The record-union., 1892-08-30
WE ARE NOT IN IT.
California's Weather Service Below
That of the East.
Director Barwiok Hopes for Financial
Aid From the Next Session of
the Legislature.

James A. Barwick, Director Of the State
Weather Service, in a letter to the
RECORD UNION, dated at Philadelphia,
August oath, says:
l arrived several days ago from Roch
ester, via New York, at which place
stopped off for day and visited several
exCalifornia citizens. The ride down
the Hudson River was most delightful
and pleasant one on the commodious
steamer City of New York, which carries
nothing but passengers and baggage,
with music thrown in. Everything
! looked green and beautiful on each side
Of the river, in fact, from North Platte,
Neb., TO Philadelphia, by any route
Travelled ut this season of the year, is seen
! one continuous panorama of land COW
cred with fruits, flowers, grains, etc,
| and resemble the scenes in California in
| April and May.
Already the fiower-loving community
! OF Philadelphia are digging I'D their
more tender plants from the flower gar
! dens and potting them, for the purpose
| OF housing them during the unknown to
! u.s. cold, long winter, when frost pene-
trates the ground several inches in
| depth.
This is the most perspiring country l
! have been in for many day, and if
have my own way it will be many a day
! before L return to it again, especially dur
ing the heated period. September and
| October, or May and June, are the best
months to visit the States bordering on
the Atlantic Ocean. | am sorry TO say
| that When we come to talk and compare
! State weather services together, Cali
| fornia is way behind the times, and / re-
ceive many sighting jeer in reference
| thereto; but told them TO hold on, that
| California would have the most complete
and best record for an annual review of
| 1892 for free distribution in the California
| State building at the Worlds Fair than
any other State in the Union. know
whereof | speak. All that is needed is
! the assistance of the State Agricultural
| Society, in conjunction with the Board of
Examiners, before whom all new matter
that goes to the State Printing Office must
/ come before. / think and believe that
| they will not hamper me in my endeavor
to have California stand at the head in it's
| climatic and meteorological department,
! that the Sneering remarks made by my
worthy State Weather Service brothers
may come back to them in more ways
! than one.
There will be an effort made to try and
| get the Legislature to print forty or fifty
thousand copies of the report for 1892 as
soon as possible in 1898, for distribution
at the Worlds Fair, and it will depend
! in a great measure on the actions and
| hearty corporations OF the different de-
partments named above whether or not
! California will be well or poorly repre-
sented in the great Columbian Exposition
! of 1898. Alone ] can do nothing, but with
! the above assistance / fear no competi-
! tors.
The State of Pennsylvania has, without
any exception, the best organized State
weather service in the United States. A
certain sum is generally appropriated.
One of the most complete voluntary OBJ
server stations in Pennsylvania as well
as in the United States, was that of
| Knowles Croskey of Phoenixville, a town
of about 10000 inhabitants. He has a
complete office, and is supplied with all
| the latest improved instruments at his
! own expense, and his work on his station
! is simply perfection itself. In fact, the
| Pennsylvania Railroad Company de-
/ pends a great deal on his local predictions
as to heavy rains and SHOWS. Mr.. Cros-
| key is certainly most accurate forecast
! official. 1t must be understood that he is
| not connected with our service in any
form whatever, only furnishing them
monthly data. He is a well-to do citizen,
and has factory which makes needles
! for the different knitting machines now
/ in use. His residence and factory are
well above the SchuylkIll River, where
/ the cooling breeZeS can be felt.
The Director of the State Service of
| Pennsylvania is a young gentleman by
| the name of Ball, a practicing attorney in
the courts of Philadelphia, and who is
| bringing the State weather service of
! Pennsylvania down to a most thorough
and perfect system, although somewhat
hampered at present by the lack of funds.
| 1t will be but temporary, however, and
| will all be overcome after the next Legis-
| lature meets. / only wish that our Cali
! fornia weather service could get aid
comfort and assistance from the incom-
| ing Legislature, by appropriating a few
hundred dollars extra yearly to the State
Agricultural Society that instruments
might be furnished voluntary observers
of the State.
In Pennsylvania commission is is
sued to each voluntary observer, which
is handsomely gotten up. l hope at the
neXtannu meeting of our State Weather
Service Association next August in Chi
cago that California will not be in the
rear as far as having money appropri-
ated for the establishment of a perIna-
nent State Weather Service of our own in
cooperation with the United States Wealth
er Bureau and also for furnishing eli
matte data and other interesting meteor
illogical features for the State Fair.
/ shall go to Baltimore and Washing
ton in few days and may send you
l hope you are not suffering with the
heat as | am in Philadelphia, where a
gentle shower gladdened the hearts of
the people by making the weather some
what cooler. / don't want any Eastern
climate in mine.
/