Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-10-28
Chamber of Commerce Will
be Asked to Act.
OF BENEFIT TO SHIPPING
Agents Here Claim This Pert Is As
Much Entitled to Station as Charles
ton and NorfoIk-Want Government
to Furnish Report.

\ movement looking toward the
establishment of a weather bureau
station in this city by the United
States weather bureau was launched
yesterday and the Chamber OF CON-
merce. at its next regular meeting.
will be asked 10 take the matter up
with the department of agriculture.
The local shipping interests will do
everything possible to aid he cham
Der in landing the station for this
port, as such a station will bee OF
great value to shipping.
Newport News is one of the very
few ports on the Atlantic coast which
effort started yesterday Is The first
ever made 10 secure a station here.
Norfolk, Charleston. y. c.. and all OF
the larger ports have such stations
and the shipping men here believe
that no difficulty VIII he experienced
in getting the government TO estab-
lish station here.
OF Benefit to Shipping.
With a well equipped station here
such as that at Norfolk outbound
shipping can be fully advised as to
points along he coast and when and
where storms are likely to strike. At
this time such information is not OBJ
tainable here and Norfolk is the near
est station from which il can be Sc
cured. A signal station is maintained
at he Casino and storm signals warn
ing shipping of approaching storms
are displayed at that station. How
ever. these signals do not give the
sea captains any information as to
where the storm is centsred, what
part of the cOast ii is 70 strike and
just what time it is expected.
Warnings of storms are sent here
in advance by the weather bureau at
Washington, but it is not given out
10 the shipping agents and shipping
captains. If the warning is received
in the morning, it is displayed at the
custom house and can be seen there.
but only few of the ship captains
visit the custom house. If the warn
ing is received late in the afl ernoon
there is no way of advising the ship
ping of the approach of the storm ex-
cept through signals at the Casino
signal station.
Newport News Entitled To IL.
This port does more shipping bust
ness than Charles on, S. c., and that
port has a well equipped station. This
port also handles nearly as much
shipping as the port of Norfolk and
Shipping men say that it is just as
necessary to have station here as it
is to have one in the city across the
zf h ~...tx
OF the station is comparatively small
and those in position TO know
whereof they speak say that the end
will justify the means in this case.
Another matter in which local ship
p ng men are deeply interested is the
laying Of a government cable from
Norfolk 10 this city so that the local
agents can receive reports of the YES
sells passing in and out of the Vir.
ginia Capes. The government has a
private wire from Cape Henry 10 Nor.
folk and the government observer al
Cape Henry keeps the Norfolk ship
ping agents advised of all ships that
pass in the Capes during the day
This information is absolutely neces-
sary to the agents and the shipping
+,
folk by telephone. The cost TO the
agents each month aggregates some
thing like 5000
Information Is Necessary.
Since the government furnishes this
information to the Norfolk agents
free of all charge by means Of a spe-
cial telegraph and telephone wire, the
shipping interests of this city feel
that the same courtesy should be ex-
tended them by the government. as
the information is just as necessary
to the local agents as il is 10 the
Norfolk agents.
This matter also will be taken ID
BY the Chamber CT Commerce and a
strong effort will be made to get the
government to put in cable from
Norfolk to this city so that the re
ports from Cape Henry may be sent