New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1919-09-20

VIZ AA6 hOot W1uo NClOCItlVS. tudJ
the width of it's violent area ex-
ceeded that Of the great hurricane
of 1915.
The Orleans weather service
had warned this territory so well
that had the storm center ap-
preached closer. the damage
would doubtless have been held
within the lowest limits possible.
1t is probable that the Corpus
Christi region got it's acute danger
warnings later than would ordi-
narily have been the case, be-
cause Of the peculiarly battling
character of the data on which
forecasters make their estimates
and predictions. The first storm
warnings for Corpus Christi that
we recall were ordered at New
Orleans on Saturday night. The
hurricane fell upon the Texas
coast the next day.
The Orleans Bureau-the whole
weather service-confined almost
entirely to land observations, was
defeated in all it's efforts to fix
either the location Of the storm
center or the direction of its
progress. The bureau evidently
believed until late Saturday night
and the center was much further
east than it really was, and that
passible northern curve might
throw it across New Orleans at
any time. This view was shared
by a lot of volunteer unofficial
forecasters is the exchanges and
such places. Some Of them were
even calling for hurricane warm
inps to tn Mississippi coast.
The cause Of all the perplexity
is obvious. We. ordinarily get
three, four. or FIVE days notice Of
these hurricanes in the middle
gulf. That is not enough to reach
all ships at sea with warnings. A
number Of vessels are almost al
ways caught somewhere Within
the storm area. as the blast
sweeps northward and westward.
These report by wireless their To-
cations and the conditions gof
pressure and wind velocity they
experience there. Such observa-
tons. whether close to the center
nf the nricane or out on its
fringes, are equally valuable,
when compared with land on
servations taken on this side Of
the disturbance, in fixing the CEN
ter from time to time and thus in
defining it's direction as well.
This latest disturbance. how
ever, or one just ahead Of it, was
reported as long ago as Septem-
Der 3. It was reported again on
September 4 as it blew northwest
and skirted the upper borders Of
Porto Rico, San Domingo, and
Cuba. Then it seemed to get lost.
The same or another hurricane
was then reported on the sixth.
northeast Of the point where the
first disturbance had been last re-
ported. and moving in the same
general direction, toward the
point Of Florida. Then we heard
Of it from day to day rs it rsvaged
Havana, devastated the Florida
beaches, and hammered Key West,
until it got away fro mthe land
stations and plunged across the
rrper gulf in this general direc-
tion.
This middle region. in other
words. has been getting and
spreading hurricane warnings
since September 8. These being
reported broadcast ashore, and
wirelessed across the waters,
caused ships approaching fror
the sea side to keep Of, and causct.
those on this side to stay IN port.
The shipping in the eastern part
Of the area where the storm orig
mated, not having the benefit Of
this long notice rot badly harl-
mered in several instances. By
the time that damage was done,
however, the hips approaching this
part 81 the area were informed Of
and kept clear Of tho
area. The consequence was that
the weather service lacked marine
observations from the time the
storm roared over Key West until
last Saturday night The service
was really suffering from its own
efficiency as an aid to- shipping.