The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-08-09
FOREOASTINGSTORM
ACCURACY AND TiMElINEss IN FORE
CASTING WEATHER.

remarkable Success OF the United States
Weather bureau In Foreterling Sudden
and Dangerous Changes I'm the Atmos-
phsre In Various Sections.
The signal achievement of the gov
eminent weather bureau In predicting
the disastrous tornadoes In Iowa "a
hours In advance of their awful vista
lions brought into new prominence the
remarkable accuracy with which In
these days Of advanced science q weather
forecast can DO made.
The prediction Of the Iowa tornado
offers q noteworthy example Of the value
Of the government bureau and Illus
trates the perfection of the system 1t en-
ploys, but the forecast in point of accu-
racy is duplicated daily. It isn't every
day that tornado starts on wild STAN
pede, but the weather sharps are expected
to keep the cities and towns Of the coun-
try posted in advance In regard to the
weather. The daily forecast has become
an all important element In all calcutta
tons, whether Of pleasure or of business,
and could no more be dispensed with
than the telegraph or any Of the other
agencies which have revolutionized
affairs.
Several years ago o couple of young
army heutenants who saw tornadoes In
every cloudcap kept the western farm
ers lodging in and out OF low ground
cellars until they became round shout
dered and neglected their crops, but the
young lieutenants' experience is now one
Of the amusing traditions Of the office.
It is told, too. possibly as a joke, that
the colored janitor who had rheumatism
and looked upon his left leg as reli-
able gauge did the prophesying business
when the heutenants were invited to
some swell function.
Things are run differently now, as the
reliability of the predictions and the
able administration of the bureau at
test. 1t is doubtful, moreover, IL any
country on the globe has better equip
ped service. This is due in some meas
ure to the opportunities OF study offered
by the diverse climatic peculiarities of
the United States. These peculiarities
make the work Of weather prophesying
here most difficult task, requiring the
employment Of men of wide experience
and learning. 1t is by no means IN I'M
common circumstance for the weather
bureau to chase half dozen different
varieties of storms over the country in a
day. 1t may be hailing in North Da-
kota, tornado may be making sad
havoc in the western farming bolt, a
windstorm may be bowling along the
Atlantic coast, imperiling shipping, and
four or five thunderstorms may be
creating alarm in as many different sec
tions.
I With all these complications, a short,
thickset man, with gray eyebrows and
gray mustache, calmly looks over the
maps which are made on the reports of
every one Of the government observers
throughout the country and figures out
just the kind of weather that may be
expected in every state and section.
This short, thickset man, with gray
eyebrows and gray mustache, is the
official who, on examining the maps ON
the night of July 8, paused for q mo-
ment, and then, to the surprise of his
assistants, murmured, "This looks like
a tornado"
Major Dunwoody was the officer who
read the signs Alright. The government
observers at Sioux City, Des Moines,
Keokuk and Omaha had all reported
threatening atmospheric conditions, and
their reports when reduced to tracinge
on the maps showed that the center OF
the atmospheric disturbances was al
Cheyenne, with the winds racing from
all four points of the compass toward
the Wyoming capital. Major Dun
woody has had an intimate acquaint
ance with storms for years, and this
tornado didn't fool him by pretending tt
rendezvous at Cheyenne. The major Il
an old army officer, who understands al
about flank movements, and he began K
figure out where tho main attack might
be expected.
He was sitting on q high stool in the
forecasting room at the weather bureau
calculating on the tornado's probable
evolution. The major read the report Of
the storm sentinels at Sioux City and
Des Moines over again and then drew q
circle, with the center at Cheyenne and
the circumference toward the east
touching Davenport. The majors ex
perience taught him that the mos
trouble might be expected in the south
east segment of the circle, and before
} o'clock that night all the observers who
furnished the alarming reports were in
structed by wire to send out warnings t.
cities and towns on the respective sec
tons, and orders were also given to EN-
ploy every means to inform the country
districts of the impending peril.
:. Hours before the storm broke with it
terrible fury express trains running
trough the isolated communities hat
carried the bureaus intelligence, ant
those who lived far from the RAILROAD
station were warned by whistles which
were blown according to an established
. and well Understood code.
How quick. " all this was accomplished
illustrates trs efficiency Of the govern
Lic..t system as directed by Chief Har
Tington. At6o'clock on the night of tn
9th the observations were made, and al
3 hour later Major Dunwoody, with quicl
judgment based on long experience, has
located the storm and had sent out
: forecast to the threatened community
tellingo the dangers to be feared. How
. much greater might have been the dam
age to property and how much create
: the loss of life but for the warningsl
The weather bureau did not announc
that tornado might be expected, a
tornado predictions went out of favo
with the young army ieutenants. TIL
5 warning. as sent out, was to the effec
that severe local thunderstorms wer
o threatened, and the farmers knew full
|, well what was meant. As interprete,
d by them it signified that a ground celia
a would be q good place in which to spen,
i July 9, 1s93.-Washington Cor. New