Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-14
THE WEATHER BUREAU.
Mr.. Morton Gratifled at the Improve
ment in That Service.

Mr.. Morton Gratihed at the Improve
ment in That Service.
The Secretary Of Agriculture expresses
much qualification over what he regards as
a great improvement In the service of the
weather bureau under his administration
Instances Of Improvement are mentioned as
follows:
January "a. at 1870 p. m. the maritime
exchanges Of New York and Philadelphia
were warned of dangerous gales off the
middle Atlantic and New England coasts
for that night, with a cold wave and snow.
At the same time Charleston. Wilmington.
Moorhead City, Washington. d. c.. Norfolk.
Fortress Monroe. West Point and Baltimore
were admonished that the wind would shift
to the southwest and then northwest. with
q cold wave; storm dangerous off the coast
Thursday morning.
On January "a. at 1923 a. m, the observ-
ers at Richmond, Lynchburg. Norfolk, RAJ
leigh. Charlotte. Southport and Wilmington
were notified of cold wave, with a drop
In the mercury Of from 20 to 40 degrees, and
instructed to use the entire station force at
each point to wire information to all &C.
cessible neighboring points. The Cape
Henry Wa.) Office wired New York and
Baltimore exchanges. and the Merritt
Norwegian bark Clythia was ashore near
Washwoods. N. c. At p. m. steamer
stranded at Cape Henry, Va. Immediately
the observer wired the Merritt Wrecking
Company at Norfolk. and opened tine Office
for duty. The ship began firing distress
rockets and guns, but the observer led no
Might signals with which to respond.
They have since been furnished him. This
proved later the steamer Rappahannock
from Newport News to Liverpool, a vessel
and cargo valued at $6O0.0OO. Through the
efforts of the observer the services of the
wrecking organization were secured and the
efforts Of the crews, being redoubled on
learning through the weather bureau of the
approach of cold wave and high winds, she
was pulled of at high water. In few
hours an intensely severe gale with freezing
temperature set In and would have inevita-
bly, caused the entire loss of vessel and
vious tide. A salvage Of $6OO,OO0 was thus
effected through the service Of the weather
bureau in this one instance.
The storm Of the last forty-eight hours
was prognosticated with great deIin:teness
and precision and warnings sent to every
possible point in its track, twenty four
hours previous to its elimination. 1t is
safe to say that the weather bureau has
saved to commerce, manufactures and agrt-
culture during the last four months more
than Its entire appropriation for the next
fiscal year. The secretary is in receipt Of
communications from citizens giving sums
saved by the preditions of January 90, 1854
ranging from $500 saved to a person ship
ping perishable farm products, up to the
saving Of the Rappahannock and cargo val
ued at 100000. People living in The path
of the storm of yesterday and the day be-
fore will testify that they received timely
warning of it's intensity and danger
Thus the science of forcastiny comes to
the 'front.'" said Secretary Morton. THE
this planet. and not with dreary dreams as
to the atmosphere Of the moon. terrestrial
magnetism, nor as to storms which may
occur during the next century"