The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-09-16
DIRECTOR GLENN AND CORPS
GET WEATHER DATA FROM
THE REGIONS ABOVE
BALLOONS Do SOUNDING
Equipped with Delic ate, Self Record
ing Instruments They Tell all
the Weather Story of
Cioud-L Land

Huron-During the month of Au-
gust representatives. of the Uni ed
States weather bureau sent up about
twenty-five soundinq halons ON
this city. The work is in charge
or two experts, B. j. sherry man
ager, and l.. G. Ross, assistant These
two work in perfect harmony with
S. w. Glenn, diltcor Of the Unit
ed States weather bureau at HUI
ron, who with nis assistants give val
liable aid to the experts The pur-
pose of these ascensions is to obtain
records of temperature, humidity,
/ wind direction and wind velocity at
+ given attitudes These ascensicns con-
s'st of two series. The first series was
begun August and continued until
August IA The second series contin-
ued daily until about twenty more
balloons were sent up.
Huron was selected for this balloon
campaign, because of its favorable To-
cation; its situat'On near the path of
the summer storms and the country
east and south is level, well settled
and free from large tracts of timber
and rough land. AS the balloons fol-
low east or southeast of the starting
point, they can be more readily traced
in a clear level country than other
wise
While the United States weather bu-
reau was doing this work at Huron,
the governments of the principal for
eien countries were each sending up
similar balloons, from one or more
stations in their respective terrific o"v.
Upper air observations are thus sim
ultaneouslv obtained from various
e Of
these ascensions are published and
thus become available for comparison
and study by scientists throughout
the world.
A knowledge of the coming weather
is of such vital Importance to human
ity. that the question IS often asked,
what are the prospects for further
improving the daily forecasts" The
answer is, that while the government
has a corps of forecasters who are
now applying all Of the knoledge that
has been acquired. little hope for
marked Improvement can be held ont
until a substantial addition is made
\ to the pure science Of the problem.
This can only be done by experiment
study and research.
The balloons are made in Germany
and France, Of pure rubber, they
weight about five pounds each, and
have a lifting capacity of from eight
to ten pounds. They are about eight
feet in diameter and canahle Of eN-
panding to twenty feet or more. TC
each balloon is attached a wicker has
ket. Inch contains a very delicate'y
constructed Instrument this little ma
chine accurately records the temper
ature, pressure and humidity of the
atmosphere. through which it jour
news. and brings back TO earth an in
teresting story. written in cipher
upon a SCOT covered cylinder, BY
sharp stylus points at the end OF arms
that readily respond t. the slghteS'
movement of the particular instru
ment with with it il connected, The
CYLINDER revoves very slowly by
elockwork device, for a period of from
two to three hours The record thus
written is translated by eXper's ate
the balloon descends and IS returned
Thermometer carried by each pal
loon consists Of two strips OF metaI
each sensitive to the changes In tenn
nerature by contraction and eXpan
sion. the strip being connected WITT
the arm of the recording device.
All these intricate machines, 10
gether with basket cohlaih4llS S 'HN
is triae over two pounds Seourel.
attached to the basket Is heaVy IN
an finer envelope. 81 by 81 inches, II
which is a tag to be attached TO 'h
balloon by the finder directing its re
turn and also a card addressed to tn
Mount Weather observatory, Blue
mont va. upon which is given tn
A,te OF ascension, number in instru
= tot and nIacn Wlcf
found and address Of finder.
The gas bag holds from 100 to y
cnbic feet of gas, and at starting !
shout six feet in diameter, but as !
ascends. the atmospherical pressure !
reduced and the balloon expands t
fwenty times it's volume at starting
And finally it explodes and starts o.
fhe downward trip. arriving safely D
fhe aid of a parachute. In almost ev
Arv instance the deicately construct
Al Instruments find their way TO Tn
aarth unharmed The balloon or ruo
hAr bag has now performed its mis-
aaon. but not SOW ith the dellcate IN
nfruments. They must journey I
Mount Weather where the traced rec
ord on the sooted cylinder IS suhJnc'
n to a coating of shellac, conVertin
n into charcoal sketch then Tn
aluminium roll is removed from u,
5ss eyinder and made fat and more reao
n handled by the weather ehpe,
& IA duty is to write out in de'ail III
M tory of each balloon and prepare tn
sSa noord for permanent use III III
III Ea Sather bureau. -
v SsfeaaFrom twenty-five points on IN
me there are being sent UP thes
|]4gSs ~. of specially prepared balloon
the purpose of discovering the e.
adwOod - In order to mlnlml