The Portland daily press., 1889-11-07
UNCLE SAM MUST HELP OLD PROB
II the Service Is To Be Kept Up to
the Mark.
At Present, Gen. creeIy Makes a
Rather Gloomy Report.
The Story Of Gen. Mahone's Encoun.
ter With the Roughs.

WASHINGTON, November 6.-The report
Of General Adolphus w. Greedy, chief signal
officer of the army, to Secretary Proctor. of
the operations of the signal service for the
year ended June 80, 1889, says: ''In the per-
formance of strictly military duties, which
by law devolve upon him, the chief signal
officer has found himself seriously embar
rassed by the utter lack of facilities for
using, or caring for, field telegraph trains, or
other signal equipments. under his charge
and for the practical training and drilling of
the officers and enlisted men of the signal
CORPS. by the need of liberal appropriations.
II goes without saying, that under such con-
ditons, the officers and men of the service
are gradually but surely retrograding as
regards military duties, The deterioration
OF the army military signalling has steadily
increased. AT the end Of the fscal year the
condition OF the signal instruction in the
army Is at the lowest ebb ever known"
The general recommends that instruction
ed, or ample material and moral support
given the chief, SO that he may raise ii to
high standard of efficiency. Gen, Greely
calls attention to the fact that under the
present conditions the forecast officer can
devote barely half q minute to all the pre-
dictions for any particular state or district
The demand for weather forecasts is contin-
ually increasing. They are appIeciating In
value. in the estimate of the public. The
percentages of successful forecasts made by
Prof. Chas. +, Marvin were for the weather
S4.4 temperature, 1858; general average, 81.
On t1e Pacific coast territory, in charge of
Lieut.. j. E. Matfield, there were SO per cent.
OF successful forecasts In 1885, In the past
year less than per cent, of the cold waves
occurred east of the Mississippi. The sys-
tenn of state weather services cooperating
Can ,ue rasIW Dsieaa covers 81 states
available for carrying on river observations
are insufficient to maintain daily observations
throughout the year at important stations.
Ihey are not even large enough to enable
observations to be made for a portion of the
year for the benefit of various communities
in the south, while this office is enabled on
general and meteorological grounds to FORE
cast IL to "a hours in advance. Severe and de-
structive floods occurred in May, 1889, in
Pennsylvania, Maryland, western New
York. and West Virginia. Had complete
river and flood service, supplemented by
rain fall stations, been in operation, it would
have resulted In more definite forecasts and
consequent great benefit to the general pub
lie.
There were in operation at the end of the
year 1915 miles of military and telegraph
lines and GA telegraph or telephone offices.
lenance over 100000. Gen. Greely's esti-
mate for 1891 aggregate $S49,272, only S4792
more than for the current year, while the
work of the bureau has increased ten per |
cent Gen. Greedy says: "The reorganiza- |
lion and reduction of the signal corps is |
Urged on the grounds Of justice. efficiency |
low authorized by law, the duties could be |
performed by thirteen, provided they were