The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-13
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC STATION.
1t viii be Opened Aug. Purposes of
the Station.

4
Ensign John s. Walters, in charge Of the
/ photographic station at New Orleans Is in the
/ city, and will fit Up photographic station
! IN the custom house in the room set aside
| for the special inspector Of the treasury de-
! partment. As the latter officer does not
! occupy the room to exceed three days IN
] the year, Ensign Waltets obtained the con-
| sent Of the secretary Of the treasury yester-
day TO locate the photographic station IN
| the inspectors office.
In an interview with a MORNING News
reporter yesterday Ensign Walters ex-
| planned the working plans Of the branch
! photographic stations, OF which there are
! eight, at Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
/ baltimore, Norfolk, New Orleans, San
| Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Savannah
will be the ninth branch station in the
country and Ensign Walters says that
every important port ought TO have
branch and he named Charleston, Bruins
wick and Key West on the southern coast
The hydrographic bureau is a service
devoted specially TO the interests of the
merchant marine with the view TO supply
ing information Of all kinds regarding
ocean traffic. 1t supplies masters Of vessels
with a list Of the lights, ouoys, beecUns and
day marks. In addition TO this, a library Is
kept in the Office, free Of access to mariners,
concerning all parts Of the ocean and all
nayigabe parts of the world.
Each month notice to mariners is sent
from the marine Office at Washington city
10 each branch station, containing full III
formation Of all changes, lights disc0n-
tlnued, new lights placed, and where rocks
are to be encountered. Charts are cleared
Of imaginary rocks and where rocks are dis
covered from time 70 time they are placed
on the chart. Captains Of vessels are mott
lied Of all changes and extracts are taken in
the shape of notices, divided up into ten
routes SO that in any particular route the YES
sci takes when She sails, the notice furnished
by the branch station to the master of the
vessel will be found invaluable, as the notice
will be for that particular route. On the
return Of the vessel to port, the master may
consult the notices received during his aO-
sence and learn what changes, if any, have
been reported.
Officers Of vessels will be supplied with
observation blanks, twelve in number-one
for each month Of the year. Each day at
Greenwich noon the master Of the vessel
will be expected to take a series Of meteOro-
logical observations, thus securing observa-
lions simultaneously all over the world. AS
soon as the vessel reaches a foreign port the
observations are turned over to the United
States consul, who returns them to the local
Office, where the reckOnings are corrected
by the standard mercurlal barometer.
Ensign Waters was asked if other coun-
tries have such a system of obtaining
photographic information, and he replied
that France and England have been en-
gagged IN collecting such data, but in more
cumbrcus way, as they require observations
every two hours, and captains of vessels
are not inclined 60 give so much Of their
attention to the work 1t is little trouble,
nowever, for them TO spend a few moments
at noon, each day, under the plan of the
United States bureau of navigation.
The ensign was asked what is the charac-
ter Of the observations taken, and he ex-
planned that they are principally the direc-
ton and force of the wind, the standing of
the barometer, the attached thermometer
the temperature of the air, the temperature
OF the water at the surface and the psy-
chometer, or, as it is better known, the wet
and dry thermometer, an instrument which
IS supplied to the branch static ns and is
loaned to the masters Of vessels for the pur-
pose Of taking observations, the kind Of
clouds and the direction the upper and
lower strata of clouds are moving
From all of these observatories a cnart is
constructed which contains the pilot chart
of the North Atlantic ocean, giving the
probable direction and force of wind in any
part of the North Atlantic The position Of
floating wIockage buoys adrift, icebergs.
probable fog limit, the limit of the trade
winds, and the position of the calm belt and
the general direction of all the principal
ocean currents. In addition to this the
path of all storms and cyclones, their posi-
ton at Greenwich noon and during the
hurricane months are given, and the chart
contains a summary of all the storm paths
known, 50 the captain of a vessel NAV know
where be is likely to encounter hurricane
and where be Is pretty sure not TO strike it.
Ensign Walters says that this informa-
ton Is very highly valued by the maritime
community, and he reports that the branch
photographic station at New Orleans, of
which he has charge, Is very popular with
mariners coming to that port.
The ensign says chat he expects the ste
ton here will be ready for service by Aug.
/, and would have been established earlier,
but ne was waiting to find desirable loca-
ton, and he fixed upon room in the GUS
tom house as the most available to accom-
modate the captains of vessels He states
that the United States signal office will CO.
operate with the photographic office. and
the time ball will be operated by the HYDRO
graphic station, and Chronometers will be
rated by tho chronometer i'll the hydro
graphic office, and corrected to the two
hundredth part of . second.
The office will be fitted up with q marine
library. Charts Of the entire world. the
monthly charts of the bureau of navigation
aud weekly supplements to the monthly
charts, chrouometer. q standard mercurial
barometer, a maximum and minimum
thermometer, and a wet and dry Their
mOmeter. Ensign Walters says he will not
remain III charge of the station here, but
expects to be relieved about Aug. l. when
the station has been put in working order