The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1920-01-09

~ uVttSsIbie anu WIFI reports from
all available points of observation tab
ulated and recorded on the weather
map, the weather bureau foretold
many hours in advance the peril that
threatened the Gulf coast. Thus the
people were forearmed.
1t will be recalled that storm warn
ings We're displayed regularly on the
south Florida coast since Monday
morning. How accurate the weather
bureaus forecasts had been Is shown
by the press dispatches dated Wednes-
day night, September 10: "Lower
Florida was paralyzed today as re-
suit of the violent hurricane that pass
ed over that section last night. Not
"a house in this city (Key West) es-
capped damage; 800 frame buildings
practically were RACED, two church
edifices wrecked, and five retail stores
overturned. The damage IS estimated
at more than 100000. 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
its fight to keep destruction and death
at the minimum, was able to act with
more definiteness, even though there
was no adequate means Of ascertain
ing atmospheric conditions in the CEN
ter area of the Gulf of Mexico. The
report of September II, flashed over
the wires from Washington. read !:
"The tropical storm Is apparently CEN
trail tonight In the Gulf of Mexico
with latitude q degrees and longitude
SO degrees. Absence Of reports for
bid the definite location of the storm
center and it is therefore impossible
at this time to state the portion of
the mainland that 1t will first reach,
although 1t is fairly probable that
1t will be west of the Mississippi river.
Storm warnings are displayed from
the Louisiana coast eastward to CEN
trail Florida and on the northwest
coat of Texas"
While the hurricane was moving on
it's northwestward course additional
news, brief but vivid. filtered in from
points in its wake. September IL the
Associated Press representative wired
mine members of the Ward line
steamer COrydon crew of SO men
We're brought to this port this after.
noon by the schooner Island Home
They had been adrift on an upturned
lifeboat. without food and water fol
three days. One Of the crew, accord
Ing to their story. had become crazed
from suffering and privation Wetlnes
day night, and sprang overheard"
In these hours the thoughts Of the
chief forecaster instinctively turned tc
Galveston. which in the past had sui
fered terribly from similar storms
Dispatches from that city indicated
that the tide was rising rapidly. Wa
ter was flooding the low places on the
island and people were fleeing thu
city. A 30-mile northeast storm wa.
blowing. But for the weather bureau.
timely warnings which had reached
Galveston before the gale struck tn,
city, millions Of tons OF cargo ant
scores Of ships would have put to SET
and would have been lost.
In the next "a hours the storm burs
upon the Texas coast in full fury
While the papers the next few day
were filled with accounts of the dam
age and death caused by the hurricane
I. the fact Of greatest Significance, ant
which the public has come to take al
! most as matter of course. only par
TALLY realizing the skill and responsi
bility involved, was that the weathe
bureau had been able to anticipate
| this storm long enough in advance t
prevent loss that probably woul,
, have totaled thousands Of lives an
: millions Of dollars in shipping.