Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-12

CROP BULLETINS.
Respecting the weather crop bulletins the
| report says: There is no feature Of this service
which has met with such universal favor and
been so highly valued as the weather crop bull
| letin. 1t has been commended by boards Of
trade In the wheat and cotton regions; il is reg
| ularly telegraphed as an item Of news by the
press associations; is very extensively published
by the principal journals of the country. and is
| also cabled regularly to Europe. Considered
| In connection with the local state bulletins, it
places before the people of the country, at
weekly intervals, a reliable statement as to cur
| rent and seasonable weather conditions
whether normal or abnormal, and as to the
| effect and extent of such weather conditions on
the staple crops.
| STATE WEATHER SERVICE.
Upon the subject of state weather service
Gen. Greedy says that he has continued toward
this service the policy Of liberal and hearty
cooperation. 1t appears evident. however,
| that a sharper line than now exists must be
drawn relative to state services aided by the
! national service and in consequence the chief
signal officer has decided to withdraw aid after
January l, 1891. from such services are IN
able to print for the benefit of their state the
| observations accumulated and tabulated by the
signal service assistants. As has been stated
in a previous report. state services, which are
only branches of the national service, must be
OF limited utility.
DECREASED COST.
Under the head of estimates for the main
terance Of the service Gen. Greedy says: Not
withstanding the establishment, under special
appropriation by Congress. of two stations,
involving an annual increase of $4,000 in the
appropriations, the estimates for the fiscal year
of 1892 aggregate for the signal corps of the
army and the weather bureau the sum of
SS37. 917. These estimates show decrease Of
sll,355 as compared with the total estimates
for the fiscal year Of 1891, and a decrease of
S25S.JO6 since the year in which the present
chief signal officer assumed charge of the bu-
reau. This is also a reduction of SIS 05 as
compared with the total amount appropriated
for the year ended June so. 1885, In view,
however. OF the act OF Congress approved this
date. 1t will be necessary to divide these esti-
mates and incorporate such pertain to the
signal corps of the army with those for other
parts of the military establishment, while those
for the weather bureau will need revision by
the Secretary of Agriculture
INVESTIGATING ToRSADoEs.
Much space is devoted to a recapitula alton of
the work of scientific research undertaken by
the Office, and on this point the report says: I'M
pressed with the number and violence of de-
structive tornadOes during the past year. the
chief signal officer believed it a timely duty of
this Office, while investigating recent phenOm-
ena OF this kind, TO also determine carefully
as could be done from existing data the aver
age number of tornadoes IN the United States.
the area devastated by them, the number Of
lives los. annually. and such other information
as might be of current public interest. This
work was intrusted to Prof. H. A. HaZen, who
had given much time and attention to these
phenomena and had published, privately, sew
eral studies and memoirs upon the subject. In
investigating tornadoes great difficulty was cx-
perienced IN accurately determining property
losses loss OF life, the difficulty resulting
from exaggerated reports, which are invariably
with public calamities of this kind
Prof. Hazen divided the tornadoes into three
classes: First, violent storms causing destruc-
ton; third. the most severe tornadoes, and
placed IN the second class all other known vio-
lent storms. While there were about 200
tornadoes each in classes one and two, causing
the death of 1,01l people, an average of one
person to two storms, and loss of about
s23.OOO.0OO in property yet there were but
tifty-eight torpadoes of very violent char
acter. killing 1855 people and destroying prop
erty to the amount OF S11,S9i.700, an average
loss OF thirteen lives and over S2O0, 900 of prop
erty to each storm of class three. 1t appears
that in no state may a destructive tornado
be expected oftener, on an average,
than once in two years, and that tho
areI over which tho total destruction
can be expected is exceedingly small
even in the states most liable TO these
violent storms. The chief signal officer be-
lieyes this matter of great public importance,
ucolIts ~ press upOH Tue people dt large
how small are the chances of personal injury or
loss of property in this connection. 1t is well
settled however that IN the last eighteen years
the annual death casualties from tornadoes
average 102 annually. While this is large
number, yet it does not appear to be as great
as the death casualty from lightning. since
during the present year, from March to Au-
gust, inclusive, there were 102 lives lost by
lightning. and in compiling this record the list
Is incomplete, especially as regards the south
M no safely hat
dangerous tornadoes. they are not SO
destructive to life as thunder storms.
PUBLIC QUARTERS.
In the interest of economy and in order to
secure a more efficient service recommends
ton was made that the public buildings and
grounds at the corner of Oath and u streets, in
which the signal Office is located, so far as their
care and preservation were concerned, be
placed under the supervision of the
superintendent of the State, War and
Navy Department building, This recon-
incubation being approved by the hon
orable Secretary of War. Chief Engineer Thorn
Williamson, Us. navy, superintendent of the
State. War and Navy Department building. was
detailed for that duty on October g. 1892 and
the necessary force was transferred to him for
heating and guarding the premises. During
the year just passed Congress appropriated the
sum of $500 for charging the heating facili-
ties, increasing the drainage, and for such
OlHcE 10 preserve
the main and annex buildings The disburse-
ment of this sum was placed under the control
of Chief Engineer Thorn Williamson, US.
navy. assisted by Chief Engineer David Smith,
under whose direction it has been most Judi
ciOusly expended. The repairs have not been
completed. but are progressing rapidly as
first-class workmanship will permit.
The chief signal officer, for want of technical
knowledge, even could time been spared from
important duties, could not have secured for
the amount of money appropriated the quality
and quantity of the work which has been SO
successfully accomplished by Chief Engineers
Williamson and Smith, and he deems it proper
to express his high appreciation OF the very
efficient manner in which the work has been
done under the direction of these two officers
GENERAL REMARKS.
The chief signal officer invites attention to
the necessity Of a reorganization of the clerical
force in the central, Office. Despite the fact
that the bureau is technical one. necessitating
on the part of its clerks special knowledge and
training, yet the average pay of clerks is $l53
below that of the average in the various
bureaus of this department and SS7 below that
of the bureau receiving the next higher order
of pay. Two years since the efficiency of the
clerks in the central Office equalcd that of any
other bureau in Washington, but the depletion
Of this Office of its excellent men by direct
transfer resignation to accept appointments
in other bureaus of the government has gone
steadily on and their places have necessarily
been filed by men far below the average stand
! ing of the bureau Within two wears this office