Evening star., 1927-05-08
BY A. G. WEST.

dozen or more men was seated al
i high desks with maps OF the
United States in front of them, as
they listened intently to a voice that
was repeating series of phrases with
Incredible rapidity.
Names Of cities flashed by as guide.
posts 10 this conversational mara
thOn, with occasional echoes from the
group as one or another responded
briefly. plus four" on a downward
chant, or again minus eight" as the
translator intoned swiftly phrase
that resolved itself into, Coco Solo
10 miles and NO rain" with again a
distant echo of zero" and a second
later. like the murmur of a disappear
ing thunderstorm far off on the
horizon Of the forecast room, zero. >"
This scene in the heart of the
United States Weather Bureau. at
Washington, D. c.. is a familiar one
TO the expert mappers who are re-
sponsible for the information broad
cast daily over the radio station
NAA at the Washington Navy Yard,
as well as for the usual weather maps
distributed by mail. But within the
last few weeks it has been shown that
"the sun do move in the Weather Blu.
reau as we'll as elsewhere. as there
has been installed a new system of
Offering the reports by radio trans.
mission a SIS am. that is the first
step in most ambitious program in.
augurated by the chief co-ordnator in
conference with various governmental
bureaus
cults to the present needs and S11pnIe-
or providing an adequate meteoro.
logical service, that should be of i'm.
meolate value to aviation and busi-
ness interests all over the country.
has grown into a problem of increas.
ing proportions. The United States is
ny no means the only nation whose
engineers and scientists are attempt
ing to grapple with wind and fog.
snow and hail. in advance forecasts.
hut we have a continent that is so
broad that it presents certain difficult
Ties that are not experienced in
country that is long and narrow. as
In the case of the Argentine, where
soker weather predictions are made
some weeks in advance.
The sum of $4,000 had been pro.
Vided for in the late lamented def
cheney bill to cover the expenses of
extra employees and certain equip
ment for the Weather Bureau to use
in placing weather observations out
on the air half an hour after the re-
ports came in from 200-Odd stations
scattered over the country It was
felt by the Navy that this important
program should not be lost through
lack Of all possible cooperation, SO
three operators and a high-frequency
radio receiver were loaned the
Weather Bureau, and with the assist
ance of the Western Union in provid-
ing an automatic transmitter, the ex.
pertinent of offering reports two
hours earlier was commenced on
April IS and at once proved success
full.
4 X
A CCORDING to Comdr. Benjamin
McCandlish of naval communica- |
tions, the radio weather reports on the |
new system have been we'll received |
by the Atlantic Coast stations, includ |
$ng Key West, San Juan ana Guantan- |
namo, Chicago, San Diego and New |
Orleans, but the cities farther West |
may need different hook-ups. There |
is no international border for weather, /
and thus Canada and Mexico cooper
ate with the officials Of the United |
States in exchanging observations, |
which are of mutual advantage.
Curiously enough, though the word
weather" comes to us from a San
skirt root meaning ito blow. the first
daily weather map was not published
until 1853 by the French, and not un-
til eight years later by the United
States, as rules for storm strategy
were not developed until the middle
OF the nineteenth century, when it
became common knowledge that storm
winds did not blow in straight line.
as had been generally supposed by
the mass of people, according to Sir
Napier Shaw, a noted meteorologist
OF England.
The system of collecting weather
records or meteorological logs" on
thousands of ships was first com
menced by Lieut.. Matthew F, Maury,
u. s. N, about 1850. when the publi-
cation OF his noted wind and Cur
rent Charts" revolutionized the science
OF navigation and saved many millions
OF dollars to shipping. 1t is interest
ing to learn that Lieut.. Maury was
not properly appreciated by the Off
cials of his own Government until his
name and fame had been sounded by
the savants of Europe; but, neverthe
less. the present technique of the
United States photographic Office of
the Navy is largely, If not entirely.
founded on the research by this noted
officer Of an earlier age.
As early as the year 1850 hurricanes
had been treated as whirlWinds by
Varenius in his book Geographic
Naturalis," and half a century later
Capt. Langford contributed memoir
on West Indian hurricanes to the
Royal Society of London which eXer-
cised a powerful influence on the
status Of meteorology. as his observa-
tions led him to predict in advance a
hurricane that devastated Nevis in
1917 and to offer instructions to Brit
ish squadron that followed them with
success.
Since the establishment of daily
weather maps great changes have
taken place in respect to our aerial
activities and the service that was
highly efficient many years ago is now
barely up-todate in respect to the fire.
uuent and early reports required by
ayiators. Thus the report of the com
mittee appointed by Brig. Gen. II. c.
Smither chief co-ordinator. two years
ago. embraces a modern and complete
radio telegraph system that shall be
along the most efficient lines and
which will cut the present cost very
considerably by providing better cir
suits to the present needs and supple
mented by wireless where possible.
AS this plan is all-embracing and is
to benefit various interests, such as
shipping. agriculture and other com
p,prcfaI hus{uesspS all Cver the cnOti-