The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28

lege professor, perhaps, the observer
made an especial effort to entertain
him with the choicest vernacular of
the service at his command. After
spending about an hour in endeavoring
to elucidate matters pertaining to the
operation of the station, the distin-
guished looking visitor asked if he
could not be shown the machine" that
made the weather. To which the OBJ
server replied that he regretted ex-
ceedingly his inability to comply with
the request, as the machine" had gone
to dinner.
This was case of mistaken identity,
but appearances are often deceptive.
The personality of the weather
man" has its interesting features, but
little is known of his individuality, his
nativity, previous occupation, educa-
tional training, and age.
From the nature of hisSwork he is a
close observer. studious. careful and
painstaking. Socially he is a good fell
low and is affable in his manners. He
is not easily ruffied and seldom is dis
gruntled. His patience is inexhaustible
and he can take a joke with good
grace and considerable nonchalence.
When guyed for some failure in his
forecast he will greet you with a smile,
and perhaps tell you that he has no
monopoly upon ln1alllDlllLY.
Contrasting the early days of the
Weather Bureau with its present stat
US, Prof. Willis L. Moore chief of the
Bureau, in his opening address TO the
convention of weather bureau officials
held at Milwaukee in August, 1901, said,
when we began the weather service
there was but little attention paid to
us, except by the funny paragrapher.
We were abused and rid
iculed sometimes. more Of
ten treated with good natured
jest. The old mariners laughed at US;
he sailed in the face of the storm sig
nails, and delighted to do it. 1t was
long time before we convinced him of
our value, in fact we did make a great
many mistakes in those days, and it
was long time before we were enti-
tied to the confidence of the marine in
terests. But to-day hardly ship sail
ed, the master of which does not take
cognizance of the. weather map,
daily forecasts and storm, signals.
Down in New Orleans when a storm
came in from the Gulf, our official is
sued warnings that the papers of New
Orleans say reduced the wreckage at
least a million dollars. He was able to
say to Galveston what was just as val
liable to it as the storm warning was
to New Orleans, viz: You need have
no fear, this storm will go northward
and not strike the Texas coast. Only
don't go out into it, That treasured
the Galveston people and prevented
their being panic stricken"
Referring to the weather mans" ca
pacity for appreciating joke recalls
one that was perpetrated upon one of
the officials quite a number of years
ago at one of the coast stations by a
rather eccentric individual who long
before the weather service was estab-
lished had been cast away in a wreck
and who, with his little wallet of gold,
which he had secured to his person, es-
tablished himself as a merchant very
near the spot where he had been
wrecked. Capt. Dan, as he was famil-
iarly called, was the factotum of the
settlement storeheeper. postmaster.
legal adviser. arbitrator of
family and other difficulties. He per-
formed many other offices for the YER
dant natives OF that desolate region
The captain, however was rather fond
Of the ardent and consumed consider
able of IL IN drowning his sorrows
Having obtained a tag from a parcel
addressed 10 the weather man" he at
taebed il 20 a demijohn and whenever
M supply of spirits was exhausted he
would send the demllobn BY little
steamer. which piled between the land
lng and nearby city, 10 be- rehlled.
The demiJohn. b. appears. made fire.
quent trips someiime after the
aWeafber fnan" Hh0 WAS shsfemiouH
a DO habits had ien Tor new heids
81 labor. hlh successor happened
~ b. aboard fhe steamer one DAY