The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-11-14

the map, pointing to the low barome
ter area that was moving steadily to,
ward the southern states.
Weather Forecast Correct.
The next chapter in the hurricane's
brief history is told in the weathe,
report of September 9: "The tropical
storm was central Tuesday night anc
a little south Of Key West where the
barometer read 29.O8 inches with a
wind velocity of 60 miles an hour from
the northeast. The storm is appar.
emily moving northweastward, and will
pass into the Gulf of Mexico during
Tuesday night"
How speedily and decisively the
%forecaster had acted in the face of the
oncoming peril is indicated by the next
sentence: warnings to shipping and
other interests have been regularly
sent since Monday morning when
storm warnings were first displayed
on the south Florida coast"
The following 48 hours were laden
with grave responsibility for the staff
Of the weather bureau. 1t was theirs
to decide at the earliest possible mo-
ment consistent with accuracy in what
direction the storm now moving with
increasing power and rapidity would
travel as it came nearer the mainland.
On Wednesday, September 10, the re-
port read, "The tropical storm passed
Key West, Fla, about midnight Tues
day night with the barometer reading
1881 inches and estimated wind We
locity of 10 miles an hour from the
east" Here was evidence that one
of the most violent storms of recent
years was about to strike at some
point in the Gulf coast.
This report revealed the m~eagerness
of available information at this date
regarding the progress of the hurri-
cane: Tonight the storm is probably
central in the Gulf of Mexico, not far
from latitude 26, longitude IS, still
moving northwest , and northeast
storm warnings are ordered on the
gulf coast from C%arrrabelle, Fla, to
New Orleans, where the winds will
probably be strong on Thursday night.
Advice has also been issued to this
section to prepare for possible very
dangerous winds by Friday.
Defensive War Starts.
And so mans defensive war gainst
the mighty force Of nature was on.
With all it's scientific data regard
ing the course of previous storms in
stantly accessible and with reports
from all available points of observa-
ton tabulated and recorded on the
weather map, the weather bureau fore
told many hours the peril that threat
ened the gulf coast. Thus the peo-
pie were fore-armed.
1t will be recalled that storm warn
ings were displayed regularly on the
south Florida coast since Monday
morning. How accurate the weather
bureaus forecasts had been is shown
by press dispatches dated Wednesday
September 10: "Lower Flori-
da was paralyzed today as a result of
the violent hurricane that passed over
that section last night. Not a house
in this city (Key West) escaped dam
age; 320 frame buildings practically
RACED, two church edifices wrecked,
and five retail stores overturned. The
damage is estimated at more than
Shipping off the coast met
with disaster. Several small vessels
were sunk and others were driven to
the reefs"
By this time the weather bureau, in
it's fight to keep destruction and death
at the minimum, was able to act with
more definiteness, even though there
was no adequate atmospheric condi-
tions in the center area of the Gulf
of Mexico. The report of September
II, flashed over the wires from Wash
ington read: "The tropical storm is
apparently central tonight in the Gulf
of Mexico with latitude 81 and longi-
tude 88. Absence of reports forbids
the definite location Of the storm GEN.
ter, and it is therefore impossible at
this time to state the portion of the
mainland that it will first reach, al
though it is fairly probable that it
will be west of the Mississippi river.
Storm warnings are displayed from the
Louisiana coast eastward to central
Florida and on the northwest coast
of Texas"
While the hurricane was moving on
it's northwestward course additional
news, brief but vivid, filtered in from
points in it's wake. September II the
"Nine members of the Ward Line
Associated Press representative wired,
steamer Corydon crew of SO men were
brought to this port this afternoon by
tho schonpor leland Horo Thox hod