The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-09-22
TELLS
 OF WORK WHICH
 BUREAU PLANS

The department of agriculture thru it's weather bureau, is trying to COT rect the erroneous impression pre- vailing turnout a large part of the United States regarding weather con- IitiOns in Alaska Under the direction of Melvin B. Summers, meteorologist, in charge of the Alaska section, eli theological data is gathered from the stations turnout the territory. as srmbled in monthly and yearly re- ports. and distributed turnout the States for the enlightenment of those Outsiders who believe the sun never shines in Alaska.
 Mir Summers, who has had charge of the work in the North during the past three years, is now in Nenana on his annual tour of the territory, estab- fishing new and reopening old sta ions and looking after the work gen erally. He reached Nenana on the
 
 the coast by way of Fairbanks and the Richardson trail.
 In a conversation with a repre- sentative of The News last evening at the Southern hotel, MT. Summers spoke very highly of the manner in which the stations of the bureau thru out the territory are conducted. Ac- curacy and regularity in making ob servations are of the highest import ance to the bureau, he says, and the results thus far have been very satis- factory, particularly so in view of the fact that much of the work is vOlun- tary.
 The bureau now has about 80 CO., operative and special observers thru out the territory, who supply the bureau reports for the compilation of Archaeological data. For the purpose of weather forcasting. two reports daily are required of eleven stations. at widely separated points. These re- ports are flashed to Juneau and to Washington D. C., at a. m. and $ D m. Juneau time and from them the weather conditions of the next day are determined.
 FOrecasting was not huge suc- cess last winter, MT. Summers admits. but he hopes to be able to improve the service greatly during the com ing winter, as result of having established new stations covering q .ufficient area to insure fairly accur- ate calculations. Still better results would be insured by the establish ment of station in Siberia, because of the air movement from tthe west to the east, but that, MT Summers says, is out of the question at present. The stations making these special reports, which are available at a number Of points in the States along the route taken by the messages forwarded to Washington twice daily, include Sit ka, Eagle. Tanana, Nome Noorvik, Akiak. Atka, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, St. Paul, Valdez, and Juneau. The stations at NOorvik. in the Kobuk country, and Atka, in tthe Aleutian islands, were established this sum- mer.
 The forecasting service will begin on October IS, but 1t will not include daily reports as was the case last winter. The intention of the bureau, MT. Summers says. is to supply In tcrior Alaska with advance informa- ton only when marked weather changes indicated. Variations of a few degrees will not be taken into ac, count.
 Since coming to the Interior MT. Summers has arranged for the re' opening of stations at Ruby. Circle and Hot Springs. and for the estab lishment of new station at Lignite Arrangements also have been made for keeping a record of weather con