The Washington times., 1913-10-15
MARVIN IS WIZARD
AS A WEATHERMAN
New Chief of Bureau Knows the
Why of Nimbus, Cirrus, and
Other Things.

Almost daily the rude hand of science
IS further tearing from the eyes of man.
kind the filmy veil of superstition, and
il the old Greeks, who believed that
The four and twenty winds were made
by Aeolus whistling through his teeth
and that earthquakes were only the
struggles of Prometheus bound, were 10
&c: hold OF Charles Frederick Marvin,
chief of the Weather Bureau, they
would make him drink a schooner OF
hemlock brew.
For it is Marvin who knows more
about the why of the nimbus. the cirrus,
the cumulus and other varieties of cloud
than any other living man, while as A
seismologist, which is nothing more
than a diagnostician of earthquakes, he
is an authority of international re-
nown. He does not know these things
because he is chief of the Weather
Bureau, however. 1t is the other way
'round-he is chief of the bureau be-
cause he is better qualified for that
place than any man whose work is
known TO the National Academy of
Science.
Though only a minor Government en-
ploye eight years ago he was even then
recognized by German scientists as one
of the leading meteorOlOgists of the
world. About that time he took up the
study of earth trenors and was firmly
eSldbl1Sneu as an SUD-
ject when Secretary of Agriculture
Houston accepted the resignation of
Willis Moore as chief of the Weather
Bureau.
Now" said Houston, Il must have
sientist. Doesn't any one know
nice scientist?'
SO Houston wrote TO members of the
National Academy of Science, asking
Them to suggest a man for the place.
He naturally expected them to NOM
mate member. Government employees
are barred from membership in the
academy. but the academicianS replied:
Marvin is the man
And when Houston asked, Who is
Marvin" they replied, vaguely. to the
effect that:
why, Marvin-why-Marv That's
ALL"
Marvin entered by the civil service
route in 1SS4, being the first high-grade
man TO take d civil service eXamina-
rion. Two years later he was chief of
the instrument division. He had had
q thorough training in mechanical sci
ence at the Ohio State University. In
cidentally, he was a genius. All the
work of the bureau is done by instru-
ments. Marvin invented or improved
them all
Between times he has written many
books filed with interminable pages
OF figures. The average reader finds
them wildly incomprehensible. The
scientist keeps them on his shelves
for reference. His tables of vapor
pressure first reduced to mathematical
formulas the processes which result
IN rain, hail, or snow. Twenty years
ago Marvin did the first scientific
kite flying. Then he invented a self
registering instrument-the Marvin
meteorgraph-which brought back
every item of information about con-
ditions in the upper air. Then the
world became excited about kite fly
ing.
q will offer a prize for the best
paper on kites" said Octave Chanute,
a Chicago engineer.
81 have just concluded my mono
graph on that subject" said Marvin.
1T is awaiting publication. Do you
care TO look at it?"
Chanute paid him the prize. Then he
began to play with earthquakes. He
invented the seismograph, the earth
quake recorder which is in use where
ever they use such things. He wrote a
few large volumes about earth trem-
ors. When not otherwise engaged
he invented things for the Govern
nent-not one of which ever profited
him penny, of course.