Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-25
tCieveland Plain Deaierl
lie that IL woatherwise
L. seldom otherwise"

without shrcwd amount Of truth. For
perhaps nowhere can we nnd ID more
rHklng combination Of impcrfec, OBJ
ssryatlon and inconsistent deduction
imam In the saws which form the stock
ln trade Of the ordinary would-br
weather prophet How common q is t.
md men fun OF the conviction that the
weather must change at the so-callci
changes Of the moon" forgetful that
"ft we'd no moon at all
And that may seem strange
We atili should have weather
That's subject TO change"
They will say truly enough. M doubt.
that they have known the weather to
change In new or "ul." ns the case
may be-. and thcy argue that 10. there
FORE mus, always do 20. But In face.
hoy have only noted few chance
condolences and have let the great
number OF discordanccs pass By un-
noticed.
But observations Of this kind seem
scienunc and respectable compared
with those numerous weather proverbs
which are based upon thu mere Jingle
d a rhyme. as
III the ash IL out before the oak.
You may expect a thorough Hptk'-
a proyerb which IL deity Inserted In
sonc districts by making "oak' rhyme
To- choke"
oh.rs again are based upon a mere
childish fancy. 90. for example. whom
Oh. young moon lying on hcr back
Do supposed to bodc a spell OF dry
weather. because u looks like "a cup.
ana ao might bee thought Of aH able to
hold the water
a very different method NJ weather
study hiH come into action. and the
foundations of "a true weather wisdom
have been IalI. These have been htr Hd,
not on fnuclgd nnniogloa or old wives
rhymes. Or few flrUohoHon culucl-
dsugpn. but upon observations carried
On flr long periods NJ time ana over
wide areas ~ country. and discussed lu
their entirety without selection amt
bias Above an. m1thU mutlcal anaiys if
hiH been applied Co the motion uf tho
ulr and ideas. ever gaining in precision
and cNnctncHa. have been formulated
uf the general circulation Of the atmos-
pherc.
Ac compared with ~ sister science.
astronomy, motcorpiogy appears 90 be-
Hilll in u very undevclDpod state. There
d. such difference between tho power
uf the astronomer 60 fnrotoll the pre-
Elise position ~ sun, moon ana planets
for years, even for centuries, before
hand. ana the failure ~ the met'prui-
uriHt to predict the weather fuf "a single
season ahead. that the Impression has
been widely spread that there b. yet no
true meteorological science at an ~
ia forgotten that astronomy N offered
ua. In the movements ~ the heavenly
bodies. the very simplest ana easiest
problem ~ related motion. Yet Tor how
many thousands OF years dld mon
watch the planets and speculate cone
corning them before the iahurH of Ty-
eh0. KCnler ana Newton eliminated lH
the revelation ~ their monningf For
countless generations II was supposed
that their movements regulated tho
lives characters and private fortunes
~ individual men. Just ~ quite recent
ly 10 was ftnCied that the now moon
falling on a Saturday or two full moon,
coming within the same calpud Al
month brought bad weather
n lH SIN impossible o. f0rrHco tho
weather change Tor long ahead. but IN
some countries, especially In tho United
Snlla. % has been found possible Ca
predict tho weather ~ the coming
twruty.four hours with considerable
vNlcincHH and often 90 forecast the
coming nf "a great storm several dayr
ahead. This D. The chief purpose of the
two rrrnt uhaefyai1rira OF the storm
swept Indian and Chinese seas. Honr.
kong and Maurtius. aud the value ui
The work which they have done IN pre-
venting the loss ~ ships ana tho con-
Hruurnt loss of lives and property has
been beyond an estimate.
The Royal observatory. Greenwich.
lH meteorological uH well nH AN as
Economical observatory. hut Il docs not
itself issue any weather forecasts The
Greenwich observations Of weather
am sent 90 the meteorological ofilce.
there 10 be- combined with similar
records from every part ~ tho British
Isles, 10 form the basis " the dallN
forecasts which the latter office pub
fishes. To each OF h.He three Offices.
therefore. the Royal rvatory.
Greenwich. stands IN tho rotation Of q
puryeyor u supplies them with the
original observations more or less In
reduced and corrected form. without
which they could not carry on most
important portions 0f their work.
Let II be noted how closely the three
several departmcnta-tho Nautical AZ
manac office, The time department and
the meteorological ufilcorarc related a.
practical navigation. Whatever qurs.
ton OF pure Hclence--of knowledge thar
u apart from M useful application
may arise out OF the following w Of
these several Inquiries. yrt the first
thought, the iirat principle OF eaclT IL
tn render navigation more sure
The iirst OF all meteorological lnstru-
ments u the barometer, which, under
lis two chief forms ~ morcuriai aud
lncr1id.. Is simply u means of mensur-
ins the pressure eNerted b. the atmos,
Uhrre.
There are two important corrections
o. which ltH readings ARE subject. Tn,
hrst In for the hight ~ the station
above the level ~ the sea, the second
Is for the eject % temperature upon
mercury In the barometer Itself length,
enlng the column. 10 overcome these
The hight OF the STANDARD barometer az
Greenwich above arn level has been
most carefully ascertained. and tho
hlghts relative 10 II ~ the other haT-
umciors Of the observatory particular
~ those IN rooms occupied by funda-
mental telescopes, have also been de-
termlned, while the Helf-recording bar
pmCter u mounted In a basement wher,
u II almost completely protected from
changes Of temperature,
Newt In Importance 10 the barometer
NJ meteorological instrument comes
The thermometer The great difficulty
IN the observatory use OF tire tharmon-
Hter II 90 secure a perfectly uueNccIi.
uonnl exposure 20 that the thermom,
Ter may be- In free and perfect contact
WIN the air and yet completely shell
lgrcd from any direct ray ~ the sun
This Is secured In the great thermnmr,
i'r shed M Greenwich by double
cries Of louvre boards on the east
'uth ana west sides Of tho shed, tn
a HIN1 A.. A. a