The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-11-03
TIE SIGNAL SERVICE,
How Uncle Sarn's meteorological Tlpst era
Perform Their Work.

| How Uncle Sarn's Meteorological Tlpst erl
Perform Their Work.
In nearly every city Of prominence
from Maine to California is stationed a
man whose sole business is to keep an
eye on the weather. The Government
pays him, feeds him, gives him the
necessary instruments for observation,
and calls him soldier. But the pub
lie, for whose benefit all this Is done,
usually berates him and vows he bears
more resemblance to the long-eared
animal that hauls the army baggage.
For many years the Signal Service has
been obliged to bear the sings and
arrows OF an outraged public, without
| other retaliation than that of OCCASION
ally pouring down water upon the
heads of its alleged traducers, showing
them up. roasting, freezing or blowing
| them into subsection.
There are nearly $50 Signal Service
stations in the United States, employ
ing at present about 450 men. They
are graded in rank from privates to
lieutenants, with General A. w. Greedy
'o NhiOi VI bilc
The weather prediction, which is
the most important part of newspa-
per to many people, and it is at least
interesting to everybody, is peculiar
production, and at present is the work
OF one single individual, who is con-
sidered the greatest scientific weather
prophet of the age. This is Lieutenant
Dunwoody, and he lives at Washing
ton, where he visits the headu uarters
of the Signal Service daily to predict
the weather for the whole country. The
Lieutenant, instead of gazing at the
sky with big telescope, as many peo-
pie imagine, simply sits at large ta-
BILE, on which are scattered number
OF maps bearing telegraphic markings
oil storms. storm centers, high and low
barometers and the general state of the
weather in every section of the coun-
try. From these data alone he is able
to foretell approximately which way
a storm will move and what time it
Will reach u certain spot. The Lieu
tenant has been in the Signal Service
for sixteen years. There are two other
Lieutenants, also stationed at Washing
ton, whose predictions are occasionally
seen. One of them. Lieutenant Craig,
is the acting chief signal officer in Geu-
eral Greely's absence.
At eight o'clock every morning,
Washington time, the weather observer
at each station throughout the United
States takes his observation, which he
at once telegraphs to Washington.
From this observation is made the pre-
diction which the afternoon papers
publish. AT eight o'clock in the even
ing second observation is made,
which results in prediction that is
published in the morning papers.
The cost of fitting out signal serv-
ice station is about $1,000. The yearly |
allowance for the incidental expenses |
is $500, and big stations, despite the |
TACT that they have no rent to pay,
have hard time to make both ends |
meet when January arrives.
A few of the Signal Services maxims
regarding the weather are: "A low
barometer signifies storm center;"
winds blow into a storm center;"
storms move spirally;" 1.-THE velocity
'f the wind does not indicate the ve-
ocity mt which storm is moving in |
my direction;" "a storm may move in
circle and create a cyclone by the air
hrown off from its CENTER"
The chief instruments used are bar.
'meter, thermometers and anemome-
ers. There are many other devices
or calculating the winds velocity, the
moisture and temperature,
tut the principle of foretelling weather
hinges on combination of science and
'rains, and each helps the other out or
nto hole.-St. Louis Post Dispatch.