The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-18


Weather Bureau, was "discoyered" by
famous Arctic explorer not while
the latter was in the northland, to be
sure, but in Washington, D. c. The
story goes back to the eighties, not
long after young Marvin had passed
civil service examination and Sc
cured an. appointment as Junior pro-
| fessor'-an odd title designating
position in the signal corps, which in
those days carried on weather fore
casting and related work known to
| science as meteorology. 1t was the IA
NOUS discoverer of new land north of
Greenland. Major General A. w.
Greeley, who discerned, while head of
the signal corps after his return from
the north, that Marvin possessed ex-
ceptional ability in mechanical en-
gineering. He f0resaw the great serv
ice which the young man might rem
der to his country in the weather fore
casting organization, and opened the
door of opportunity for him.
Il told you So" the venerable gen
eral says in effect, when folks talk
the thirty-odd years he has been work
ing for the government. Il am proud
to take a good deal of credit for hav-
ing started him on a path which has
| led to wonderful achievements"
If it seems a far cry from mechani-
cal engineering to weather fOrecasting.
| let the reader remember that S5 to
80 percent of the day-tO-day forecasts
of the weather bureau are accurate
and that this remarkable record has
been possible because of the increaS-
ing skill of me forecasters, supple
! mented by one of the most eXtraOrdin-
airy collections of scientific apparatus
and instruments to be found anywhere
in the world. Among the inventors of
these meteorological instruments MI.
Marvin stands first
Salary $4,000 Year.
Had Mr.. Marvin spent his life in
private employment and made as
many fundamental inventions for some
chosen industry as he has while in
government service he would have
not rewarded many times over what
Uncle Sam has paid him. When he
became chief of the weather bureau in
1918, after 90 years Of service in subor-
dinate positions. his salary was placed
| at $4,000 There it has remained, re
| CARELESS of the II. G. of L., and his in
valuable contributions to govern
ment service, which annually saves
the farmers, through its timely warn
ingS, hundreds OF thousands of dollars
loss in live stock and crops; a service
which also acts as the trusted lookout
for numberless shippers on land ant
water, warning them of approaching
storms, cold or heat, a service per
forming a score OF other important
tasks touching the nations daily life
One of the most remarkable facts
about the weather bureau is that ii
! nt rcyln Ct
has occurred in this country which
has not been adequately heralded by
= the governments fOreCasters.
Mr.. Marvin'S contributions to his
chosen science have received crafty
} ing recognition in the scientific world
When the office of chief Of the wealth
err bureau became vacant in 1918
President Wilson asked the National
Academy of Sciences to submit d list
of men it would recommend for ap
pointment. MI Marvins name was
one of four submitted. His appoint
ment as chief came as a well-merited
reward
Every body has heard of box kites,
but few know that an improved type
of box kite which will 90 up a mile or
more was devised by Marvin and built
to carry what is called kite meteoro-
graph, which also is a Marvin inven-
ton. This little instrument, weighing
about l Il pounds. records the atmos-
pheriC pressure, temperature. the hui
nudity and the velocity of the wind.
Large numbers of these kite meteoro-
graphs are in use by the weather bu-
reau. incidentally, the Keeling appar-
atus by which each kites 10000 or
! 10000 feet OF steel wire is wound up
automatically, is also Marvin's inven
{ ton.
Ever hear of Marvin's pyrhelomet
| er? It's a mighty important instru-
ment for measuring one of the forces
| fundamental to all life-the amount of
! heat received from the sun on which
! plant and animal processes depend.
Another of his achievements is
particularly efficient seismograph
which records earthquake shocks, and
| is so sensitive that it will respond to
! heavy disturbances taking place in any
| part Of the earth.
! OF prime importance in studying
soil moisture, etc, is knowledge of the
rate at which evaporation takes place
/ on the surface of bodies of water One
of the instruments used in this work
is also the product of his brain. Still
another Marvin invention is a baro-