The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-11
CHAMBER ENTHUSIASTIC
 OVER MOORE'S ADDRESS
Famous Chief Tells Rela- tiOns of His Bureau
 to Business GIVES INCIDENTS
 FROM LOW COURTS How Measuring of Precipitation Often Saves Much Property in the Low Lying Sections
 Along Streams

ftlOuS lotTtdhS
 By a rising vote of the Chamber Of Comerce last night, the address of Prof. Willis L. Moore of the weather bureau was characterized as the best that has ever been delivered before this ibody" and subsequently vote of thanks was rendered the noted scientist by that or ganizaton for his lecture.
 The address of Professor Moore dealing with the work of his bureau was deliv- cred with all the fervor of a scientist and before an audience that was held spellbound as the famous weather man detailed incident after incident of the force and effect of his work.
 The distinguished visitor came into the chamber shortly before o'clock, after the reports of some special committees had been read. He was introduced by President Richard w. Massey and Pro- lessor Moore immediately started to tell of his work. He came from the rostruin asking that concession as he explained his remarks would in the nature of a family discussion and he wanted to be right in the midst of his auditors.
 Most of you know in a general way the relations of the weather bureau to business" began Professor Moore. "The intricate details of the methods employed in assembling these details are of slight interest to you, so we will pass over them. There is no nation on earth that spends so much money in gathering data of this kind as America. We have over 2OO stations from which we receive every day reports as to the local weather condi- ua from the da1ly re- ports some special features we ask for and receive special data every two hours and in this way we keep in direct touch with those special conditions that we wish to observe. You see every day maps and charts in all offices that de- pend upon the weather conditions Tor their working basis These maps and charts are examined in vast number of cases before the work of the day is begun and are of great value to com mereial bodies throughout the country.
 Measuring Precipitation
 s,rhe weather service measures the pre- cipitation on the watersheds scattered along the Mississippi river from Pitts burg to New Orleans every morning an'' from this we are able to forecast within short space the rise and fall or the river and the most important points.
 T recall that these watershed stations once told us that within period of q short time New Orleans would actually be under water unless the levees were raised at that point. l wired the author ities there to raise the levees two rect or the city would be under water. lhe congressman came to me and protested violently over the forecast. and I told hin that unless he assured me that within a few days the levees would be raised two feet that within two hours l would issue the .warning The levees were raised anu within five days, or exactly the tune wf made the forecast the water line showed that had the levees been allowed to re- main as they were the city would nave been flooded.
 Again. we warned them short time afterward that the levees must be ralseo We were able to be absolutely sure that the water would be so high. They were raised that time without delay and at the time we had forecasted the water was exactly where we said.
 'This work has been extended to take in some of the rivers in the west, notably in Texas, and we are rendering excellent work there. helping to save the prop erty damages that would surely result.
 .sAt one time in the Ohio and other valley regions we told the people to re- move the live stock away from the val lev as we expected high water. Through that warning over. s1, ,OOO. GOO worth of live stock was saved and there is no telling how much other property.
 In Rocky Mountain Country
 .'In the Rocky mountain country, continued Professor Moore "the atmos- pheric conditions are such that 1t Is difficult for us to generalize. So we have local men stationed to pay par ticular attention to the frost. AS you know. they are great fruit raisers there and it is of the utmost importance that those people be warned about the coming of the frosts. our local mer are so situated as to take care or those places where the frost would come, al though another point not far away might not be affected We have often times warned fruit men as to frosts with the result that artificial neat was supplied in the orchards and the frui' which you get here saved to the man cial enrichment of the farmers Of thai section. This service is heartily ap' preciated by the farmers of that section and others and we f1nd IL very eHicieh' and satisfactory.
 tIn the Wisconsin cranberry marshes there is a peculiar condition where the frosts settles down. while at La Crosse and other places the tempera ture is up high. We have 0professoi who has made detailed study of that condition with the result that we car forecast with great accuracy when the III timed situations are to come and thus prtect the men in their raising of cranberries.
 Professor Moore. at this juncture gave il detailed description of the op- rations of his department during the recent war, relating several interest ing incidents in connection with the establishment of hurricane stations along the, West Indies, which were of vast value to the American navy He told of issuing warnings which If not received would have proved very dam- aging.
 Ut is sometimes possible for hur- ricane to come In without touching our hurricane zone" said Professor Moore "The Charleston one recently was the most noticeable. That one come within a short space and we didn't notice any thing wrong until the barometer was going down at lIatteras. Savannah and Charleston. Immediately thereafter we sent out lookout warnings, but the hur- ricane struck before we could issue the general alarms. With our charts now we have weather reports from the en- tire western hemisphere every morning at 10 o'clock and even this service is being constantly improved
 Incidents in Courts
 Professor Moore closed his address by sa ying that science has only begun her work and he predicted that within 25 years men would be shot through tubes