The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-01
Estate WEATHER SERVICE.
To Be lnaugurated in Montana With
tho Headquarters in This
City.
Something That Will Be Of
Great Service to the
Public.
Rain, Snow, Wind, blizzard, Sunshine and
Everything Else OF the Kind fold
Twenty-four Hours Ahead.

A state weather service will be in full
operation in Montana in q week or two
Sergeant Hobbs. who has charge of tn
signal service Office. will also have charg
of the state weather bureau. The ney
service is to Cooperate with the nationa
weather bureau of the agricultural de
rartment by the dissemination of forecasts
and warnings, SO that the people of Mon.
tana may derive what benefits there az,
from knowing what they have to expec
twenty-four hours ahead. Sergeant Hobbl
has already fifteen stations organized ant
in working order, and when he secures one
in Beaverbead and one in Yellowstone
county, will have a system that will enable
him to forecast the weather with more OF
less accuracy. The forecaste made up III
the evening will be furnished the newspa-
pers, either by mail or by telegraph.
The sergeant intends to get the railroads to
Cooperate by allowing weather signals to
be attached to all trains leaving Helena, 50
as to give the farmers and stock people
along the line the same information which
is %obtainable in the cities. This will be
done by a system of flags of tin, fastened
to the sides of the mail or baggage cars,
and painted according to the code of sig
nails. The code is an easy thing
for people to familiarize themselves
with and the flags would convey
to them an idea of what kind of
weather they had to expect. In addition to
,the forecast a daily statement will be pre-
pared for the use of hotels, newspapers, or
whoever else may desire it, giving the tenn
r1~,N,o 15~aOSOn avid -ol0o,%y of
the wind, condition Of the weather,
etc. for all principal points
from the coast to as far east as Salt
Lake. A daily map of the country between
Salt Lake and the coast, and one Of Mon
tana, with weather statistics and tracings
of currents of high and low barometer,
etc., will also tie issued.
A system of weekly weather crop bulletins
will be a leading feature of the work during
the growing season. which will be valuable
alike to the and agriculture of
the state.
The advantages to be derived from a state
lows: It will be the means of securing
better forecasts by having local data to
study in connection with storm movements;
it brings the benefits Of the weather bureau
into every county of a state by having the
flag system of displays to warn the people
OF coming weather changes; IL Will give
to every county standards of temperature,
rainfall. etc., sources of useful information
at all times; it places within reach of local
agricultural societies means of accurate OBJ
servations, which, in the course of years.
must prove of great value in the study and
adaptation of cereals; it can bring the sol
ence and methods of the weather bureau
into the schools of the state. tenohing pu-
pills the application of science in fostering
and protecting agricultural industries; it
leads to a collection of rainfall statistics
that are invaluable to engineers in the
drainage of cities and towns, and to a cor
rect knowledge of rainfall over certain
watersheds Of the state; it leads to obtain
ing accurate meteorological statistics for
legal cases, and will lead to Il better prac-
tice of medicine when physicians
can study disease with reliable and
accurate meteorological facts by their side,
and for sanitary purposes such records are
invaluable in applying preventative reme-
dies for the public good; it does away with
dishonest speculation at the expense of the
farmer by furnishing correct reports of the
weather and crops throughout the state in
its system of weekly weather crop bull
letins.
Sergeant Hobbs has a big job on his
hands, but no one doubts his ability to till
the bill