Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-08-06

themselves immensely. Games, races,
etc. were the order Of the day. The
picnicers returned in the cool of the
evening highly satisfied with their out
ing. Those in charge of the affair de-
! sire TO express their hearty thanks to
Mr.. johnson and all others who coz
tributed In any way to make the picnic
the success it was.
The weather bureau has become
quite an important branch of the ma
chinery of the agricultural department
of our government. 1t collects and
preserves statistics of temperature,
hygrometric conditions, and indeed of
every other feature connected with
meterology, from all over the Union.
In the course of many years 1t is hop
ed a careful scrutiny OF these reports
and statistics will lead to the discov-
cry of meterologic laws that will en-
able the farmer in any section to adj
just his crops at the beginning of the
season to meet the conditions that are
sure to arise. The Importance of this
work, should il lead 70 such results,
can readily be seen. Already we
have the professional weather-prophet,
whose predictions are something more
than mere guesses. Mr.. Hicks pre-
dicted that the year 1894 would be a
dry year; that clouds would collect,
threatening rain, and would end in
buster, with very slight rainfall. Ac-
cording to our recollection this is just
what happened. Mr.. Hicks bases his
predictions on astronomical conditions.
He only undertakes to say on what
days atmospheric, electrical or seismic
disturbance may be looked for in any
given section, but at what point they will
become most violent he does not pre-
tend to say. We have observed, how
ever, that some slight atmospheric
disturbance occurs on the days indicat-
ed by Mr.. Hicks frequently = not
enough to attract the attention of any
one but those who take interest in such
matters. Who can say that the sta
tistics now being gathered by the gov
ernment will not some day become
very valuable in enabling the SCIENTIST
to unveil meterology's hidden mystic
ries. Ironton has had station OF the
weather bureau for a long time. In
1878 Mr.. VIM. H. Delano engaged in the
business of gathering statistics which
he reported to Washington University
of st. Louis at stated periods. Even
tually the weather bureau established
station at Columbia, Mo-, to which
he makes a general report once a
month, and weather crop report once
n ua no oorriod m %hic yuorlr
without remuneration since 1873, un-
til May 25th of the present year. Since
that time the weather bureau has had
CORE and wheat region station at this
point, with Mr.. Delano in charge. Ev-
cry morning at seven o'clock he re-
ports by telegraph to the department
at St. Louis the actual state of the
weather at that hour: the highest
temperature reached in the twenty-four
hours proceeding that time; also the
lowest temperature, and the full
amount of rainfall in the same period.
For these daily services he gets small
compensation! In the beginning he
| furnished his own instruments. Now
the observations are made with instru-
| ments belonging to the government.
| He has been furnished with a rain
guage, an alcoholic and a mercury
thermometer, and case for these last
instruments. The thermometers are
self-recording-One recording the low
est, and the other the highest temper
ature reached in the twenty-four hours
preceding the report. They are ar
ranged nearly horizontally. The case
recently furnished by the government
places the instruments five feet above
| the ground. 1t has floor, a double
roof to prevent the direct influence of
the sun being felt, and admits free cir
culation Of the air. Mr.. Delano is a
most careful and nethodical man. and
the business could not have been en-
trusted to better hands. From these
daily reports collected from every sec
ton of Missouri, the officer of the
weather bureau makes up and sends
out his daily forecasts copy of which
may be seen at our post-office.