Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-22

So much depends upon an accurate forecast
OF the weather in Southern California that
the people have come to look upon the United
States weather bureau service as chiet as
set Of local wealth. The masses OF the peo-
pie are ignorant of the ways and means used
in this important service and that readers OF
The Herald may learn how and why TINS
great help is furnished, A. b. Wollaber, the
local forecaster, invited to tell them the
details Of his daily work.
Condensed, because of pressing duties the
following story is. nevertheless. instructive
and helpful.
BY A. b. wOLLABER OF THE U. S.
WEATHER BUREAU
HN THROUGHOUT historic time the
weather has been. more or less,
Il associated with the development
of the human race. Not only nave the
occupations of mankind been governed
by it, but places of residence nave
largely been determined by the nature
of the climate. The earliest writings OF
Scripture contain many references to
the subject, and those of the early
Greek philosophers abound with say
ings regarding the winds, rains and
planets. Semi-civilized peoples or the
early ages had their weather signs,
while the legends of our own aborigines
are rich in weather lore. So 1t has been
down to the present time, and 1t is not
surprising when we stop to consider
how much the weather has to do with
our physical well being and comfort.
Few persons in this busy work-a day
world, however, stop to consider the
wonderful advance made in our knoWl-
edge of meteorology and the methods
employed .in recording and tabulating
climatic data; and a large majority
have no conception whatever of the
L IT,. ,tc
ton by our national government. The
popular interest felt in the results
achieved by the weather bureau sug-
gests that many of our readers may
desire to become better acquainted
with the methods by which these re-
suits are accomplished.
Old Discoveries Helpful
The discovery of the barometric and
thermometric principles centuries ago
made possible the recording of two
of the most essential elements of
meteorological science. In 1772 Ben
jamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison arranged for a series
of simultaneous observations OF the
weather, and from these it was found
that storms had a we'll defined pro-
gressive movement. These early sci
entists demonstrated that through
knowledge of storm movements 1t was
possible to make forecast OF the
weather, and the invention of the elec-
trio telegraph, about the middle of the
nineteenth century, enabled their sue
cessors to make use of such observa-
tions over an area continental in ex-
tent, and the weather bureau of today
is the logical and almost necessary
outcome of this series of discoveries.
In 1870 congress passed bill author
izing the establishment of national
weather service, the object of which
was to forecast the coming of storms
for the benefit of commerce. The nat
ural growth of the service and the ad-
vancement made in the knowledge of
meterology made 1t necessary to en-
large the scope of the work, for in a,
comparatively short time every line of
business began to realize the great
benefits to be derived from sys-
tematic study of the atmosphere. The
early work of the bureau was carried
on under branch of the army known
as the signal service, this continuing
for a period of about twenty years.
II was then realized that the character
and scope of the work would be fur
thered by civil status. and accord
ingly, in 1891, the meteorological service
was transferred to the department of
agriculture, where it still remains.
Detail of Forecasting Plant
Having made this brief review of
preliminary facts, let us pay visit to
a regular weather bureau office of to-
day. If we are in large city like Los
Angeles we shall doubtless find it on
one of the upper floors of some high
office building the roof of which af-
fords a favorable site for the exposure
of the instruments used in making the
records of the several meteorological
elements. If We are in one of the
.Iaa1 h
ably find the office in neat building
of it's own, for, wherever possible, the
government endeavors to furnish per-
manent quarters, not only to secure the
best exposure possible for the instru-
ments. but also to provide for con-
tinuity of the records.
Upon entering, the visitor is courte-
ously received by the official in charge,
or one Of his assistants, and conducted
through the office, where the workings
os the various instruments are ex-
piained and other matters pertaining
to the work illustrated. Here, as IN
many other lines of scientific work.
electricity is an important aid. one
no longer finds the large arrow Sus-
pended from the office ceiling to in
clcate the direction of the wind, but
instead the wind direction and also the
velocity are electrically recorded by
an intricate piece of mechanism in the
Office room below. TnlS instrument alSO
records the rainfall, in hundredths of
an inch while each minute of sunshine
is graphically depicted on the same
sheet.
Multiplicity of instruments
Numerous thermometers of different
tvpes self-recording and otherwise. are
6isnlayed conveniently on large
stand especially designed for the pur-
pose. Mercurial barometers are to be
found suspended in a glass case on the
wall while the Paragraph. or self
registering barometer, occupies a con-
spicuous position nearby. This in
stlument records, at all hours, the pres
sure of the atmosphere and the grace
full. wool-like curves show the diurnal
changes in pressure as the pen travels
across the sheet. These sheets are ar
ranged to contain one weeks record.
The downward march of the recorder
on the Paragraph often gives the first
intimation of an approaching storm,
while the sudden or constant rise of
the pen is indicative of a return to more
settled conditions after the passage of
a storm. This instrument is the fore
casters constant companion, and prob
ably is consulted more frequently than
any other.
One of the latest additions OF the