Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-11-12

and permanent form detailed knowledge
of the physical conditions of Arizona,
which will be valuable in all future mill
tary movements or operations In that terri
tory.
THE WEATHER FORECASTS.
Under the head of weather forecasts the
chief signal officer speaks of the inability
of the overworked force to furnish regu-
larly the numerous special predictions
asked-for by cities. He says that the du-
ties devo1ving personally on the forecast
officials permit less than one-quarter of q
minute on an average in which to decide,
formulate and express a forecast for a
state or district With view of subserv-
ing interest by local forecasts the chief
hitting officers and observers in charge of
stations outside of Washington city to
make local forecasts of weather and tenn
perature. The percentages of successful
forecasts are 84.4 for weather, 1877 for
temperature and 1926 as a general average.
During the year l, 112 storm signals have
been ordered, of which ,040 have been
justified as to direction, $50 justified wholly
as to velocity and 50 partly as to velocity.
The accuracy of weather and temperature
predictions has increased 1.76 per cent.
over the previous year; that of storm sig
nails remains practically the same as last
year, 81 per cent. longtime forecasts
of weather and temperature have been is
sued at the discretion of the forecast Off
cial with successful percentages of 81 6 for
forty eight hours and 3d. for seventy-two
hours These forecasts are made not for
small areas, but for extensive sections.
Those for seventy-two hours in advance
were somewhat infrequent, there being but
Irrriv {hn fD~
forty eight hours were quite frequent and
in number reached /, 1888.
COLD WAVES, ,}-.4-
Reference is made to the disadvantage
under which Professor Russell (who had
been assigned the special duty of fore
casting cold waves), labored by reason of
more stringent restrictionsimposed. Gen.
eral Greeley says that the PERCENTAGE of
veriications (55) relates to the cold waves
forecast under the present rigid rules, but
to this might be added in comparison with
preceding years IA per cent. of other waves
which would have been verified under pre-
vious rules. Professor Russell has pur-
sued more cautious course in displays,
as cold waves occurred counting the sta
ton as separately on 723 occasions, yet
there were but IA occasions on which
severe cold waves were not predicted; in
other words 80 per cent. of all the impor-
tant waves were forecast.
WEATHER MAPS.
General Greeley says that during the
past few years the relations of the weather
bureau to the general public have material
| ly changed and happily in direction in
dicating not only the interest of the Amer
lean people in this work, but also that
Enthusiastically high degree of intelli.
| gence which have enabled hundreds OF
thousands to acquire rapidly and inciden.
tally a cursory knowledge of the principles
| of weather forecastings-a science which
| was for long time assumed 10 be beyond
the ken of ordinary folk. AS an evidence
| of the popular interest in the subject the
large increase in the demand for the
weather maps is cited. 1t is said that
these demands for weather charts have in.
creased to o remarkable extent and theii
use for general display and in public in.
situations is 30 great that only in rare and
exceptional cases has the bureau found il
| possible to issue these maps gratuitously,
despite the fact that hundreds have ap
piled for them. The number of weather
maps issued during the year was ,O69, 634
as against lis, 24S in 1877.
WEATHER CROP BULLETrNs.
Respecting the weather crop bulletins
the report says: There is no feature of thii
service which has met with such universal
favor and been 80 highly valued as thu
weather crop bulletin. 1t has been com
mended by boards of trade in the whea
and cotton regions; it is regularly tele
graphed as an item of news by the pres
associations; is very extensively published
in the principal journals of the countr,
and is also cabled regularly to Europe
Considered in connection with the loca
state bulletins it places before the peopl
of the country at weekly intervals relia
BILE statement as to current and seasona
weather conditions whether normal or alb
normal and as to the effect and extent 0
such weather conditions on the stspl
crops.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
Much space is devoted to recapitula
ton of the work of scientific research un
dertaken by the Office and on this poin
, the report says: Impressed with the mum
Der and violence of destructive tornadoe
during the past year the chief signal Office
believed it a timely duty of this office, Will
investigating recent phenomena of TIL
: kind, to also determine as carefully Q
could be done from existing data the ave-
age number of tornadoes in the Unite
States, the area ,devasted by them, Il
number of lives lost annually and sue
other information as might be of currer
| public interest This work was intruste
= to Professor H A. Hazen, who had give
much time and attention to these phenon
ena and had published privately sever
4 studies and memoirs upon the subject
roRNADoEs AND CYCLONES.
i. In investigating tornadoes, great diff
Guilty was experienced in accurately d
terming property losses OF loss of life, Il
: difficulty resulting from exaggerated I
ports which are invariably spread oy
the country in connection with public c
lamities of this kind. For instance, Il
Louisville tornado of March 81, 1890, W
1t months later reported by the public pre-
i. to have caused loss of 500 lives insteI
n of 1876, the true number. Professor 81
zen divided the tornadoes into thr
Il classes: First, violent storms, causing d
u struction; third, the most severe tornadoe
le and placed in the second class all 9th
g known violent storms. While there we
d about 900 tornadoes each in classes Al
Q, causing the death of 1,0T people,
average of one personsto two storms, Al
,e a loss of about $23, 000, 600 in propert
is yet there were but 80 tornadoes of a We
Q violent character, killing 755 people a
n destroying property to the amount
Sill 1894, 700, an average loss
az is lives and over $500, 900 of pre-
P erty to each storm of class three.
\, ANNUAL DEATH RATE by ToRNADoEs.
a. It appears that in no state may destr'
i'd tive tornado be expected on an avers