Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-14
WARNING OF STORMS
Chief Moore's Views on Making
Ocean Traffic Safe. A
WIRELESS TELEGRAPH's USE

Weather Expert Predicts That In Time
Certain Vessels Will Be Compelled
to Carry Wireless Outfits and Inter-
change Messages
! bureau, says the time is coming when,
ocean transportation will be far safer,
than riding on a street car is today
He made this statement to the COM
mittee on agriculture of the house of
representatives when he was called on
to explain the needs Of his bureau
during the coming fiscal year. Pro-
fessor Moore told the committee that
it is only a matter of time when the
governments of the world will compel
every ship above certain tonnage to
carry a wireless instrument and opera
tor and require each ship to transmit
all messages received by 1t, says spe-,
cial Washington correspondent of the
/ New York Post. When this is done.
| he said, the danger of ocean travel
| Will be greatly mlnlmlzed-
This comment of the chief of the
weather bureau was made in reply to
question asked by Representative
Scott of Kansas, chairman of the COM
mittee on agriculture Mr.. Scott want
ed to know if during the hurricane
season, when messages were received
from the West Indies and the Atlantic
coast, warnings were sent by the
weather bureau to vessels passing
| along the coast.
Professor Moore said this was done,l
the wireless telegraphy being under,
the control of the navy Department.
The wireless messages are flashed out,
and vessels within distance of 300
miles receive the warning. He de-
clared that the competition of differ
ent wireless companies results in det-
riment and inconvenience and that 1t
is essential that the government step,
in and control the transmission and re-
ceipt of wireless messages. I'VE had
case few years ago. he said, 1'of,
a ship that was disabled and sent a
wireless message, and 1t was received
by competing wireless company and
was suppressed"
While he was not prepared to advo-
cate the government ownership OF
wireless telegraphy systems, Profess
or Moore, said it was essential that
the government should control these
systems. When such control is exer-
cised, he said, storm will be located
and its direction shown to all vessels.
1.-THE message will go out" said Pro-
fessor Moore, ''that storm is center
ed along the south line of coast, NOV
ing along the gulf stream, increasing
in intensity, and the vessels master
will say, We will sail around that
When the time comes that We will get
observations from the entire Atlantic
ocean by wireless telegraphy through
one ship repeating to another its OBJ
servations, we will be able to send in
formation to the entire Atlantic ocean.
Messages will be repeated backward
from ship to ship: Storm i'm such part
of the ocean. All else serene. Sail
your course All ships outside OF
thing coming into that region will
have to look out. 1t will render ocean
transportation far safer than riding on
a street car is today
Warnings of storms destructive to
commerce ON the ocean and on the
great lakes are made with far greater
accuracy than are predictions of rain
and snow, Professor Moore said. The
predictions of rain and snow" he said,
'are all that you see in the daily pa
pers, and these warnings of storms,
which go direct TO the mariner and
are given by flags and special DULLES
tins, are the most valuable part of our
work.
"what is your per cent Of error IN
predictions? asked Representative
Rucker of Missouri.
Twelve per cent Of error in the gen@
eral forecasts you see printed" was
the reply. Twelve times out OF a
hundred you can criticIse the weather
bureau IL you want to. and If you look
only at the errors you might think II
was not worth very much, but the
man who is i'm business, the man who
Is shipping. can take that and say, n
can afford to work on that when 4
know the error is II per cent He has
learned to discount the element Of error
and goes ahead and uses it In his BUSH
ness. The people living around ana
near the great streams that are liable
to overflow can use our warnings. for
there we do not make IL per cent of
error: we do not make 5 per cent %
error"
There are at the government expense
2.2s2 forecasts distributed by tele<
graph every morning. Last year ap-
proximately $4,000 was paid by the
weather bureau for telegraph service.
By mail there are 5000 forecasts dis.
tributed daily and by rural free deliv-
cry service 1900 forecasts. BY tele-
phone there are nearly 100000 fore
casts distributed free Of charge to the
government BY railroad service LOO
places are served each morning. and
by railroad telegraph 1900 places ara
reached daily without expense to the
government.
Bankers Bullets Prove Fatal.
New York. March 14-Francisco Pal.