The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
WARNED BY THE SIGNALS.
The Weather Bureau Was Wide
Awake During the Recent storm.


The Morning News has received from
Weather Observer William NJ. Dudley
copy OF the weather bureau storm bulle-
tin showing the track OF the coast storm
which prevailed along the Gulf and At
lantic coasts last week.
The chart is one of great interest TO
students OF weather changes. and storm
developments, and shows the valuable
service rendered generally. and more es-
pecially TO the shipping interests. by the
weather bureau, during the prevalence Of
this storm The amount of property saw
ed by these warnings is incalculable, as
the warning of the bureau last Wednes-
day to hold all vessels in port" was, no
doubt, instrumental in saving both life
and property in many instances.
The storm, which struck US here Friday
morning with such force, developed Tues
day in Southwestern Texas and passed
rapidly eastward along the Gulf coast as
lar as Pensacola, increasing in energy;
Thence It turned northeastward and
reached the North Carolina coast Thurs
day morning, having then assumed hurri-
cane violence. During the day II swept
along near the coast, over Washington,
ID. c., Philadelphia, Pa, New York, n.
Y, into New England, and was central
panied by heavy rainfalls in the East Gulf
and Atlantic states, and caused violent
gales on the Atlantic coast, increasing to
hurricane VeloCitieS from Atlantic City,
n. j., to PASSPORT, Me.
The weather bureau signals were display
ed Tuesday afternoon from Brownsville
TO Galveston, Tex, giving advice of the
development of a storm in Southwestern
Texas, with southeast winds on the coast.
These We're changed to southeast storm
signals, and were extended eastward to
on the Gulf coast. Wednesday morning
the center of the storm was near the
mouth of the Mississippi river with rain
generally in the Gulf states, the Middle
states, and New England, and falling
barometer in the Atlantic states. These
conditions indicated an intenser develop
ment of the storm, and the storm sig
mails were changed from southeast to
northwest on the Gulf coast; southeast
storm signals were hoisted on the Allan
tic coast from Jacksonville to Hatteras,
with the information that high northerly
winds were expected on the Gulf coast,
and high southeast winds on the Middle
and South Atlantic coast. Notification of
these precautions were forwarded to the
maritime. exchanges Of New York and
Philadelphia.
The bulletin explains at length the
changing of the signals to indicate the
change in character and the movement of
the storm up to Thursday, when the storm
had reached the middle Atlantic coast and
the hurricane signal was hoisted. Chesa-
peake Bay stations. and from Norfolk to
PASSPORT, with instructions to employ
entire force at docks to keep vessels from
leaving port, as the hurricane will sweep
the Atlantic coast northward to the Cana
dian provinces"
Notifications of this action were sent to
maritime exchanges, New York, Philadel
phia, and the Canadian meteorological of
flee at Toronto. All the resources at the
command of the weather bureau, in CO.
operation with the postoffice department,
the revenue service of the treasury de-
partment, and the voluntary observers of
the weather bureau were engaged in the
distribution of these warnings. This is the
first occasion for the employment of the
hurricane emergency warning in the North
Atlantic states since its organization. La
ter reports show that the action of the
weather bureau was fully justified.
1t will be seen that information was sent
to all Atlantic ports at least twenty-four
hours before the approach of the storm,
and that storm and hurricane signals were
displayed from twelve to twenty-four
hours before the storm reached danger
Gus conditions at the stations needing pro-
lection.