The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-15

lhNH lO, 1910
United States weather bureau for an en-
tire year. to say nothing OF the number
of human lives saved at the same time.
The effects of certain weather conditions
upon crops has been Investigated. and
warnings OF cold waves, frOSts. flOOdS.-de
Structlye storms, etc, are distributed over
localities likely to be affected by such
conditions, in time to allow the farmer
to make such preparations as are pos
sible. and thus prevent or lessen the DAM
age to his crops. The same information
is of the greatest Importance to corpora
tons and other large business concerns.
Railroads and express companies have in
their possession at all times large guam
titles of perishable goods for which they
are held accountable: TO prevent losses,
as far as possible, to these goods il is
necessary for these companies to have
advance information of sudden changes
in weather conditions, in order that they
may make suitable provision for such
changes before their arrival. To illus
trate the effect of weather conditions
upon grain and produce markets, an in
stance may be given here. A few years
ago it was the custom for the local offices
of the weather bureau to furnish to the
bOar~s of trade and produce exchanges
in their respective cities such Informal
ton as they desired as soon as it was
received at the weather office As the
time of receipt varied in different cities.
the board of trade receiving the first in
formation of outside weather conditions
would Immediately begin to trade with
other exchanges which were not in pos
session of such reports. thus giving the
former decided advantage over the lat
ter. Complaints arose at once from ex-
changes thus affected, and il became nee
essary to issue an order that the weather
information must not be issued in any
city before a stated time. which was late
enough to insure its receipt at all wealth
er offices under ordinary circumstances,
so that it might be given out stimuli
taneOusly in ali parts Of the country. thus
affording an equal opportunity to all who
are interested in weather information.
Cooperative Stations.
Aside from the regular weather bu-
reau stations there are over 5000 co-Opera-
tive stations distributed over the United
States. At these stations records of tenn
perature and rainfall are kept, and month
| ly reports rendered to their respective
section centers, a section in most cases
comprising a single state Under the SUI
pervisiOn of the section. director the data
for a section is carefully compiled ana
published in the form of monthly reports.
The cooperative observers receive no
compensation for their services other than
to receive copies of all publications of
the weather bureau. They are public
spirited citizens who voluntarily assume
these duties for the benefit of their own
private interests and those of the COM
munity in which they live The instru-
mentS used at these stations consist Of
thermometers and rain gauges of stand
ard pattern and are furnished by the
weather bureau. There are at the pres
ent time seventy-fiVe of these stations 10
Gated in the state of Utah. making month
~ reports to the local office i'm Salt Lake
City, where they are compiled and pub
lished. 1t was formerly the custom for
these observers to include in their reports
conditions of crops during the growing
season. which information was also pub
lished, but since Jan. /. 1906. this feature
has been omitted, in order to prevent
duplication of the same information which
is being compiled and published by an
other bureau.
The Marine Department.
Among other branches of work con-
Quoted by the weather bureau, that of
the marine department is deserving of
special mention. 1t consists of obtain
ing and chaTting observations made upon
the oceans by sea-gOing vessels. issuing
forecasts and warnings to vessels at sea,
and the publication of pilot charts and
other information of vital interest to nav
igatOrs. As an illustration of the scope
of the work in this direction, there was
total of over 1000 reports made by CO.
operating observers from the Atlantic
ocean alone during the last fiscal year.
The equipping of large number of YES
sells with wireless telegraph instruments
has greatly facilitated and enhanced the
value OF THIS meteOfOIOR1Cdi work under
taken by this DEPARTMENT.
A noteworthy epoch in the DEVELOPMENT
of meteorological science in this country
dates from the recent establishment at
Mount Weather, Va, of a research op-
servatory. At this institution are gath
cred a number of ambitious men. whose
| first allotted task has been to deter
mine the meteorological conditions obtain
ing in the upper atmosphere. In the
short time that they have been engaged
-, A.
/ been exceedingly gratifying. BY means
of aeroplanes, self-recOrding instruments
| have been sent to attitudes far bevond
those from which previous records have
| been obtained. On Oct. 3. 1907. the worlds
record Tor securing observations high IN
the air was broken. On that day the me-
neurological apparatus at Mount Weather
reached an altitude of Bill feet. above
sea level. Among other problems toward
which recent attention has been directed
are chronological phenomena and those
concerning evaporation. Investigations of
evaporation are destined to become ex-
ceedingly valuable. particularly IN our
western states, as the amount of data of
that nature available at the present time
is very limited. 1t is now believed nv
many that the rate of evaporation bears
as important a relation. and should be
taken into consideration as much as the
amount of rainfall itself in the determin-
ing of values of semi-arid lands capable
of being develODed by dry farming meth
DDS Of cultivation.
Development of Bureau.
The weather bureau service was trans
! terred from the war department to the
department of agriculture on July / 1891
Pro1esSor Willis l.. Moore became chief
of the bureau on Jan. l, 1895. and con-
tlnues in that position at the present
time. During his administration the bu-
reau has experienced its greatest deyel-
opment and expansion. To his indefati-
gable energy much of this great improve
ment of the service is due 1t has been
his constant aim to keep abreast of the