Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-24
Leading Meteorologists of Nations
Working on Plan.
MEET IN LONDON ON JUNE 81
Professor Willis Moore Explains the
Proposed Scheme.
REQUIRES GENERAL AGREEMENT
All ships Above n Certain Tonnage TO
Carry wireless Instruments, Take,
Observations at Stated Time
and Warn Others.

WASHINGTON, May S.-FlashlnS OF
warnings around the world by wireless
telegraphy of approaching storms and
other disturbances Of the elements is one
Of the latest international projects. Still
another of perhaps little less Importance
is the proposition to equip the vessels of
all nations with uniform storm signals.
These are the leading problems to be
thrashed out at a conference of dstin-
guished meterolgists of the principal ma
tions, to be held in London on June p
next. The proposed conference is the out
growth of a meeting Of the leading metero-
logists of the world held in Europe several
years ago. The United States will be rep
resented by Prof. Willis l.. Moore, chief
of the United States weather bureau.
concerted movement will be inaug-
urated to induce the principal governments
to adopt a uniform system Of wireless
telegraphy marine weather reports and to
reach an agreement so that nations shall
display uniform marine storm signals. If
such an international agreement can be
effected 1t is believed that it will be
great factor in saving property and life
on sea and land and at the same time
be highly important in making weather
predictions.
Committees at Work.
These subjects will be dealt with by two
committees, one of maritime weather sig
nails and the other OH weather marine
telegraphy. The first committee is COM
posed of DR.. w. N. Shaw director of the
British meteorological offices; Prof. A. Au-
gat, director of the French Central Metero-
logical service; Rev. L. Froc director of
the ri Ka Wei observatory at Shanghai;
Hear Admiral Hirz, director of the Dutch
Zewarte at Hamburg; Prof. H. Mohn, d.
rector Norwegian Meteorological nstitute
Prof Willis l. Moore and X. Nakamura
director of the meteorological service OF
Japan. In addition to Messrs. Augat Hire,
rlpreuup Ami4ofituaeaA4r rSouthh, hrdluuu
and Moore, the other committee will be
composed of Lieutenant General Rylxatchef
director of tho Central Physical observa-
tory at st. Petersburg.
"One Of the principal problems to be
taken up by the conference" said Prof
Moore in discussing the matter today. sis
the question Of International agreement as
to the taking Of wireless marine weather
reports. The scheme is to secure the adop-
ton by all of the leading nations of a
wireless meteorological observations so that
each observation, no matter by what ma
tion taken, will be comparable with the OBJ
servations taken by any other nation.
There is now no unifrom method of re-
ceiving and transmitting wireless weather
reports and exactly the same things are
not observed.
Prof. Moore Explains.
eve shall dorhtIasa do am u,a go
continued Prof. Moore, Ito induce the
several governments ultimately to adopt
regulations that will compel beyond a GER
tain tonnage to carry wireless instruments
and operators and to take at noon Green
wich time daily observation of the
weather. Observations received by ship
would be transmitted to other ships so
that by relaying from one vessel to
another observations from the entire ocean
would then within a few minutes reach
the land and the central meterological Of
fices of the United States France, England
and Germany and other interested nations
would be able to complete these observa-
tions each in its proper geographic posi-
tion and thus to determine the location of
storms and forecast their future direction.
Such forecasts could be distributed to the
vessels in the same manners as the oh
servations on which the forecasts were
based"
Prof. Moore added that he intended as
member OF the committee having this
matter in charge to argue for such regula-
tions.
While American vessels use flags by day
and lights by night to convey storm warn
ings, the ships OF other nations use sig
nails that are made up of a combination
OF cones and cylinders The different sig
nails are said to be confusing 10 mariners
an da uniform signal and code 10 display
storm signal warnings is proposed.