Evening star., 1903-08-01
neutrality-suspicious.
A Competitor With the Off,
cial Bureau.
MR.. W. T. FOSTER
HAS BEEN STUDYING PROBLEM
FOR SEVEN YEARS.
Forecast for Next Three Months-De-
tails of His System of Solving
Meteorological Problems.
MR.. W. T. FOSTER

The weather bureau has competition IN
forecasting the weather. Its competitor
uses an entirely different method in ar
irving at conclusions as t. atmospheric
conditions and can predict for indefinite
periods in the future.
This weather profit Is Mr.. w. T Foster OF
st. Joseph Mo. who since last March has
been in this city making study OF some
of the weather records in the weather bu-
reau in order to further perfect his system.
Mr. Foster predicts the weather from the
relative positions of the planets, having
been engaged for twenty seven years IN
developing his theory that atmospheric con
ditions on the earth are entirely controlieo
by planetary influences just as the ldes
of the ocean are controlled by the move
mentS OF the moon
A Present Danger Period.
Mr. Foster has made a prediction. which
is published in The Star for the first time.
of dangerous storms in nearly all parts
of the world during August. September
and October of this year. These storms,
he declares will be very severe on
the Atlantic coast. In this prediction ne
does not intend to convey the Idea that
storms will he experienced of KIND never
known before. but that they will be OF
very unusual severity and quite destruc-
tive This prediction as made by Mr.
Foster follows:
Dangerous storms may be expected in
nearly all parts of the world during Au-
gust September and October. They will be
particularly noted in the great central or
Mississippi valleys, whore all kinds OF Sc
we're storms, including tornadoes. will oc-
cur; in the orthweStern spring wheat coun-
try where hail storms will do considerable
damage: In Atlantic coast and other east
ern states in the way of tropical and
transcontinental storms: on north Pacihc
and north Atlantic along northern steam
ship routes: In East and West Indies, along
east coast Of Asia and on Gulf of Mexico.
These destructive storms will come to
our notice IN a preliminary and moderate
way within a few days of August 16 and "a
will become seriously fierce near September
Z and will reach the apex of their energy
near September 81. The parting blasts of
these furious storms will occur near Oc-
tober 6 and 10. Very cool weather on the
continent near August 2t. September q
and -. caused by tropical storms to the
southwark W. T FOSTER.
washington. d. c.. July 81, 1905"
Struggle for Recognition.
The story of Mr.. Fosters struggle for
cognition of his system of making weather
forecasts sounds very much like the stories
of all inventors and men with original IDEAS
that receive but a cool reception when they
are first introduced IN highly respectable
and scientific circles. 1t cannot be said
that Mr.. Foster has been received into
scientific society. His claims have not yet
been CeInOnSt 'dteN TO the 1ull Satisfaction
of the scientists but he IS working vigor-
ously and fully believes that within the
near future his system will be accepted by
every one as the only sure method of max
ing weather predictions far enough ahead
to be Of real benefit TO the farmers Of the
country.
While Mr.. Foster has for twenty-seven
years been a student of planetary infu
ences on the weather he has for seventeen
years been putting out regular weekly fore
casts in newspapers of New England. New
York, Pennsylvania, the ohio and Miss g.
sippi valleys and Texas He now sends his
predictions to ~ newspapers and thereby
makes both ends meet while he is de-
reloping his theories In regard to the
weather
Scientific investigators generally do not
belive IN utilizing their ideas by attempted
practical demonstra tions until they have
been fully perfected. but with me it has
been matter of necessity to do so. l
have been enabled to live through the In
come l have received from the newspapers
that have taken my weekly forecasts" said
Mr.. Foster TO a Star reporter today,
Average Correctness Of Predictions.
"It has been said that a man can guess
the weather so per cent of the time, but
that Is n mistake Based guesses. not
more than one-third of weather predic
tions will be vartfed. l do not claim that
my system is perfect, but 1 do maintain
that from tWo-thirds to three-fourths of
my predictions have been absolutely cor
rect That is a high average of correct
ness for predictions under any system, and
II proves conclusively that l have sys-
tenn that is based scientific prinCi-
pies. 1t will only require the complete
development OF this system to demon
strate that IT IS the only method by which
the weather can be forecast with certainty
for long periods in advance.
''The farmer has little interest in fore
cast of but few days in advance, even
if it shows a large percentage OF correct
.E,vNf- LrNnt hot ha Xk-ag hnT
will be during q season. and If that in
formation can be given TO him correctly 1t
would be of the greatest advantage to him
In the planting OF his crops
Mr. Foster was asked TO explain In some
detail the method by which he makes his
predictions in relation to the weather. En-
ternG into detail he explained the nature
OF the system by which he works out his
weather problems:
System of His Work.
1.-THE positions of the moon and earth.
relative to the sun, Saturn, Jupiter Mars
Venus and Mercury. will cause storms" he
said. The planets are great magnets. and
affect each other through the magnetic
system OF each. 1t Is a well-known fact
that magnets affect each other by varying
their dista noes; this is the principle of the
electro dynamo by which electric currents
are generated The magnetic effects do
not occur at all places on the netghbortng
magnet but at particular places. and the
effects OF sun. moon and planets on our
earth reach the earth through It's mag
netic poles, magnetic equator and perma-
nent high barometers, and are distributed
through the transient high and low barom-
eters that constitute our storm waves.
I'VE know that our sun and moon cause
the principal tides in the oceans and II
| they affect these great bodies of water why
| not cause tides in the atmosphere? If sun
and moon. why not also the planets affect
our earth and its atmosphere? Jupiter is
400 times larger than earth. and the
well-known eleven-year magnetic period
has a close relation to the combined move
ments of Jupiter. Saturn and Mercury
'Dr. Gates of this city has shown that
a current OF electricity can be manipu-
lated so as TO cause rain out of a clear
"a atmosphere. The experiment has been re-
.peatedly witnessed at Chevy Chase Circle.
tie has also shown by Witnessed expert
ments that two powerful magnets, repre-
senting two planets. placed far apart
that they do not affect each other may
be brought into magnetic touch by intro
|ducing II third at the proper angles from
the first two
Il have found that such relative posi-
fions of the planets affect the magnetic
system and atmospheric conditions of our
earth. Astronomers all admit that at the
time of our greatest electrical earth storms
unusual disturbances are seen on the sun,