The Portland daily press., 1891-07-01
OLD PROBABILITIES HIS NEW TITLE.
Professor Mark w. Harrington Takes
the Place Of Gen. Greeley.
weather Bureau Transferred 10 the
Agricultural Department.
Uncle Jerry Rusk Means to Make 1t
Valuable to Farmers.

WASHINGTON, June 30.-The formal trans
fer Of the weather bureau from the War
Department to the Agricultural Department,
will take place tomorrow. Gen. Greeley will
then relinquish his duties as chief of the
bureau and Secretary Rusk will assume
them on behalf of the Department of Agri-
culture. The Secretary was today asked for
statement of his intentions regarding the
future conduct Of the weather bureau. He
pointed out the following passage In his last
report to the President: II deem 1t evident
that in making the transfer Of the weather
bureau to this department, it was the inten-
tion OF Congress that the work Of the bureau
should be extended In so far as might be
necessary to the full cooperation Of this
branch OF the service with the work Of the
several divisions already established in this
department for the benefit Of agriculture,
without In any way restricting its general
scope. He added that he proposed to carry
out to the full, as he understood 1t, the OBJ
jects which Congress had in view in trans
ferring the bureau to the Department of
Agriculture. he proposes to perfect as
much as possible the prompt dissemination
OF weather forecasts throughout the agricul-
tural districts One of his first efforts will
be directed to the accomplishment of this
purpose. He declares himself fully i'm
PhoooCu WIN LILO tudb LD6 WOIk Oh L06
meteorological service must be so extended
as to included a thorough and systematic in
yestigation into the climatic conditions of
the various sections of the country. that full
knowledge of them and their effects upon
plant growth may be available for the
farmers. The first official act under the new
dispensati0n, was the appointment of new
chief, Prof. Mark w. Harrington of
Michigan. Professor Harrington has been
for the last twelve years professor
OF astronomy in the university of Michigan,
Ann Arb0r, and editor of the American
Meteorological Journal. He Is about 43
years old and Is regarded as an accomplished
student Of meteorology and climatic prob
lens. He graduated In 1868 at the university
OF Michigan. In 1871 he was acting astrono-
mical aid of the United States coast survey
on the coast of Alaska. After this he re-
turned to the university Of Michigan as in
structor In the biological department. In
1876 he went to Germany to pursue his stud
les. remaining in Europe about two years.
While in Europe he was offered position as
professor Of astronomy and mathematics In
the school of the Chinese foreign office, at
Pekin, and as director of the observatory
there he introduced into China the first large
telescope seen In that country. In 1878 he
accepted the pr0fessorship of biological
science In the Louisiana State University.
He returned to Ann Arbor in 1879, taking
the position which he has held up to the
present date. Besides editing the American
Meteorological Journal, Professor Harring-
ton has published several papers and pamph-
lets on scientific subjects and compiled an
almanac for the Chinese government.