Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-01
HELENA CORRESPONDENCE.
The Weather Bureau-Its Importance Not
Generally Appreciated.
New Observation Stations to be Established.
HELENA, Sept. 26, 1891.

| HELENA, Sept. 26, 1891.
ED. ARGUs:-The extent and quality
of arabic land in Fergus county point
to the fact that she will become i'm.
portant among the counties of the
state for her agricultural productions
as well as her live stock interests.
One branch of science, practically ap-
piled, in which the United States has
taken front rank among nations, for
| the perfection and accuracy OF the
work and practical usefulness of the
results, is in meteorology, the science
| OF the weather. The two business in
| terests to which it is most serviceable
are shipping and agriculture, and in
the interests of the elatter Superintend-
ent E. c. Hobbs, who has general su-
pervision of the work in this state, is
trying to interest the government and
the citizens in extending the work in
Montana.
The weather bureau, which is now
attached to the department of agri-
culture instead of to the war depart
ment, as formerly, is under the direc-
tion of Prof. Mark Harrington, for
merly professor of astronomy in the
University of Michigan, and has four
official stations in Montana, namely.
FIT. Custer, FIT. Assinaboine, FIT. Bu-
ford and Helena. From these stations
and the other stations throughout the
United States daily reports are sent
by telegraph to Washington every
evening. From these the forecast for
the next twenty-four hours is made
and telegraphed to all the morning
daily newspapers, is signaled from the
observation towers, and Is also carried
to the country districts by signals
carried by the express trains on the
main railroads in the East. These
forecasts are used as a target for
many lame Jokes, and for many slurs
as to their reliability and Importance,
but this arises really from the general
misconception and misunderstanding
OF their meaning, and ignorance and
indifference as to their usefulness. The
average citizen, who reads a forecast
of fair" and is caught in a local sun.
shower, exhausts his invective against
the bureaus inefficiency; but the sail
ing masters on the coast, the shippers
of perishable fruit, ETC., and the wide
awake farmer, with crops to gather,
have learned the reliability and value
of these forecasts in giving warning oil
general storms and marked weather
changes.
The science is yet very much in its
infancy, and it's usefulness not yet
ta,'y -A-- -e..Go~I, s.in .sI.y 40 Wiz
ing one OF the observation stations
cannot but be impressed with the ex
tent, accuracy and delicacy OF the OBJ
servations on the different climatic
changes Here are sheets upon sheets
of perfectly reliable data, before
which the man who quotes the moon
and the patent medicine almanac
should subside and shut up. But he
won't; his grandmother taught him
to believe implicitly in the moon, and
it is much easier upon his feelings to
scoff at the weather bureau, with its
corps of trained scientists, than at
his own grandmother.
A new field for the bureau has been
found in calling its observers, with
their records, (most OF which are
made automatically by self-recordine
barometers, Thermometers and wind
gauges,) as expert witnesses in Law
cases. Thus they have testified in
cases of railroad accidents, as to
whether the night was stormy, inter
fering with seeing or hearing signals
in the falling of unfinished buildings
as to the force of the wind, etc. 4
case that will probably come unde
this last heading is now before ou
Helena courts.
The new work sought to be estab
lished by Mr.. Hobbs is the locating o
number of local observers at differ
ent points judiciously selected through
out the state, who will take dali.
observations on the reading OF tn
thermometer, barometer, wind-gaug
and rain-gauge, and report weekly t.
the Helena station, where the result
, will be compiled in monthly report
OF the different sections, which woul
, be published and furnished for fire
: distribution. Thus accurate and II
8 liable data of the climatic condition
of the different sections of the stat
would be secured for the benefit OF th
Q resident and of the immigrant. Locs
observers, resident at Glendive, Pow
> derville, Horr, Fit. Logan, Castl
: Martinsdale, Boulder, Virginia Cit.
Butte, Drummond, Columbia Fall
" and Great Falls have expressed the
= willingness to aid the work with the
~ services, which are voluntary. 1t wa
II expected that the government wou
le furnish the necessary instruments Il
{. these local stations, but the centr
~ Office is moving very slowly in Il
s matter. 1t would be wisdom in Il
% state to take the matter in hand he
4 self, to thus secure in a systemat
way reliable statistics OF the climat
The same observers could gather 9th
reliable statistics OF interest and u:
Is IL it does not come sooner throu
the government it will be prop
40 field for the state experiment stati
!; connected with the agricultural c.
Y lege, when that takes form.
of OCcA sIoNAL
is
is
= Baleful Influence.
er
RS Puck: Murphy thinks wisdom "