects made it well worth the ten cents it cost.
But we
HATR1ARCHAL WEATHER PROPHETS
might go back Of Gruber to the days of the patri-
archs and the prophets, and they have given signs
by which we may conjecture the coming hour In
advance "When We see q cloud rise out Of the
west. straightway We say, there cometh shower;
blow ye say there viii be ness and it comesh to
pass" when 1t Is evening ye say it will be fair
weather. for , the SKY Is red land in the morning
and lowering" These signs Of the weather, taken
as from the knowledge of man, in the days Of
given each day by our wen paid signal oficers Of
the present era. Virgins nourished for season,
and had many firm believers in his cOn1ectures,
could wen AFFORD to have a Virgins After con-
unued drought, and the geese and ducks flap their
wings upon the parched earth, we may well antic-
1pate RAIN for they seem to snin their native ele
ment a1ar on. After continuous spell Of ratn
and cocks begin to crow, we may expect clearing
furnishes good prognosticator to the farmer, and
Is tne index OF the coming storm to the mariner on
tne 0ogndless ocean All OF these are useful and
can well be afforded for their cost.
THE MODERN WEATHER BUREAU
But how with our weather bureau Of the present
day? In the cautionary words OF Franklin, are we
not 'paying too dear for the whistler" Let us
Judge this bureau by its work. Here is its last re-
port: indications for "a hours, commencing at 3
A., as published in The EVENING STAR. "For the
District OF Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, fair
weather. 1 followed by light snow, northwest winds,
nearly stationary temperature" This report was
published about two O'Clock pm. on Saturday.
NOW how does 1t compare with the facts? Saturday
ang Is ar Ms
ntful fakes OF snow, strong northeast wind, the
fall OF snow gradually increasing, until instead OF
snow, for this season of the year, continuing
through the entire night and up to p. m. on Sun
DAY, with continuous northeast wind; and II
this Is light snow in DEPTH 1T is to be hoped there
Will De no heavy SHOWS this winter But let us look
back, and with view to select time which Is
denntely fixed in the memory we will take
AAol 1dANASdlt1N6 DAY,
the 25th OF November past. THE STAR published
the report from Wednesday evening at p. m for
twenty-fOur hours fair weather On Thursday
morning the Baltimore papers published "fair
weather." Now for the facts What manner of
fair weather was there on that memorable day2
Long before the dawn of day the pattertng rain
drops on the roof invited slumber to the drowsy
eyes The day dawned with Its pelting rain; hour
by hour did the rain continue to fall finally DRIFT
ing INTO nail and the night closed In with driv-
ing snow,storm. The greatest pleasure Of that
able, dry house, and that memory should
feast +; sovS once d more in the long past
Old .'GTu6er OF the Hagerstown Almanac" and
much TO the disgust OF all old Gruber put the 25th
clear" We had builded our hopes that old
be variable" notwithstanding Gruber's mistake
In this particular, we are in favor OF continuance
advised OF the ecMpses movable festivals. enuinox
error or mistake.
TINE 10 CALL HALT.
We are In favor OF encouraging science and
scientific experiments. A fair amount of the peo-
Pies money was spent to make the culture OF beets
10r sugar success; but it seems to have failed
Considerable sums are now being expended I'm the
experiment Of silk culture. THIS is highly com
u ma ana a @ expenditure until fair
potent Senators, Congressman Of learning and In
tellect chosen by the people for your knowledge
o..S.. UohI.o ouu JOuI !utcIcoG Ia Gl0lf We1aTo
are you content to sQuander the finances entrusted
TO your care and management IN delusiOn? This
weather bureau has had fair trial for years: in
stead OF improving 1t grows worse; instead OF be-
coming reliable IT has forfeited the confidence Of
every close observer. II it is to be continued for
anotner year, then require the signal Office to fur
n1Sh report OF the indications OF the weather at
3 p. m. every day for the coming "A hours, employ
three men at Washington to receive that report at
the hour named, and let the three men Keep an
accurate record OF what the weather actually NAV
be; compare the two records at the end of the
year, and my word for 1t you Will leave the people
TO GruDerS almanac or to raise up another Wig
gins. n
Sales Of Real Estate.
F. w. Pratt has transferred to Fannie R Pool
lots 3d. 81 and So square 1884, fronting on O street