Evening star., 1911-08-25
NO MORE EARTHQUAKES
ARE TO Be RECORDED
Controller TraceWeI Decides
Weather Bureau Is Without
Funds for Purpose.

Controller Tracewell has rendered a de-
cision that has caused some severe Vi
brations in the chronological department
of the weather bureau. This decision
amounts TO a small earthquake in the
quarters of Chief Willis Moore and his
scientists. s "a.
Mr.. Tracewell. upon a request from
Secretary Wilson Of the Department Of
Agriculture. has, decided that there are
no funds available the current fiscal
year to pay the expenses of investiga-
tions by. the weather bureau, in seis-
mology and the securing of chronological
observations and reports.
Let Earthquakes Slide.
Under this decision the weather bureau
must give up this year all efforts to keep
track Of earthquakes and general under
ground disturbances. This work has gone
on for years without hindrance.
In submitting the question to the con-
troller Secretary Wilson stated that when
the weather bureau was separated from
the Ssnal Corps Corps +Sf OF the army in n, $50
riculture all the civilian duties were
transferred to the department. One of
the duties Of the Signal Corps from 1875,
he said, had been to keep track Of seis-
has since 1890 made this work part of
Its duties.
Tracewe1l Quotes Law.
Controller Tracewell quotes the law un-
der which the weather bureau is sup
posed to exist, and cannot find anywhere
any direction to cover seismological dis
turbances. The controller says that seis-
mology Is recognized as being the sci
ence or study of earthquake phenomena.
and relates to underground, while me-
teorology treats of the phenomena Of
atmosphere, or conditions above ground.
The controller cannot find anywhere in
the laws where the chief of the weather
bureau is directed to delve into earth
quake phenomena. Seismology. he con-
tends, is additional to and not an Incl
dent of the work Of the weather men.
The contention of the weather bureau
is that all foreign countries now recog-
nize seismology as being meteorological
in scope.
Given Money by Congress.
mo matter what the controller has de-
cided, Congress provided an appropria-
ton of $1,000. at my request, for the pur-
chase of chronological instruments"
says Prof. Moore, land would not
heed my suggestion that the word 'seis-
mologicaP be included in the provision
of the bill, on the ground that 1t was
not necessary and that l had ample au-
thority under the law to go ahead.
Il have a letter from the chairman Of
the House committee, in which he ex-
plains the reasons for emitting the word.
think the controller is In error.
However, there Is nothing left now
to do but to abide by his ruling, and go
before Congress with the request that 1t
explicitly confer the authority that Mr..
Tracewell says is lacking. This will be
done at the next session.
Not Dollar Spent.
I'VE have not spent a dollar of the
appropriations. nor done anything illegal,
ploye of this bureau. When the question
was raised as to the right of the bureau
to expend the appropriation for the pur-
pose for which 1t was intended we
stopped right there and asked the con-
troller for his opinion.
'The chronological work that we have
been doing Is at no added expense to the
government. The instruments that we
are using have been a part of the equip
ment Of the bureau for twenty-five years
Over the entire world it is recognized
that seismology is allied to meteorological
investigation. The question of whether
1t was germane to the subject has never
been raised before, to my knowledge.
"The bureau contemplated extending
the chronological investigations beyond
Washington. The discussion of this pur-
pose brought up the question of our au-
thority. We stopped there and then and
put 1t up to the controller"