The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-10
SWEATHERPR
OF EARLY FUTURE.

VI LnNLl lOlONL
They Are Arranging to Forctell
Rains, Storms and Sunshine
d Year Ahead.
| Meteorological have long dreamed of be-
i Ing able to forecast for year In ad-
vance. That dream is likely to be re call
4 ed soon at the new observatory 70 be
4 ta,ns, Biuernont, Va, under the direction,
4 the United States Weather Bureau.
/ Mount IN Weather. The buildings have been
4 already erected. and most of tho appa-
ratus and instruments q, are IN place r,eanidy
will be used for a school Of instructor q {
4 administrative purposes The first floor
viii be devoted e the business o. Tie the
Bureau; the second vii pc used I'd. for iiy-
\ and the roof for observing. Among many
A Interesting experiments to BIO made are
1 to be tests in the upper DIR BY means OF
tofore attempted. For this purpose q.
A suitable plant has been erected to gener-
4 ate large Quantities OF hydrogen TOT. the
constructed III a shop on the. premises. It
\ Is tile present intention to limit the as
1 tensions to about four miles lii height, tho
immediate purpose being to measure the
Il Temperatures and thermal gradients, thus
enabling the Bureau to- prepare daily
isothermal Charts cumpiete series o.
ascensions will soon be made at Mount
4 Weather. Others will afterward be con-
4 Quoted In different parts Of the country
1 In order that the Temperature conditions
1 Iii all classes OF cyclones and anti-cyclonea
may be observed. AS the WORK progresses
i some high ascensiOfls may be attempted
1 up 10 ten or twelve lniles-but since
storm movements are practically limited
4 to tho strata within four miles Q the
Il ground, the first group OF ascenslons Will
be moderate elevations.
One of the most important OF tho
achievements that Is hoped to be brought
ton 81 high t grade doometer for meas
4 5uring tho invisible solar radia tons. This
radiation Is believed 8 by many students
i to be largely responsible Tor tho actual
addition 10 this there will be q 5arst-clasy
i Photograph for X eepng & o record
4 OF the solar prominence. formulate and
spots prevailing at the time OF making
be an observatory equipped with all the
modern Instruments for observations in
atmospheric electricity and in nj gnet-
research into the action OF ions in the
4 atmosphere as forerunners OF weather
conditions. n, I;t ss
81 sad RufPSss Moore ne os
bring together for study under one $direcs
\ ton the ost val ua BILE and practi cal obs
serva rions having q direct bearing on
4 gaglngSthe attention. OF many able Ephysl-
Clans and astronomers LIN this field we
4 shall find the best examp pies of physical
is natures great slab oratory The atlnos-
u pharic como itions at 9 Mount "a wv feather
could not be better. r. he site is T. 500 feet
@Sa rdss
to the west and the plains .of Virginia
4 to, the east The lsta ton is ideally situ-
nted on the crest Of 1hes y, Blue z, Ridge
A and fifty-nlne miles due ives on & the
1 Washingt ton and Ohio, u branch OF the
4 Southern railroad.
Twill induce great scientific activity and
Il generate an intellectual atmosphere which
i win be dinghy favorable to the idea
making it School 4, tor scientific me-
charge Of the various lines OF work will
A form strong corps OF tea cheers, who
will instruct a lew general ton Of smenin
i the great problems Of me- orology,4Which
n each day are receiving more and more
ntton as 4 4 heir I'm lance II Is devel-
a oped. 5SSf5 sSs
a having its beginning in the early years
Il Of the twentieth century, will e have u an
increased usefulness as the years go by.
the best science. The subject Of solar
\ physics has already grown Ito such pro-
portions that the British Assoc tation for
3a$ sola ph isles obserya tory at South Ken
a sing ton which 81 ha s been put ing forth
4 some val ua BILE resul ts.S The soar obser-
u bvattons OF the Ita liansf for the last thirty
Il years have became Invaluable as q basis
flor these studies, and the sobservat tories
a at Kalocsa,gg Hun gary, and at Zurich arc
Il known to- all students for; their important
S|spublica tons. ina less direct manner sev-.
love tr,11
4 sries are deriving some aof their most#Ynl-
4 liable discove cries in astr physics, which
4 Is other name for stella me eorology:
S5vard and other institutions are working
A zealously along these lines and filling out
4 the realm of human ! knowledge IA in q
4 IT may be asked why, & wit II this
Il wealt OF material being II secured N. In
Other. PLACES. II should be important for
a studies as well. The answer q Is I! simple.
D These obseryatorles. for one thing. 2spe-
q cialize along certain lines and 1t Is evil
institution in the United states where
u these results are brought together and
d studied side by side, SO their combined
result az e. given time n be g, out
4 prevailing Yeathe y condit ipns. Further
q more, the pubicationsao Of these observa.
y ttonss y which II have been speaking are
q ISSUED from the press as much a s two to
u four years after the obserYa tons are
actual mad g. SO that it is obvious that
these, late reports have little value & Ii,
a ton to enter upon the advance research
4 problems which ghtly belong to gspecial-
/ lists. but6w intend, ther, to adapt IL
forecaster such portions Of the we'll
81 known types Of observatories as seem to
n BIO practical 4 for the Immediate use B OF
q the Weather Bureau. as s5f q
v ~ How may weather be determined a,
HI3yea., In advance ?',t g III ~