Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1901-06-05
OUR WEATHER CODE.
Odd Words Used 10 Save Expense
and Time In TelcEraphiag.

Odd Words Used TO Save Expense
IA Time In Te%legraphiaE.
indianapolis - Befall Bugholt -
Gown - Bufority Clubfoot ~ Fade -
Nnf.' This is the message sent out
from the weather bureau on the last
day of February. The message trans
lated reads: Barometer. 30.1l; temper
allure, 81: afternoon report, snowfall Is
southeast winds with snow-velocip.
Of wind ten miles an hour-maNimum
temperature 3S-nlmbus clouds entirely
covered blowing from the caSt-totnl
amount OF precipitation Loo and mean
temperature 2f-two inches Of snow"
This Ia the weather report for Feb.
-, which as placed on the wire
and aent 10 Washington and other
weather o~hscryatorics throughout the
Cnited States. The condensation os
the report into cipher accomplishcs two
purposes. II reduces the cost Of trans.
mission and saves time.
The intrlc1cy Of this code can only
be conJccturod when the great vpcahu-
larry 1t has TO cover is considered. Tie
system Is so arranged That the yowcls
each have n certain value. representing
a decimal, a unit of ten. similar 10 the
metric system Of calculation, and their
power is denoted 10y their relation TO
consunnnts placed before or after the
vowel. THis cipher does not apply to
all the code, as certain expressions
have their individual word. The caslc
for these words is alphabetically elias.
siicd for the convenience Of the clerks
and observers, as their inrrequcnt use
does not allow a familiarity that
makes it possible TO read at sight, but
they have to be translated by the aid
Of the key. In the message "yaf' rep.
rcscnts two inches Of snow, and an
other combination Of letters beginning
with "y' deslgnates a different pre-
cipitatiun Of snow.
Few messages are alike. A large
sheet Is received at the weather bu-
c each evening shortly after g
o'clock bearing the reports in cipher
Of o~bservatorics in various parts Of
the country. A code message from
Memphis received on the same day
that the above was sent from Indian
apolis reads In cipher, 'Barmald-Ly-
den -
taph-Perfect-Forgave." Translated
1t reads, Barometer. 30.12; tempera-
ture, %; afternoon report. .2i inches
precipitation fell during l. hours from
5 a. IN. to s y. m.-south wind and
cloudy weather-velocity of wind ten
miles an hour, with maximum temper
AZURE G2-thunderstorm beginning at 2
p. m. and running for three hours-.S
alto stratus clouds from the southwest
west wind blowing 81 miles an hour
total month precipitation, 100 inches;
average temperature, -"
In many respects the message is sim
liar Ia the first one, but the cipher Is
entirely different, showing no apparent
likeness. So the messages read all the
way down the page, and 4 clerk can
take each of them off without hesita.
tlOn except when the rare code is
reached, and then II the translation is
not accomplished after a moments
study 1t requires but n few seconds
to find 1t in the key and go on. The
observers and clerks regard the read
ing Of these cipher messages as trivial
matters and recognize the temperature
In '%barmaid' or the temperature Of
precipitation in 'clubfoot' at a glance.
indianapolis Journal.