The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-31
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GREAT IMPROVEMENTS
IN WEATHER BUREAU
Utah Now Given Better Service
Than Ever Before.

Salt Lake City is at present equip
ped with one of the best weather bu-
reaus in the western country, and most
of the development that has placed it
on such a high plane has come within
the past year. Starting with Jan. 1,
1899, when Director l.. H. Murdoch was
placed in charge of the bureau, the
general policy has been for better
equipment and a better service than
was ever accorded Salt Lake before,
and it has been provided.
The Improvements were started by
arranging for the printing of the
Monthly Climate and Crop Reports.
They had been issued for some time
by the milliograph process, and were
not as legible and neat il appearance
as desired. .They now appear and have
been for the past year in neat, clean
form, convenient for filing for future
reference, and containing charts that
show geographically the monthly dis
tribution of temperature and rainfall
over the state Five hundred copies are
issued each month. an increase of $50
over the number gotten out in any pre-
viouS wear.
Soon after the appointment of Direct
or Murdoch the force of the office was
increased by the addition of another
observes. and a messenger. placing four
men at work in, the office instead Of two
as had always been the case prior TO
this year. On March Is the office was
moved from the Board of Trade build
ing to larger and more suitable quar-
tiers on the top floor of the Dolly block.
Up to July but seven Geographic
reports were received from other sta
lions. From then on the constant eff
fort of Director Murdoch to better the
service has increased the Geographic
reports from seven to thirty-one, and
A.. t. hairor ra0Q<Vod
daily These reports cover the coun-
try as far east as Chicago, west to the
Pacific coast. south to. I'll Paso and
Galveston. and as far north as CAL
gary and Winnipeg, in Canada From
them a, weather map is prepared each
morning, showing the barometr1c and
thermometric conditions. the state of
the weather, the directions Of velocity OF
the wind. and the amount of rainfall
during the past twenty-fOur hours
These maps are issued to the number
of 100 daily. and are distributed by mes
senger to public places in the city and
by mail to other towns and cities in
Utah.
The Improvement in service has not
been confined to the local Office alto
gether. but has been felt in many out
side towns. Three voluntary stations
Deseret, Fish Springs and Park City
and five forecast display stations
Provo. Park City, Heber. Nephi and
Mill Creek-have been established dur
ing the year. On July l a regular OBJ
serving station of the weather bureau
was opened at Cedar City. Mr.. Wayland
Bailey being placed in charge.
The instrumental equipment of the
Salt Lake station has been improved
by the addition of several new self
recording instruments. all of them aid
ing in making the service better than
\ H. r1<<I -
those who prophesy the weather for the
delectation of residents of Zion consists
of L. H. Murdoch. section director in
charge: J. /. Widmeyer and d. c.
Grunow. observers; and Walter Felt
house. messenger.