The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-01-22
SIGNAL STATIONS AT SEA.
AN IDEA MATCHED eY WEATHER
CLERK DUNN, OF NEW YORK.

Weather Bursau Sfatisms en- ehe Atlams
tie 90 Make the Service Psrssse-Prs.
dieting storms several Days Ahead IL
. Feasibility Not Very Remsts.
OF late years the Government has paid
considerable attention to the developing
of the weather science. It has enlarged
the facilities for taking observations. and
has improved the method Of recording
them.
This work was begun by the War Do.
partment. A school for the instruction
of United States soldiers In meteorology
was established at Arlington. Va. At
that time the Weather Bureau was
known as the Signal Service Bureau.
Observers were instructed In not only
the method of making weather forecasts.
but also in such purely military services
as visual signaling with Gags, lanterns,
and heliographs in telegraphing and in
reconnaissance duty. As "a consequence.
the students at Arlington became expert
signalmen, telegraphers, and scouts, but
they were not so proficient In knowl.
edge of the phenomenon Of the weather
Us might have been desired.
So it came about that all matters relat.
ing to the weather were put under con.
troll of the Department Of Agriculture.
Soon it became apparent that the change
was good one. And, % In all other
things, this metropolis. says the New York
Sun, at once took the lead in the new de.
yelopment.
One Of the first innovations made by
the New York Office was to predict two
and three days ahead, instead of only one
day. Local Forecast Official Dunn has
made successful four day forecasts, bus
he does not hope to 60 beyond that
So many different phenomena and un.
expected changes may occur during the
space of 96 hours that it is very hard to
make an accurate forecast for such .
long time. After all Of the elaborate
measurements and calculations have been
made, and the expert haa predicted cer-
tain kind. Of weather, some miserable
little high pressure area or wildcat storm
that had been small enough TO escsps
the eye of the observer may come sneak.
ing around at the 11th hour and upset all
his deductions.
Under the old system weather observ-
ers were not allowed to make forecasts
for much longer time than "a hours.
But that restriction has besn removed |;
and now Mr.. Dunn has been making o
side study Of long forecasts, which he
considers highly practicable.
n..> %ka .ls&42aa,1ks~a 81 -
long forecasts, however. is the fact that
after the observer has noted and calcu-
lated upon every possible indication and
made his prediction, some storm may
slip in from the middle Of the Atlantic
and spoil erything.
The plan suggested to get around this
difficulty is to have weather Offices ON
shipboard in the middle Of the Atlantic
-one of the Bermudas, another oppo.
site to Washington, one Oh New York,
and another of Nova Scotia.
Each vessel could make . connection
with any Of the submarine cables. The
end OF the wire connecting with the
vessel might be sustained by . buoy. %
that in the event Of q hurricane. or some
similar disturbance ON the ocean, the
ships could let 20 tho wires and cruise
about until the storm had ahatsd. The
buoy would be sufficient to ksep the wire
in q position where 1t could be recovered
readily
Not only would such ships be very
valuable to the Weather Bureau, but
they would be OF great advantage to
commerce. In the first place they
would be useful as central marine tele.
graph stations.
Again, such vessels could forward
general marine intelligence.
The Nova Scotia vessel would be par.
| ticularly useful in sending the latest 70.
ports Of fogs off that coast. Fogs have
caused more marine disasters than havo
storms or hurricanes.
But the supreme benefit 10 be derived
from the establishment Of such weather
ships would be the facilities for obtain.
ing weather news.
Mr.. Dunn, in speaking OF ths plan.
says:
ut ls . grand idea II would make
the weather service almost perfect We
could then nail these ocean storms every
time. ! do not see anything irnpracti,
cable in 1t, and il the cost would not be
too great, it would certainly pay oul
Government to put the scheme into prac-
tice. ! hope to live 70 see such scheme
in working order.