Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-09
STUDYING THE MAP.

STUDYING THE MAP.
How Senators Find Out About the Weather
at Home.
THE TWO CHARTS WHICH ARE CAREFULLY EXAM
INED-RED, BLACK AND BLUE wEATHER-rHE
STORM AREA CLEARLY DEFINED-A DAILY STUDY
THAT Is INTERESTING TO LEGISLATORS.
IF THE WEATHER MAPS IN THE PRI-
- vate lobby of the Senate we're dotted with
political predictions instead Of meteorological
symbols they would not be scanned more fire.
quently or with greater apparent interest than
now. About the first thing a Senator does
when he gets within easy walking distance Of
the maps is to see what sort of weather is
prevalent in the vicinity of his homo. Some
times three or four of the upper house
gather in front of the canvases and discuss
the probabilities with an acuteness that would
be worth something even to the most gifted
predictions officer
Employees too, take great deal Of interest
In the maps The senatorial attaches, like
their employers, come from widely remote
sections OF the country. When it is showing
In the northwest it frequently is-north-
western men stand before the map and SILVER
just out Of sympathy with those who are wear
ing ear muffs, buckskin underclothing. extra
heavy arctics and other necessary articles Of
apparel. When the mercury tries to lift the
roof on the thermometer down in the south
west, the man who put in three years at Fort
Yuma and five years more "down to old Camp
Grant makes seersucker clothing burdensome
by audlbly recalling the days when a mar had to
wear an overcoat. reinforced on the sh builders
a raj inn fpl1 LODI hlop hot trv
the sun from blistering his back. Many a
startling tale, many recital Of disastrous
chances, OF moving accidents by flood and field
OF hair-breadth 'scapes i the imminent deadly
breach" may be heard by him who loiters near
the maps.
THE sENATE's MAPS.
Hung on the wall which divides the private
lobby from the marble room are the maps in
question-two Of them. For long time the
Senate managed to do business with only one
map. but when Secretary Rusk TOOK charge of
the national weather he at once saw how I'M
fair 1t was to give the Senate only one while
the House enjoyed two.
One map shows the weather conditions at
o'clock a. m; the other makes plain the state
OF analrs at p. m. OF the previous day. 1t is
the easiest thing possible to read the maps.
Scattered all over their polished surfaces are a
number of hooks, each hook located on the site
Oh the more important cities. On these hooks
hang little disks, tho edges of which are per-
forated, 30 that the disks may be appropriately
hung. Most OF the disks are but the central
portions Of arrows, thus serving the double
purpose OF indicating the weather and the di-
rectlon OF the wind; the arrows fly with the
wind. When there is no arrow ON the disk
that means calm in that section of the United
States. The color of the disk conveys the prir-
clpal information. Red means clear weather;
blue, cloudy; half black, half white, fair black.
rain; black and white bars, snow.
Some OF the Senators are not ut all technical
In their reading OF the maps. I'VE are having
good deal OF red weather said one eminent
republican Statesman the other morning, and
that Is the way he generally sizes up the map.
10 him the weather Is either red or blue or
striped. He is not a scientist.
THE TEMPERATURE TAGS
On little cardboard tags, which also depend
from the hooks, is inscribed the temperature
and precipitation; the combination is perfect
and easily understood record. People who
cannot compreher the signals or who have no
great amount Of spare time are not shut out
from the store Of knowledge. Mr. j. II. Jones
OF the weather bureau has charge of the maps
and he can make everything plain to the most
obtuse intellect. Senators very frequently
neglect the maps. but find out all they want to
know by pumping MIR. Jones-an easy and salts
factory proceeding.
THE TRACK OF STORMS.
One OF the interesting and valuable novelties
is the use OF red tape to show the track Of
storms. The storm center is indicated by
large black arrow, and the tape trails after il
to the outer and rear edge of the atmospheric
connection. The area of the storm is shown
by brown cord, which is twisted around the
hooks. On the western edge of the a. H. map
are the nag signals in miniature. These show
the local indications, and already several Sena-
tors are expert in figuring out what the flags
and combinations of flags mean.
Then there are other charts-hung between
the maps or supported on an easel The daliy
predictions are there, SO is the weekly crop re-
port, with a record of the rainfall, temperature
and sunshine for the past seven days The
rainfall and temperature for the month are
also on exhibition, as is also a chart showing
the normal temperatures for each month, based
on nine years OF experience and record. From
this latter anybody can learn what the weather
ought to be. II it is otherwise the Department
OF Agriculture is not to blame.
THE sNowAREA.
Another novelty is the chart which shows the
snow area. This is printed weekly and is fire.
quently consulted by Senators who are inter-
ested in winter wheat and railroad affairs.
Altogether the service is as complete as could
be desired. In the more public parts of the
Capitol, III the principal offices and the press
galleries the daily weather map Is ON exhibit
tion-sources ofgreat comfort for while it NAV
be raining and freezing here the phiIosophic
observer Of the map will console himself with
the fact that the sun is shining brightly in Los
Angeles or San Antonio.