New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-14
WEATHER PROPHETS AT ODDS
LUDrcRoUs BLUNDER YESTERDAY.


A SIGNAL SERVICE INSPECTORS SAYS MORE GcxP.
TON AND Lxss sctEyc ARE xxsD d
Warmer, fair the prediction sent out By
the Signal Service in regnrd to the weather Of
yesterday. The manner ia which the prophecy
was not fulfilled was remarkable. Seldom have
innocent and trustfal people been worse bcguilcd
than New-Yorlers who arose in tho morning ant
beheld, not blue skies and clean streets, hut rIn
pouring down upon Snow four inches deep rapidly
converting it into slush ard thick haze Of fos
enveloping earth and sky, and making matters
still. more urp"asabt.
The snow began to fall about o'clock yesterday
morning and continued steadily until o'clock,
Nv which time the temperature had risen from 20
degrees to "a, and the gave place 10 rain.
The cutters were rapidly surchargcd with volumes
OF water that rushed down the streets like rivers
and the sewer system was taxed to It's Utmost 20
carry Of the food Some Of the downtown streets
were actually under water. The Street CLEANING
Department worked with q will Two hundred
aud fifty carts had just been ordered out w re-
move the snow when the rain on, and they
recalled.
The rain certainly did the work of removing
the snow most effeetually but il made the streets
for time almost impossible. Superintendent
Green, of the Street Cleaning Department, sent
his whole available force to clean out cutters,
culverts and crossings. But. hard as they toilcd,
they could not prevent some Of the cutters from
becoming eholSed and the sinsh from washing over
the sidewalks At several places the cutters had
to be bridged with boards so that walkers mi hs
cross them. The rain, the muggy, log-aden at.
mOsphcre. and the swampcd streets made such
combination New-York fortunately docs Rot
often experience. Everyone who had 60 be abroad
regarded the situation with mingled feelings,
and the people who pin their faith To the weathcr
predictions thrsted for satisfaction from the Signal
The unfortunate street car horses Jared misers-
bly,. On the Third Avenue line they were running
douoIe Teams, put even Win bhese the service was
slow and uncomfortable; The poor horses Stun
bled and fell frequently. The elevated trains
were more than usually overcrowded, "A great
many were compelled to take them on account OK
the slow and much Interrupted running Of the
street cars Traffic on tue railroads was cOnsidera-
bly, delayed and the incoming mails from all
quarters were from one to three hours late. A
TRIBCNEreporter who called at the Signal Service
Bureau in the Equitable Building found Lien
tenent Walshe there making his annual inspection.
When the reporter asked him why the weather
prediction for the day so far astray. he said
" 1t is bad mistake. The is that the
man now III charge of that branch Of the service
at Washington is too much of a scientist and too
little Of a weather observer. Unless man spends
long apprenticeship learning the details OF weather
conditions all over the United States. he will fail
In making predictions no matter how good q
scientist he may be. The general rule that viii
apply in one place won't apply IN another.
prediction like that sent for to-day dos more
ship to q large proportion of the public
what is the prediction for tonight and to-
morrow"
Warmer fair weather. followed by snow.
Fresh TO brisk winds increasing in force, becot-
ing southerly. Now / am going 70 take issue
with the Washington man about that prediction,
too. I say that il Will be colder tomorrow.
There is cold wave coming | hardly think
there will be any snow till 3 o'clock; We may
get some during the night, though. The winds,
instead of sOutherly will be northwesteriy. The
cold wave is coming from the northwest
Nearly all cold waves come down accompanied
| by OF high pressure in the northwest.
In fact we never get cold wave without a IN
barometer. The cold yesterday and the day be-
| fore owing to the area of high barometer
| over New-YorlI State Ghcn; but it has moved now
! into the Gulf of St. Lawrence
! The highest temperature reached in this city
yesterday was As degrees HeIe are some other
temperatures reported: Chicago, degrees below
zero Boston. 81 degrees above; Buffalo, "a !;
| Cleveland, "a Albany, 81 Milwaukee, degrees
| below; Philadelphia AZ degrees above; Helena,
| Mont, "a degrees below; Lacrosse. 4 degrees
| below; ST. Paul, l s degrees below