The record-union., 1891-11-14
MUST IT GO?
The Proposed Removal of the State
Weather Service.
The New Chief of the Coast Service
Appears to Think We Are With
out Telegraph Lines.

1t looks as If r. E. Kerkam, the young
gentleman who has succeeded Lieuten-
ant Finley as Chief of the Pacific Coast
Weather Service, has fully made up his
mind to remove the headquarters of the
State Service from this city to San Fran
cisco, despite the mammoth petition or
remonstrance recently sent him by citi-
zens of Sacramento. In response to that
petition he has written the following
letter:
SAN Francisco, November 18th.
1HesSrS. Smith, Gerber, LOrenz, Stet2t71lun and
Others, Sacramento - GENTLEMEN: Regerring
10 your petition relative TO the retention OF
the headquarters of the California state
weather Service at Sacramento, / have the
honor TO inform you that it was the original
intention TO have the headquarters at san
francisco, but that owing to Mr.. BarwicIls
having conducted 4 weathLr-crop bulletin
service for some time at Sacramento and also
TO the fact that Lieutenant Finley Uhe officer
then in charge of the Pacific diVision) ha as
much work as could be attended 10, consider
ing his Office force, that it was deemed best to
let Mr.. Barwick collate reports until such
time as matters assumed the proper shape at
San francisco, so that the Headquarters could
be removed to that point.
There would be 4 decide d ADVANTAGE in haY-
| ing the Headquarters at san Francisco, both
10 the STATE Agricultural Department YOUR
selves as a people, the STATE at large and
naturally tie National Agricultural Depart
menu, IN lnlS, Jn3t the San Francisco Ofrcp
now receives comp etc teieSraplic communi-
cations from all pUItionS OF the State, inciui
ing hundreds of special meteorological tele-
graphic reports frODt railroads and the several
telet traph compan es daily. In the isSua OF
| the weekly weather crop bulletins; In the
co npllation OF the monthly bulletins; in the
Gaiiy matter thAt could be furnished the
agricultural people, through special bulletins
and the press, all this Information received
by telegraph could be utilized and Il e Cali
fornia State service would navc advantages
/ q %EnTn f.,-i,. i.,t tl,,,
country. No personal or local motive should
have weight when the interests of the state
can be beneftt q by a change that viii / e so
decidedly bere zeal. Had Sac ramento, or any
other point In the S;ate toe ad rGntages of ali
this teiegfaph!c SER ice, shoald say that that
point was TIE proper place for the State head
quarters.
Having assumed cha g, or the Pac;fc divi-
sion OF the Weather u. eau, ii is my desi to
s.e al! done that can b. dor to give the great
est Ee4eIts 10 The people, and any contem-
plated II cement to extend TIE benefits of the
Wcathe, Bureau for ltGral and other
int. e Us should meet with the support of the
people Of the State OF California, as we'll as OF
all other Pacific States.
Should the State service Headquarters con-
tinue at Sacramento, you might blame the
Weather Bureau for not taking steps to make
improvements IN your service, and rightly too,
considering the advantages that would be en-
| joyed with the center at san francisco, Your
State Agricultural Society has co-Operated
with the Observer at Sacramento for years
The Secretary of that society states in a letter
TO Mr.. barwick that the service is necessary at
! sacramento 10 keep shippers informed OF the
| weather probabilities, etc. Now these proba-
! bilities are telegraphed from san Francisco
not only to Sacramento, but 10 all places in
! the State receiving weather forecasts. again
! to make thorough study Of local conditions
and thus better the forecast service. is a part
! of the work of the State Weather Service
| Should not such studies be made from the
| point from which forecasts are telegraphed
and by merging the information received bv
! the Sacramento and San Francisco Offices (the
a@f AfnIs
mail at the latter is it not reasonable TO CON
| clude that the State would be benefited by
! having the Director of tie State Service make
! deductions nom the mass OF data that would
| be received? q?
| It must be definitely understood that there
| has been no thought of q removal of your
! local weather bur, au station, and that you.
! as cluHenS, Wlu receive exactly the same in
| formation, locally, at present but that in
] addition thereto you Will Lave the adVan-
! tages of seeing your State service expand
| later e.eglaphic information in all Your bull
! letinS, Speedier dissemination OF your fore
casts, and better forecasts, when the teLe-
graphic and mail data for the State can be
| properly studied by the director OF the Sta t.
service in connection with his agricultural
+ work
shall take no steps toward transf .rrinc the
! serN ice or recommending such transfer until
| you have had time to reconsider the petition
ana have fully weighed the advantages o.
| combining the telegraphic facilities enfoycd
! by San Francisco with the mail facilities of
! Sacramento. Very respectfully yours,
IL. r.. kERhAM, CHIEF of Division.
It would appear from the above that
Mr.. Kerkam seeks to contrast the tele-
graphic facilities of San Francisco with
| the mail facilities of Sacramento. He is
| evidently not aware that the only two
telegraph lines doing business on this
coest-the Western Union and Postal
both have offices in this city. and that the
telegraphic facilities of Sacramento are in
every respect equal to those of San Fran
cisco.
He also refers to the benefits to ship
pers (fruit shippers, of course,) to be de-
rived from having the State service in
the metropolis. This is another point on
which the young gentleman appears not