Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03

are opponents Of the most advanced me-
neurological theories and further mention
of the conspicuous part they have taken
in the advancement of their science will
be made after reference to meteorologists
who won their laurelS before the Mount
Weather period a period dating not
necessarily from the establishment OF the
experiment station in Virginia in 1903,
but from the inception of the idea that
there is an intimate relationship between
the problems of solar physics and those Of
meteorology.
- 1t is Cleveland Able. NOW editor Of the
Monthly Weather Review, who takes
precedence among meteorOlogiste by rea-
son Of the length of his services, and 1t
may be said that those services have been
second to none in Importance even though
American weather students include such
eminent men as Chief Moore. who de
serves all credit for making the weather
bureau the efficiently working unit that 1t
is; Marvin. inventor of many weather
registering DEVICES Williams, an excel
lent and experienced organizer. and
Humphreys, the leading representative of
the school of investigators. The weather
bureau is the outgrowth Of an idea that
Mr. Able originated in 1858. and though
mention has been made of the lnaugura-
ton of a system Of furnishing bulletins
concerning weather conditions by Mr..
Able for the benefit of mariners on the
great lakes, when he was director of the
Cincinnati observatory. in telling of some
of the astronomers in the government
service, an account of the frultion OF tnat
idea is appropriate here. 1t was through
the cooperation of the, Cincinnati board
of trade and telegraph company that
navigators for the first time in the his
tory of the country had the benefit of a
system of weather observation, and that
the national government was shown
new field of usefulness.
AS the people of Milwaukee wished to
share the benefits of bulletins such as Mr..
Able prepared. they appealed to the Chi
cagO board of trade to cooperate In the
extension of the service. That orSaniza-
ton in turn put the proposition before the
Chicago Academy of Science. One of the
members of the latter body was member
Of Congress. RI. +. Paine, and he at once
adopted the view that the government
could conduct weather service better
than private individuals, and that such Il
service was we'll within the lines of gov
ernmental activity. Through Mr.. Paine $
efforts Congress passed a joint resolution
February 9. 1870, directing the Secretary
of War to take meteorological observa-
tons at military stations and give notice
on the northern lakes and seacoast of the
approach of storms. From this modest
beginning. the first appropriation having
been $4,000. the service has grown until
il now costs 81 100000 annually. and it IS
now conducted not only for the benefit of
mariners but for citizens of all classes.
and il saves many millions more than ii
costs. Mr.. Able was naturally one of the
first meteorolosists sought To assist in the
undertaking. when Gen. Albert j. Myer
of the Signal Corps executed the order 20
carry out the directions OF Congress- and
he has continued as government me-
teOrologist through the administrations of
Gen. w. B. Hazen. Gen. A. w. Greedy and
Mark w. Harrington and Is now one of
Chief Moores well organized staff In
1891 the meteorological service was trans
ferred from the Signal Corps and became
a bureau of the Department of Agricul-
ture. Mr.. Harrington was the first chief
under the new regime. and his career