The Republican journal., 1901-05-02
WEATHER PREDICTIONS.
The Work of the Z. S. Weather Bureau:
Bene fits to Commerce and Agriculture.

Benefits to Commerce and Agriculture.
There is no other subject in which
the people throughout the civilized
world are so generally interested as they
are in the weather, and there is moth
ing that eXertS greater influence on
the affairs of men. Although the
weather has occupied mems minds to
great extent since the earliest days of
the race, and much scientific research
has been made, it is only within COM
paratively few years that any systematic
attempt has been made to record and
diffuse meteorological data or knowl-
edge. Since the work was taken up by
the leading commercial nations of the
world, great advances have been made
and great benefit has accrued, partlcu-
larly to navigation and agriculture and
allied branches.
The early Egyptians studied meteor
ology as a branch of astronomy, and
Aristotle compiled comprehensive
work on the weather from their writ
ings and his own observations. He dis
cussed prognostics of rain, wind, storms
and fair weather, but made no attempt
to explain any Of the phenomena.
Cicero, Virgil and others wrote on the
subject, but they added little to the
knowledge impaired by Aristotle.
The first step in the progress OF me-
teorology towards becoming science
was the discovery by Torricelli, in 1643,
of the weight and pressure of the at
mosphere, and the consequent inven-
ton of the barometer This was quick
ly followed by the invention of the Their
mometer, which gave great impetus
to the study of the weather. Other in
ventions came naturally into line, in
Guiding the hygrometer, thermometer,
rain gauge, etc.
The early part of the nineteenth cen
fury was fruitful in research and the
publication of data bearing on the
weather, the famous work of Dalton,
the first to deal with the subject from
philosophical standpoint, appearing
few years earlier, 1893. Among the more
notable works of the time are Hum
boldt's Isothermal Lines QS17; Dan
iell's Meteorological Essays and Obser-
vations 1929; Hadely's works on the
Trade Winds $3.50; and articles by
Tyndall, Dove and others. The first of
fetal publication to attract attention
was the Army Meteorological Journal
in 1855, which gave an elaborate series
of charts illustrating the temperature
and rainfall in different seasons in
every part of the United States.
The formation of meteorological soci-
cites contributed largely to the means
of diffusing knowledge of the weather,
and the establishment of weather bu-
reaus by the various maritime nations
assisted materially to the same end.
In 1858 conference of the great mari
time nations was held in Brussels, at
which plans for cooperation and re-
search for investigating the phenomena
of sea and air were proposed. The
[ nited States, Great Britain, Holland
and France led in this work.
The early work of the weather fore
casters in Great Britain was eminently
successful, the report of the London
Board of Trade showing that out of
100 storms predicted "a occurred.
The United States government began
establishing stations and displaying
warnings on the sea-coast and the great
lakes in 1870. The first storm warnings
were sent to the lake ports Nov. Sth,
preceding the storm several hours and
saving many lives and much property.
The United States Weather Bureau
is branch of the Department of Agri-
culture, and is in charge 'of Willis l..
Moore of Washington. The country is
divided into twenty-one districts, with
a centre of distribution in each. To
these centres all reports are sent and
from them the warnings and forecasts
are distributed. The New England
centre is in Boston, with j. w. Smith
forecast director The reports of the
Bureau are received from upwards of
5000 stations, which on Jan. l, 1901,
were classed as follows: regular sta
lions, 159; West Indian stations, 10:
special river stations, 1872; special rain
fall stations, As; voluntary observers,
1852; army posts, Is; life saving sta
lions, 9; Southern Pacific railroad, 90;
Canadian service, 80; Mexican stations,
80. The Bureau also receives through
the Meteorological Office in London
daily reports from many points from
the north coast of Ireland to Portugal
and the Azores, which give steamers
about to sail for Europe the latest
information as to the condition of the
weather on the European coast.
There are s regular stations in New
England-at Eastport and Portland,
Me-, Mortified, VT, Boston and Nan
tucket, Mass, Block Island and Nara
ganset, R. l., and New Haven, Conn.
These are in charge of salaried officers,
ap6 aro c,pp1ia6 with anJ