The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-10-24
international Station to
Guide Weather Services


I, Washin9ton, Oct. 2<s--7An intsr-
nationally owned and operated wire
less station and .weathsr observation
station on the shores Of Baffin Bay,
to supply data for tho worlds wealth:
er services. has been proposed, and
steps are being taken to insure It's
installation.
Bafin Bay 10 pretty far north, ~
a glance at map Of the top Of our
continent will show, cold winds blow
cheerlessly much Of the time, ice and
snow hold sway over the land and
sea for q good portion Of the year,
and the life of those stationed there,
cut of from the world except by tn
dio, would not be Of the easiest; but
the value Of their services to the
world would be inestimable, 1t Is
said.
Officials of the United States
Weather Bureau are enthusiastic
over the proposal and will urge the
participation Of the government In
the cooperative scheme. They point
out the valuable work Of the inter
national weather observation station
on the lonely little island Of Jan May
en-, off the southeast coast Of Green
land, where reports are sent to all the
European government meteorological
services, as we'll as to the Canadian
and United States weather bureaus.
Mr.. v. Bjerkus Ekerold, Norwe-
gian scientist and meteorologist,
through whose efforts the Jan Mayen
station was erected, has been in this
country and aCnada for some time in
the interest of the proposed Baffia
Bay station.
The great value to this country of
such station is shown by observers
in the fact that they are often handi
capped by the sudden arrival of un
forseen, weather changes originating
in northern Canada, where there are
few stations. Thousands Of miles of
the continent, up to the Arctic sea,
hold no observation posts nor means
of message observations II any were
made. The northernmost weather
station in Canada is almost forty de-
grees from the northern edge Of the
continent, which puts it far south,
close to the international boundary
line.
Consequently, officials said, much
weather which originates in that vast
stretch of land is unobserved until
it is right down upon us. For this
reason, it was added, cold waves Of
ten bear down from the north In win
ter and our weather bureau can give
only scant warning.
A recent example of this sudden
and unforeseen change occurred in a
series of showers that ended the long
countrywide drouth that gripped the
country during August, September
and early October. Continued dry
ness was predicted for some days be-
cause conditions were sluggish and
no changes were observed within thc
scope Of the reporting sations. Be-
tween two days, however, sudden
showers swept down from the un-
charted regions, freshened up the en-
tire Atlantic seaboard and the South
ern states, quenched destructive for
est fires in aCnada and brought an
end to the drouth.
If there were more stations farther
north, 1t was said, the change could
have been forseen far ahead Of it's
actual arrival, instead of about two
days or less, and farmers and others
to whom weather conditions are i'm
portant could have had longer warn
ing to prepare.
1t must be explained that through
General interchanges, the weather OBJ
servations of nations are made avail
able to other countries having wealth
er services, and to whom the data are
important Canadian stations there
fore make observations which are as
important to this country's weather
service as though those stations were
owned by the United States. The
Baffin Bay station would be financed
and operated by the countries Of the
northern hemisphere to whom the
data ,uould he ~ value when renorted