Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-12-10

y
of the task is enough to make them
sleepless and the rapidity Of the work
is such that they are utterly worn out
! each day from their labors.
Washington is the headquarters Of
the weather bureau and here Weather
Chief Willis Moore sits at his station,
with his assistants, receiving daily re-
ports of the weather. These reports
are translated and sent out all over the
country; and in the preparation of the
reports the incest work is called for
Rochester wires that there is cold
wave, blowing toward the south, at 4
rate calculated to reach Washington in
a day and half.
At the same minute Toledo wires tina.
there is warm wind blowing toward
the east at a rate which will bring
thaw to Washington in day and
half
Here are two conflicting kilograms,
and what is the Chief to do?
Well, and here comes the hard work.
He must deduce. He and his assistants
must run rapidly over the other tele-
grams and must see what the weather
is in other places, how the wind is
blowing and what are the chances for
snow or thaw or wind or rain.
THE PROBABILITIES.
From these they must calculate the
probability of a wind storm cutting
through mild wave; they must see
which stands chance of reaching the
city first. At the same time there are
ocean currents that are very strong
and which may upset all calculations.
1t is hard work.
This is the way the weather man explains
it to layman. But to a professional he
gives a far different version He uses lam
guage so technical that neither you nor
anybody else could understand it unless in
the business.
Without the use of the Geographic code
which has been devised by the weather
bureau for the taking of these observa-
tions at least 100 words would be required
for the observer to tell the weather story
as it exists in his domain. With the code
he can do the job in from seven to eleven
words. 1t takes some time for a new OBJ
server to become sufficiently familiar with
this code to be able to use it with fiuency
and despatch. For example, in order to
indicate the amount of clouds and the rain
and snow, in connection with the direction
of the wind at the time of the observa-
ton, series of single words are selected,
which change with each fraction of an
inch of rain or snow. Here is an example
of the code:
Here are seven words, the usual number
of words in the observers kilograms. This
translated at sight by experienced men,
is as follows.
Cheyenne Burnett, member immense
camp, continued, number
CHEYENNE, Wyoming, s a. m-The
barometer stands at 010 The temperature
is 640. Direction of the wind is south.
Weather is cloudy. Precipitation has been
Ia of an inch. The current wind velocity
is six miles. Minimum temperature has
been $40 Dew point, $40. Amount Of
clouds, 2. Kind of upper clouds, GIRO
cumulus. Direction of clouds, southwest
Amount of lower clouds, g. Kind of lower
clouds Gtratus. Direction of motion,
SOUTH"
The weather bureau pays out consider
ably more than 100000 year in telegraph
tolls. The bureau has not many wires of
its own. but its business has the right of
way over all American telegraph lines. Ev-
cry scrap of stuff submitted by the weather
people throughout the country to the tele-
graph companies for transmission bears
rush" mark stamped across its face.
There are two observations, covering all
| points to the weather. taken by the
| weather men throughout the country. The
| weather map is made from the a. M OBJ
I servatiorl, and this morning forecast is