The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-26
WEATHER BUREAUS WORK.
How the Bureau Was Evolved From
the Old Signal Service.

How the Bureau Was Evolved From
the Old Signal Service.
An interesting sketch of the Weather
Bureau is contained in a review of the
work of the meteorologist for the benefit
OF agriculture, commerce and navigation,
by Mr.. f. H. Bigelow, professor of me-
teorology in the Weather Bureau. The
history of the bureau is contained in three
acts of Congress, that of 1870, organizing
meteorological service; that of 1871, pro-
v!uing an appropriation to report the
stages of water in the various rivers, and
the third of 1890, transferring the signal
service meteorological work from the war
department to the agricultural depart
ment.
The acts of Congress, Mr. Bigelow says,
indicate that the meteorological service
of the United States has passed through
three distinct epochs, each of which has
been natural in the practical development
of this branch of science The laws are
in fact but the crystallized expression of
the outcome of years of experience on the
part of those interested in meteorology.
Thus, the laws of 1871 and 1872 mark the
end of a long agitation, the purpose of
which was to persuade Congress that
forecasts of the weather were practicable
in the United States and that an organ
lied systematic effort TO give the public
due warning of the approach of storms
was worth a trial. The organization of
this service was intrusted to the signal
service of the war department. AT first
the service was for the benefit of naviga-
ton on the seacoast and on the Great
Lakes, but it was soon extended so as to
include the interior districts and the great
rivers of the central valleys
The experience incident upon the grad
ual extension of the service soon showed
that it would be necessary to include
the regions adjacent 10 the United States
in order to secure the most efficient fore
casts of the weather, especially the Do
minion of Canada, along the northern bor-
der, for the cyclones; the West Indies, TO
the south and southeast, for the hurri-
canes, and also Mexico and even Alaska
for other local effects. The benefits OF
the weather service were readily appre-
ciated by nearly very industry and every
department of our complex civilization.
Climate and crop conditions were de-
manded for the farmer, and observations
and warnings for the public and for rail-
road and water carriers. Hence, il soon
became necessary to enlarge the scope
of the service so as TO include
agriculture and commerce as well as
navigation, and 90 extend the sphere OF
the meteorologist to cover the study not
only of the dynamics and motions OF the
atmosphere, but Of climatology Qhe pre-
Vailing temperature and rainfalD, togeth-
er with their effects upon human life.
This great enlargement Of the original
idea regarding the scope of the work
gradually produced an environment which
became less suited 10 the duties inherent
in the purely military service that had
so successfully fostered this very growth
through twenty years. till at length 1t was
concluded that a more strictly scienuhc
bureau could better carry on the work
Accordingly, the second epoch came -
an end on July /. 1891 when the signal
service Of the war department was re-
feved Of It's meteorological duties and tho
Weather Bureau Of the department. OF
agriculture WAS organized and charged
with che future Of meteorology 10 inc
United States,
Ia tho latter administrative department
~ The government Mr.. Bigel0w says, the
civilian and scientific methods predoinl-
Iase, though Il mus ~ said that the