Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-02-24
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ACCURACY AND T,MELlNEsS IN FORE.
CASTING WEATHER.

CASTING WEATHER.
Remarkable saccess Of the United States
Weather Bureaa In Horetelling Sudden
and Dangerous Changes In the Atmss-
phere In Various Sections.
The signal achievement of the gov
.rnment 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 daysof advanced science weather
forecast can be made.
The prediction of the Iowa tornado
pliers noteworthy example of the value
Of the government bureau and illus
trates the perfection of the sy stem it EN-
ploys, but the forecast in point of accu-
racy is duplicated daily. 1t isn't every
day that q tornado starts on wild stam-
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 calcula
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 a couple of young
army lieutenants who saw tornadoes in
cry 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 rs a joke, that
the colored janitor who had rheumatism
and looked upon his left leg as reli-
able gauge did the prophesying byly1D
when the iieutenants were invAnb -
some swell function.
Things are run differently now. rs The
reliability of the predictions and the
able administration of the bureau at
test. 1t is doubtful. moreover, if any
country on the globe has a 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 an un-
common circumstance for the weather
bureau to chase half dozen different
varieties of storms over the country in o
day. 1t may be hailing in North Da-
kota, tornado may be making sad
havoc in the western farming belt, 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.
With all these complications, short,
thic.lset 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 >, paused for a mo.
ment, and then, to the surprise of his
assistants, Eurmured, This looks like
q 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 tracings
on the maps showed that the center O.
| the atmospheric disturbances was a,
, 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 thi.
tornado didn'. fool him by pretending Il
| rendezvous at Cheyenne. The major i.
. an old army officer, who understands al
{ about flank movements, and he began II
, figure out where the main attack might
be expected.
? He was sitting on q high stool in tn
forecasting room at the weather bureau
calculating on the tornado's probabi'
evolution. The major read the report o.
the storm sentinels at Sioux City ant
I Des Moines over again and then drew !;
}. 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
q o'clock that night all the observers win
furnished the alarming reports were in
, structed by wire to send out warnings t
Q cities and towns ON the respective sec
tons. and orders were also given to EN-
ploy every means to inform the countr,
districts of the impending peril.
!. Hours before the storm broke with it
|. terrible fury express trains running
d through the isolated communities ha
d carried the bureaus intelligence. an
9 those who lived far from the railroa
h station were warned by whistles whic
:. were blown according to an establishe
and we'll understood code.
How quickly all this was accomplish
illustrates the efficiency Of the govern
% auent system as directed by Chief Hal
l. rington. At6oclock on the night of tn
=, 9Th tne observations were made. and n