Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-03-19
SIGNAL STA'I'Iu>N Al SEA.
AN IDEA MATCHED BY WEATHER
CLERK DUNN, OF NEW YORK.

Weather Bure.u stations on the Atinn-
tic to Make the Service Perfect Pre-
dieting storms Several Days Ahrnd Is
PossibiIity Not Very Remote.
Of late years the Government has paid
considerable attention to the developing
of the weather science. 1t has enlarged
the facilities for taking observations, and
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 meteoroIogy
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 aud in
reconnaissance duty. As consequence.
the students at Arlington became expert
signalmen, telegraphers, and scouts, but
they were not 80 proficient in a knowl-
edge of the phenomenon of the weather
as 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, as in all other
things, this metropolis, says the New York
Sun, at once took the lead in the new de-
velopment.
IN Of tha Ia lN,
the New York office was to predict tive
and three days ahead, instead of only one
day. Local Forecast Official Dunn has
made successful four day forecasts, but
lie does not hope to go beyond that.
So many different phenomena and uu-
expected changes may occur during the
space of 96 hours that it is very hard to
make an accurate forecast for such a
long time. After all of the elaborate
measurements and calculations have been
made and the expert has predicted a GER
tain kind of weather, some miserable
little high pressure area or wildcat storm
that had been small enough to csc ,pe
| the eye of the observer may come sneak
ing around at the 1lth hour and upset all
his deductions.
| Under the old system weather obscrv-
ers We're not allowed to make forecasts
for y much longer time than "a hours.
| But that restriction has been removed 3;
and now Mr.. Dunn has been making *
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
Shi ipboard 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 a connection
| with any of the submarine cables. The
end of the wire connecting with the
vessel might be sustained by a buoy, 50
| that in the event of a hurricane or some
similar disturbance on the ocean. the
| ships could let go the wires and cruise
about until the storm had abated. The
| buoy would be sufficient to keep the wire
in a position where it 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 he 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 such weather
/ ships would be the facilities for obtain
ing weather news.
Mr.. Dunn, in speaking of the plan.
! says:
:" 1t is grand idea. 1t would make
the weather service almost perfect. We
could then nail these ocean storms every
time. do not see anything impract-
cable in it, and il the cost would not be
too great, it would certainly pay our
Government to put the scheme into prac.
tice. hope to live to see such scheme
in working order"