Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-04
PREDICTING HURRICANES.
The Last One Foretold and the Service
Should Be Improved.
Rules to BE Observed BY Vessels
success-Accurate Predictions.

Professor Cleveland Able Of the weather
bureau still continues to be the recipient
of the most nattering compliments for his
success in predicting the hurricane Of last
week. He was the forecast officer at the
bureau, and from Friday morning, August
Is. when he located 1t, on scant informa-
ton, 500 miles east Of Florida, until its dis
appearance in the north, the professor did
not make single error In his predictions.
He gave warning to the sections devastated
days in advance Of the hurricanes appear
ance, and even when all wires were down,
he still issued his representations. and
managed to give the true result
One probable result Of this good work
will be an effort to have the government
furnish weather predictions for mariners
as II now does for farmers and business
men. To this end the attention OF Con-
gress will probably be called to the work Of
the photographic bureau Of the Navy De-
partment In furnishing information to sea-
faring men concerning coming storms. 1t
Is interesting to note that the great hurrt-
cane was predicted by the weather bureau
days before its appearance. and the sup
porters Of the movement to secure prognos-
tications for weather on the ocean use this
as an argument to prove that IL such ac-
curate predictions could be made on the
meager Information received by the wealth
er bureau concerning the hurricanes for
nation near the West Indies much better
results would be obtained by extending the
service to islands in the sea, and other
places adjacent to the United States.
Hurricane Rules.
The extraordinary work Of the weather
bureau will be used in support Of the
scheme to secure predictions for the bene-
fit of mariners, to be distributed daily by
telegraph to newspapers at all shipping
ports. The pilot chart Of the North At
lantic Ocean for September, just issued by
the photographic office. Is made up from
reports furnished by captains Of vessels.
by the weather bureau. and by the news
papers. but its value Is somewhat dimin-
ished by the lateness and infreQuency of
its publication.
This months chart contains some valua-
Bile information apropos to the recent great
fit of ners.yachtsmen, and others when
overtaken by a hurricane:
Rule If the squall freshens without any
shift of wind, you are on or near the storm
track; heave to on the starboard tack, and
watch for some indications of a shift, OBJ
serving the low clouds particularly; If the
barometer fall decidedly (say half an inch)
without any shift, and II wind and sea per-
nit, run off with the wind on the starboard
quarter and keep your compass course.
Rule 2-If the wind shift to the right.
you are to the right of the storm track, in
the dangerous semi-circle; put the ship on
the starboard tack, and make as much
Roadway as possible until obliged to lie to
(starboard tack.
Rule 3-If the wind shift to the left, you
are to the left of the storm track, in the
navigable semi-crcle bring the wind on the
starboard quarter, and keep your compass
course: II obliged to lie to. do SO on the
port tack.
General rules-Always lie to on the COM
ing-up tack. Use oil to prevent heavy seas
from breaking on board your vessel.