The Washington herald., 1921-07-31
More Marine Observations.

MI since the end of the war the need for the
w marine meteorological service Of the Weather
Bureau of the United States Department of Agri-
culture has greatly increased This service which is
based on the observations Of ships with regard to the
conditions of air and encountered in each voyage
helps both vessels and ship II distributes in
formation pilot charts in cooperation with the
photographic Office as to the probable movements Of
any marked disturbances and also to the average
conditions in various Masters Of freight YES
sells arc enabled by study OF the pilot charts to choose
the most favorable route between ports Special car
goes sometimes require special conditions, which can
only be ascertained through such an agency as the
marine service Of the Weather Bureau
For example, vessel loaded with asphalt started
from Trinidad for the British Isles. by way of New
port News II was necessary to keep the cargo at
the exact temperature of degrees Fahrenheit by
means of steam from the boilers The question arose
whether would be better take the direct course from
the Virginia Capes to Liverpool or to take longer,
more southerly route which would be higher in tenn
perature so that consequently less steam would be re-
qurcd maintain the asphalt at 100 degrees Fahren
heit The Weather Bureau furnished charts showing
the normal air and temperatures large por-
tion Of the North Atlantic Ocean, from which the
most economical course could be laid out.
In the Gulf of Mexico. West India, hurricanes are
prevalent The reports to barometrc pressure and
wind velocity received by cable from land observers
or by wireless from vessels in the gulf and neigh
boring waters recorded maps from day to day,
and warnings the forecasters fol-
low the course of ominous changes. When one OF
these storms is in process these weather maps will
show after three four days of increasing high winds
and low pressure, fringe of reports from vessels
which have remained in moved to points Of safety
out of the path of the storm.
Although about half the weather observations
received from American ships, many other nationales
represented in the reports reaching the ma
rine meteorological service British ships report to
Weather Bureau with greater regularity than any
others In 1910 there reports from $50 British
vessels, difference of only per cent from the pre-
ceding year, while oo2 of ships represented
increase of 6S per in active cooperation. In
the year Is2 Dutch ships and I31 Japanese ships
reported. The remainder of the observations
divided chiefly among French, Italian, Norwegian,
Danish Spanish Belgian and Swedish vessels, although
ships from several South American countries reported
twice, and vessel each from China, Cuba,
Germany Greece. Iceland, Mexico. and Peru.
Ship owners should bear in mind that in order to
receive the greatest benefits from observations it is
necessary to have many vessels reporting possi-
bic. The prewar number of reports far from ade
quate, and so far only small proportion of the
sels recently commissioned have begun furnish the
bureau with observations. 1t is hoped that ship
and masters will realize how much they helping
themselves well others by this cooperation.