Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-28
MORE MONEY WANTED
Chief MORE 4 the Weather Bureau
Comp}dnsiof Lack of Funds.
he SAYS 1Hlf sl,o0O,o0O Is NEEDED
How the Operations. Of the Service
HAVE Increased.
INVESTIGATING sUNsFRoKE

l
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| Many details Of interest to the public
| all over the country are contained in the
! report of Chief Willis L. Moore Of the
| weather bureau, which he has submitted
| to Secretary Wilson of the Department Of
| Agriculture for the. fiscal year ending June
| 80. -,
Chief Moore complains that the work of
| the bureau Is greatly hampered by the
lack OF appropriations. He says that in
| leSS-S4 the weather service cost $993, go.
For the current year the appropriation
| was $SSs,772, 100000 less in that year.
In 1888 no weather maps were issued except
at the central Office in Washington. Dur
ing the last fiscal year 4,315,OO0 were issued
| outside the capital, being an increase Of
6S6oOO In the last three years. During the
last fiscal year daily forecasts and warn
ings were sent to s., 694 places by mail, tele-
graph, telephone and other means. The
increase in the number of places receiving
| forecasts in the two years was nearly
10000
IN 1873 no information was collected re-
gardlng the weather as influencing crops
Under the present system climatic and crop
| con Gonditions are reported from 5000 places
Inc result1. are summarized in weekly
climatic and crop bulletins issued at each
state center and published by practically
the entlre press of the whole country. There
are $500 voluntary observers at present
IN lSs3-'S4 the station on seacoasts, great
lakes ana other places where displayed were
comparatively few and far between. Now
there are 2o3 stations where these signals
are displayed and data collected.
The sum estimated for carrying out the
work properly for the next appropriate ton
Is 81, 044, $50, which will provide for the es-
tabl1shment and equipment of new stations
m tn <~Tv
thought $4,000 is needed for this estab-
lshment.
Stations in the Southwest.
The report asks for the establishment of
stations IN the southwestern part of the
country, embracing the territory of Ne
Vada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and
southern California. 1t is stated that fire.
quent storms originate in this territory.
and it is desired to have places from which
Information can be attained regarding
them. At present there are fifty cities of
more than $1,000 population having a
weather bureau station, and it Is thought
In some OF theme at least, stations could be
estaolished.oiSeveral of them, however. are
near places (which already have stations.
The new estimate includes an item of
s10'ooO Tor the purchase of signal lights for
all stations displaying storm signals There
are now 25o ports displaying signals
Another item includes 5000 for the MR.
pose OF ersfting small building on the
government reservation between the two
| canals. SAUL Ste Marie, Mich There is an
average of eighty vessels passing through
tnese cana4ft each day, and 1t is thought
ton there 81 81 af4 n Means an0oa nave sta
Property Saved by Warming,
special mention is made of the warming
ISSUED by the bureau regarding floods in
the lower Mississippi valley in the spring
of the prescott ysar. when at least 81, 900, 600
worth OF property was destroyed and prob
ably two ors1hree. times that amount would
| have been injured had 1t not been for the
warming. -
During the year there have been main.
tanned Ii river and AZ rainfall stations
from which reports were received Reports
were also given from thrty-three other sta
tions. . -
Regarding the fall the report saws: 1.-THE
year was somewhat remarkable of severe
cold waves and destructive frosts''
Inc weather bureau Is charged by law
with reporting the temperature and rain
fall conditions in the cotton. corn and
wheat regions. The cotton service covers
the southern states from the Carolinas.
Georgia and Florida to Texas. Obserya-
tons OF the temperature and rainfall were
made at 100 stations throughout this re-
gion. The corn and wheat region service
extends from Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio
westward to and including the Dakotas
Nebraska and Kansas, in which Territory
132 daily reports are made at as many sta
tons. Climatic statistics on these subjects
are conveyed to the public.
The Question of Sunstroke.
Researches have been made by the
bureau, under the head of climate par
ticularly statistical studies in reference to
the influence of climate. season and
weather upon sunstroke and pneumonia: In
August, 1885, there were 3,O3S deaths from
sunstroke. In New York 81 per cent Of the
cases occurred with daily atmospheric
temperature equal to or slightly above the
normal maximum tempera ture for August
This percentage was ~ per cent in Boston
and Il Per cent In Washington The work
Ing hypothesis was formed out of what
ever statistics. could be had that sunstroke
becomes imminent during the summer
months. when mean temperature of any
che day, OF ofsseVeral successive DAYS be-
comes equal to. or nearly equal to the
normal maximum temperature for the
period.
All the statistics necessary could not be
obtained in this regard, so that the n.y.
pothesis cam OF be taken as a statement
Of facts
Much interesting data are given in re
gard to the rainfall for number of years
The amount Of rain for the last ten wears
was Tar below that of the preceding ten.
The least amount of rain the report saws
which ever falls during the growing sea
son, April to September, varies from about
twenty-five inches in central Florida to ten
icHco ou luc lOWeT lakes, and from about
fifteen inches at the mouth of the Missis
sippi to about eight inches in northern
Minnesota.
Kite Flying.
The subject Of kite flying by the bureau
is treated at some length The object. IT
Is stated, Of bringing kites into requisition
Is to secure meteorological observations at
great attitudes above the surface of the
earth. Chief Mo9re states that he has been
working ono plays for at least two years.
the object Of them being to secure data by
means of automatic Instruments displayed
at the same minute from many stations
elevated at leasta mile above the earth.
1T is believed he says, that sinful
taneors observation at a high level at
many given stations If kites can be per-
fected at Zach d degree as to render It
possible to secure daily observation. viii
ultimately result in a better Understanding
of the mechanits Of storms"
An effort Will be made to establish about
twenty stations Sduring the present year
for this purpose. The stations will be
simply experimental at first, and IL the e
suits obtaii7ed are useful to the forecaster
they win be nade part OF the weather
International Observations
The International siYnulta neo,,s ;,,,,,,a- ~,