The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-21
JApAN,s WEATHER BUREAUS
An American Describes the Netcoro-
logical Service There


BALTIMORE. Aug 21.-Frank Bennett
Wright. former student of the Johns
y2bins University, has written to the
United States Weather Bureau in Balti-
more from Japan describing typical me
neurological station IN. that country
Mr.. Wright left Baltimore about year
ago in company with mis- father. who is
connected with Western college. IN
search OF scientific specimeng in the Far
East.
In Maryland, he writes, 'ft Is hard 20
think OF Japan as being equipped with
meteorological observatories which would
DO credit 70 any OF our American cities. In
respect 10 agriculture and forestry Japan
far surpssses Us. Ali the hi!Isides where
it is possible, are ,erEaced with great car
and the small patches thus made produce
at least two and often three crops 3 year
first q grain, such as wheat or barley, then
rice. and lastly vegetables of some kind
HIliSiGeS that are steep OF are composed
OF too poor soil for this are set out with
pine trees There Is 10 place except Hol-
land where the land is in such & high state
OF cultivation. This has been the case for
centuries but the aid given the farmers
by The weather bureau reports and fore
casts IS a blessing that has come with the
recent Japanese awakening.
Besides the central Office al Tokyo there
are seventy sub-sJatiors which furnish data
for the weather map and forecast issued
every day at . .. N. This bulletin con
tains much the same facts as ours, but has
three maps showing the weather changes
during the preceding jweIty-f1Ur hours
Az Mayebashi l visited the Office, which
is located just outside of the town. and
was shown the apparatus and methods Of
work. In some respects It is better equip
the United States, but no. as well in 9TH
ers. Nearly all the instruments are of
German make
The observers here are worked rather
hard, for eye observations Of the air TEN
perature and the wet bulb the height of
the barometer the direction OF the wind
etc. are taken every four hours during
both night and day. A record is also kept
of the amount of ozone in the air and the
temperature Of the soil at one, two, and
three fee;.
-.One O. the most interesting parts of
the office 70 me was the seismograPh room.
Here in Japan, where earthquakes occ .
every few days. or oftener, the record OF
the seIsmograph is of great interest and
importance, although shocks cannot be
forecasted. This instrument is set on a
solid masonry base built up from the
ground so that the least movement Will be
transmitted. The slightest culver of this
base disturbs a cup of mercury, which
makes an electrical connection that starts
the large cylinder carrying the record pa
per. revolving slowly, and also makes three
ink dots on the face of the cIock-the first
at the hour, the second at the minute and
the third at the segond. On the record
sheet. which is lamp BACKED paper. rest
two points, so hung that they are practi-
caIly undisturbed' by any trembling Of the
earth, and so are known as immoEable
points One of these records the vertical
and the other the lateral movements.
When an earthquake occurs the pens
remain stationary, while the movements
of the cylinder which are the same as the
ground at that place, make a tracing in
dicative of the magnitude and directions of
the shock.