The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-11-12
''OLD PRoBS' RACE WITH THE WEATHER
He Generally Gets There First and Is
About Right.
Gen. CreeIY's Report of the Work
OF the Signal Service.
He Says That Lightning Kills More
People than Tornadoes.

WASHINGTON, November 11.-Gen. A. W..
Greedy, chief signal officer, has submitted
to the Secretary of War his annual report Of
the operations of the department during the
last fiscal year. He reports a decided i'm
proyement in the condition and efficiency of
the army as regards the signali practice.
Three hundred and ninety-three officers Of
the line have been under instruction during
the year. representing every regiment of the
army. Forty per cent. of the available Off
GERS Of the line are either moderately pro-
ficlent in the transmission Of messages by
signalling or have received instruction there
in during the past year. At least 1900 en-
listed men have been instructed. Gen.
Greedy continuing says: "By far the most
important event in connection with the sig
nal corps of the army has been the unpre-
cedented successful establishment and main
tenance of an elaborate system of hello
graph signalling in the department Of Ari-
zona. The value of this work consisted not
alone in testing the applicability of the hello
graph system as valuable supplement to
military movements in the field but has ac-
cumulated in graphic and permanent form,
a detailed knowledge of the physical condi-
tion of Arizona which will be valuable in all
future military movements or operations in
that territory"
Under the head'of weather forecasts, the
Chief Signal Officer speaks of the inability
of the overworked force to furnish regularly
the numerous special predictions asked for
by cities. BE says the duties devolving per-
sonally on the forecast official permit less
than quarter of minute, on the average,
in which to decide, formulate and express
forecast for state or district. With view
of subserving the public interest by local
forecasts the Chief Signal Officer has initiat-
ed plan permitting officers and observers
in charge of stations outside Washington
city to make local forecasts of the weather
and temperature. The percentages of sue
cessful forecasts Is S4.4 for weather; 1877 for
temperature; 82.6 general average. During
the year 1,112 storm signals were ordered, OF
which 1,040 were justified as to direction, 695
Justified wholly as to velocity, and 50 partly
as to velocity. The accuracy of the weather
and temperature predictions has increased
nails remain practically the same as last year
GIL per cent. Long time forecasts Of the
weather and temperature were issued at the
discretion of the forecast official, with a sue
cessful per cent of 81 for AS hours, and 500
for ~ hours. These forecasts were made
extensive sections. Those for 72 hours in
advance were somewhat lnfrequeRt, but 146
were made for the year. Those for As hours
reached 1888.
Reference is made to the disadvantage un-
L
assigned the special duty of forecasting cold
waves, has labored by reason of the more
stringent restrictions imposed. General
Greedy says the percentage of verifcatons
(55) relates to cold waves forecast under the
present rigid rules. To this might be added
In comparison with the preceding years, IA
per cent of other waves which would have
been verified under the previous rules Prof.
Russell pursued more cautious course as
cold waves occurred, counting the stations
separately on 723 occasions. There were but
IA occasions ON which severe cold waves
were not predicted. In other words 9S per
cent Of all the important waves were fore.
cast. The number Of weather maps issued
during the year was LOGS, ,534, against 170,248
in 1877.
vice has met with such universal favor and
been so highly valued as the weather crop
bulletin. "Tne report reviews the work done
by Prof. III. A. HaZen In investigating lorna.
does. Prof HaZen divided tornadoes into
three classes, the first violent storms causing
destruction the third, the most severe lorna
does; the second, all other known violent
storms. There were about 1000 tornadoes,
each, in classes one aud two, causing the
death of 1071 people, and the loss Of about
$24, ,0OO, 900 in property, yet there were but So
tornadoes of very violent character,
killing 755 people ana destroying prop,
erty to the amount OF S11, 1874, 700, an average
loss of 13 lives and over 100000 in property
to each storm in class three. 1T appears that
in no state may destructive tornado be ex-
pected oftener, on an average, than once in
two years. The area over which total de-
stIuetion can be expected is exceedingly
small, even in states most liable to these Vio-
lent storms. The chief signal officer desires
to impress upon the people how small are
the chances of personal injury or loss of
property in this connection. 1t is we'll set
tied in the last Is years that the annual
death casulties from tornadoes have averaged
1872 annually. Willis this is large number
it does not appear to be so great as the death
casualty from lightning, since during the
present year from March to August inclu-
sIve, 102 lives were lost by lightning and, in
compiling this record, the list is incomplete,
especially as regards southern states. 1t
may be safely assumed that tornadoes are
not so destructive to life as thunder storms