Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-16

Governor Montague has sent to the pre-
siding officers OF the General Assembly a
communication from Secretary Wilson of
The Department OF Agriculture. asking
The consent of the Legislature of Viz
ynia TO the purchase Of tract of land
in this State upon which a weather OBJ
servaiory is 10 be erected.
Congress appropriated s50nto last June
for the construction Of six weather OBJ
.erwstories at The suggestion of the Chief
II the Weather Bureau. One OF these
buildings is TO be located in Virginia. The
rite selectI is a spot on the summit Of
he Blue Ridge Mountains, near Trappe,
n Loudoun county. Under the provision
n the revised statutes Of the United
states. no money can be expended upon
my site Of land purchased by the United
States government for the purpose of
erecting thereon any afmory, arsenal.
fort, or any public building until the
little OF the land has been passed upon
by the Acknowledgement. and the consent
Of The Legislature of the State in which
the land is situated has been given.
NOTHING IN THE WAY.
Sixtyrs seven acres of land have been
purchased by the government on the Blue
Ridge, where the observatory will be
located. the title has been certified ny
the Attorney-General, and nothing re-
mains but the approval of the Virginia
Legislature. which it is understood will
be given without objection.
Director Evans. of the local Weather
Bureau. says the establishment of these
six observatories was suggested by Chief
Willis. at the last annual meeting of the
Weather directors. and marks an advanced
step in meteorological science. 1t is the
policy OF the national Weather Bureau
10 have an observatory in connection
with each Of its principal stations to ia
Cilitatc the work at the central bureau
at Washington.
The new building on the Blue Ridge
mountains will be equipped with self
recording instruments Of the most ap-
proved pattern. and it is understood that
its work will be devoted to observations
on rainfall, mir pressure, and temperature
N the elevated regions.
STUDY CLOUDS INsFOGS.
For some years the national Weather
Bureau has been making scientific study
OF the clouds and fcgS along the Cali
fornia coast through the observatory sit
uated on a high prominence of the Pa
cific coast, and the establishment of ad
ditional buildings is to carry out the poll
cy OF the department in this line, so far
as the inland sections are concerned The
records Of these elevated observatories
will greatly facilitate the work Of the
stations that are situated in the lower
strata OF the atmosphere. and they will
materially enhance the usefulness and ac-
curacy of the forecasts.
MR.. KOINER'S OPINION.
Mr. C. ". Koiner State Commissioner
of Agriculture, believes that the estab-
lishnent of the observatory at Trappe
will render great service to the farming
interests OF the State I hope that in
time the government will establish cen
trail telephone station in the State, where
bulletins may he delivered every morn
ing over the various telephone lines that
form network in the State. In many
sections of Virginia when the forecasts
are wired from Washington. they are
'phCned out from The telegraph stations
by the operators, and information as to
the weather is gotten by the farmers
early in the day. whereas the mail reports
would not reach them in many cases until
late in the afternoon