Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26

Prot. Harrington. There was certain
boy who was inquisitive with reference to
where the stump ended and the hair began
In mules tail The boy was not so beau
tiful in the face afterward, but he was wiser.
1t would have been well had he been pho
tographed before he satisfied his curiosity.
1t is for the same reason judicious to pre-
sent Prof Harrington's face to the public
while it is in the heyday of its comeliness.
Prof. Harrington is star gazer and
scientist and he has now made conjunction
with fat job. He was born on farm
near Sycamore, H., in 1S48, and in less than
30 years he pulled up, or perhaps down, as
teacher Of astronomy to the young p1gta1ls
at Pekin. But he didn't stay long with the
Celestials The climate of that part OF
China was disagreeable and he came home,
much to the delight of his alma mater. He
was immediately ly made Professor of Astron-
omy and Director of the Observatory at the
University of Michigan. That was in 1879.
He has held the place ever since.
Got Glory Out of Newspaper.
In 1884 Prof Harrington had the courage
to start a newspaper at Ann .Arbor. He
called'it the american Meteorological Journal.
For years it has treated instructively and
exclusively upon the weather. One of the
associate editors, Prof A Lawrence Rotch,
the well known meteorologist Of Blue Hill,
is authority for the statement that the in
teresting weather paper has not thus far had
balance on the credit side of the sheet, but
the three editors have had considerable
glory out of it; and it is still running.
Scientists throughout the land arc in
glee over the transfer Of the weather serv-
ice from military to civilian control
The duties of the bureau under the new
weather law are so varied and so compre-
hensive that the section is worth quoting.
1t readsi
Section 3-That the Chief Of the Weather
Bureau, under the direction Of the Secretary
of Agriculture, on and after July l, 1891, shall
have charge of the forecasting of the wealth
er, the issue of storm warnings, the display
of weather and flood signals for the benefit
Of agriculture, commerce and navigation,
the gauging and reporting of rivers, the
maintenance and operation OF sea-coast tele-
graph lines, and the collection and trans
mission of marine intelligence for the bene-
fit Of commerce and navigation, the report
ing of temperature and rainfall conditions
for the cotton interests, the display OF frost
and cold-wave signals the distribution of
meteorological information in the interests
of agriculture and commerce, and the TAX
ing Of such meteorological observations as
may be necessary to establish and record
the climatic conditions Of the United States,
or as are essential for the proper execution
of the foregoing duties
1t will be readily seen from this that
Prof Harrington has job on his hands.
But he will have practically the same old
weather force, and whole raft of professors
and scientists at the agricultural experiment
stations and at agricultural colleges
throughout the country in addition; SO he
is pretty well fixed for help to begin with.
The Fugitive Captain Howgate.
There is a melancholy interest in recall
ing the origin of the Government weather