The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-15
THE WEATHER SHARPS.
" ,ething About the Men Who Make
Forecasts.
Amateur Prophet Who Has Been Pre-
dieting for Thirty Years-Interesting
Talk with Observer Salisbury.

The United States weather bureau has a
department in this city where trained
weather sharp sits day after day making
observations and calculations. He is
assisted in reaching his conclusions by
the finest instruments that science can
devise. His predictions are announced
in the papers and by signal flags. and are
carefully followed by the public, espe-
cially at this season of the year, when
picnics and excursions are the order OF
the day.
Then there is another weather sharp
who has no observatory, and whose pre-
dictions do not appear in the papers. He
is lust as enthusiastic at the business,
though. as ii the government paid him q
handsome salary for his work and posts
his predictions in front of his
bakery on First South street with as
much regularity as the official observer
displays in hosting his signals. The
amateur is Thomas Webb, and he Ger
tainly 'shits it'' great deal oftener
than he misses it, and few people go by
his place without stopping to read his
predictions. He is extremely modest
about his ability in the direction indi-
HERALD reporter who dropped into his
place yesterday induced him to say any
thing about his methods. He paused in
his work long enough to say that he had
been a self-appointed weather forecaster
for thirty years, but had never prepared
himself especially for such WORK. 1t
"came natural to him and was
Dor of love. At this juncture
prophet became so frightfully
" that he couldn't find time to impart
Their information, and the reporter
Arted for the United States observatory.
MIR. Salisbury and his assistant were
also busy in making out reports, but
when the observer was asked ii he would
give description of the weather bureau
machinery, such as the average indivId-
ual could grasp, he dropped his work to
comply.
''1he central bureau is at Washing
ton, - said Mr.. Salisbury. GA force of
but two hundred observers and clerks are
employed there. They receive reports
Z from all the stations, and from them col
late reports to be semi out again. The
reports received from the central bureau,
together with an observation of the baro-
meter are the data from which we make
our forecasts"
''These forecasts are not always cor
rect?''
''Not always. Meteorology is not an ex-
act science. But we labor under a great
disadvantage here in being out of the cir
cult. By that mean that Winnemucca,
Baker City, Cheyenne, Helena, Miles
City and Idaho Falls are the points from
which we get our data. II we might have
added 10 these two or three points on the
Pacific coast and some stations in the
east. it would be an immense advantage.
7 sum it all up, we depend upon our
knowledge of the atmospheric conditions
- the neighboring sections and the cor
ectness of our forecasts is in direct ratio
20 the amount of such information we re-
ceive. When that amount is limited, our
predictions are more or less faulty.''
''What do you think of the claims OF
weather prophets who make Independent
Observations?'
81 have nothing to say about Salt Lake
city weather prophets -
Speaking in general way?''
''Well. if l were to generallze should
say that they do not make independent
observations. They usually depend upon
the weather maps which are sent out
periodically by the bureau. The Rev
Earl Hicks of St. Louis, who issues a
calendar each year, consults these maps.
The maps can be procured free of expense
by anyone, but it is with the understand
ing on the part of the officials that the
maps be posted in conspicuous places for
the information of the public