The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-20
WELCOME BACK, BAROMETER,
UNCLE SAM C0NFIDES LOCAL
READINGS TO 1.-THE SUN"

Newspapers Still without the General
Readings rms Enable weather
Guessers TO Compete with Onicial
Talent n Spot the Highs and Lows.
Virgo herself is still stuck in the zodiac,
but she leaned down to the Weather Bureau
yesterday with an installment Of It's Golden
Age-the time when none Of its meteoro-
logical statistics was regarded as a family
secret. In other words, the local barometer
readings, missing for five days, were al
lowed to reappear in print.
Yesterday a man from The Sun called
up the local Weather Bureau and asked
for the local barometric readings at 8 A. M.
and 0. P. NJ. He was asked as usual If this
important piece of information was for
publication. He said that it was. There
was a long wait at the telephone, and then
came the figures, in a firm, clear voice.
Then the order from Washington has
been rescinded?" asked the man from
THE SUN.
On that point the Weather Bureau re-
fused to be interviewed. 1t refused even
to hazard a guess. Blu there was the news.
although it took a special telephone message
to get it. 1t was noticed, however, that the
afternoon newspapers which have been
printing the official barometer readings
of the principal cities were still without
them.
Some Of the shippers and some of the old
| est inhabitants we're vexed at their papers
last week when they found that the barom-
eter wasn't there. That barometric reading
has been as much a part Of the newspaper
as the daily headline. SinRularly enough
the whole weather service along the Atlantic
coast seems TO ave been delinquent in
obeying orders. These underlings have
not understood the full Importance OF the
great secret which the barometer has been
7 giving them every dav. For Head Guesser
Moore says that there is an old order Of
the department telling all weather Offices
to conceal the barometer from the Jews
papers. Philadelphia, according to Mr..
Moore, made a kick, and that brought to
his attention the fact that New York had
been learning the state Of the official ba-
rometer every day. So he reprimanded
his under guessers and ordered them to
stop it at once. Blu the fact is that the
papers of every city up and down the Allan
tic coast have been publishing these official
barometric reports right along, time out
of mind, If they have stopped it has
happened within the last rveek, for the
upper Oh COdStlnB Ve6Seis sunnlnB lnto
New York report that in Baltimore, Charles
ton and Hampton Roads they found the
news of the barometer in the morning
newspapers when they opened them to
look first thing at the state of the weather,
as all good shippers do.
Here some Of the shippers who haven't
time to run into the Maritime Exchange
to correct their barometers on the sea level
reading there have a way OF using the
newspaper figures that arc corrected
to sea level. BY observing their WI
barometers at 8 O'Clock and then seeing
what figures the newspapers give they
get a line on the correctness OF their own
Instruments. But the main use, after all,
is in times when they. are snug on shore
away from their own barometers and de-
sire to take a squirt ahead at the weather.
And then there are more than a thousand
amateur weather guessers, who often hit
it when the professional guessers don't,
At least their mistakes don't come in the
same place. It's q harmless occupation,
except when it's results are compared with
those Of the duly constituted weather
authorities.