Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-01-18
ANNAPOLIS Md MONDAY EVENING JANUARY IS. 1899.
SIGNAL STATIONS AT SEA.
an IDEA MATCHED eN WEATHER
CLERK DUNN, OF NEW YORK.

weather Rureau Stations on the Allan
tie 20 Maks the service Perfect Prs-
dieting storms Several Days ah~Sd Is
a Possibility Not Very Remote.
or late years the Government has paid
cons iderable attention 10 the developing
of the weather science IL has enlarged
the facilities for taking observations, anu
has improved the method Of recording
them.
This work was begun by the War De-
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 flags. lanterns.
and photographs in telegraphing and in
reconnaissance duty. As 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
as might have been desired.
So il 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, as in all other
things, this metropolis. says the New York
SluH, at once took the lead in the new de-
velopment.
One of the first innovations made hy
the New York Office was 10 predict two
and three days ahead, instead of only ono
day. Local Forecast Official Dunn has
made successful four day forecasts, but
he does not hope to go beyond that.
So many different phenomena aud un-
expected changes may occur during the
space OF 90 hours that it is very hard TO
make an accurate forecast for such
long time. After all of the elaborate
measurements aud calculations have been
made, and the expert has predicted GER
tain kind of weather, some miserable
little high pressure area or wildcat storm
that had been small enough to es C ,pe
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 been removed;
and now Mr.. Dunn has been making a
side study of long forecasts, which he
considers highly practicable.
One of the difficulties in the way of
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 everything.
The plan suggested to get around this
difficulty is TO have weather offices on
shipboard in the middle of the Atlantic
-one off the Bermudas, another oppo-
site to Washington, one off New York.
and another off 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 a buoy. SO
that in the event of hurricane. or some
similar disturbance on the ocean. tic
ships could let go the wires and cruise
about until the storm had abated. The
buoy would be sufficient to keep the wire
in position where it could be recovered
readily
Not only would such ships be very
valuable 70 the Weather Bureau, but
they would be OF great advantage to
commerce. In the first place they
would be useful as central marine telo-
graph stations
Again, such vessels could forward
general marine intelligence.
The Nova Scotia vessel would be par
ticularly useful in sending the latest re-
ports of fogs off that coast. Fogs have
caused more marine disasters than have
storms or hurricanes.
But the supreme benefit to be derived
from the establishment of auch weather
ships would be the facilities for obtain.
ing weather news.
Mr.. Dunn, in speaking Of the plan.
says:
at is a grand idea. It would make
the weather service almost perfect We
could then nail these ocean storms every
time. do not see anything impracti-
cable In it, and il the cost would not be
too great, it would certainly pay our
Government 70 put the scheme into prac-
iice. hope to live to see such scheme
in working order.