Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
BY REX COLLIER.

TIME long arm of radio is wiping
away the blind spots" Oh
Americas weather map and
bringing nearer to realization the
dream of MISUNDERSTANDING
range weather forecasting.
Encouragingly accurate outlooks al
ready are made week in advance by
Uncle Sans weather experts. and as
the number OF broadcasting stations IN
the Arctic multiplies, the dependabiiity
of these representations correspond
ingly is increased.
Polar Watchmen Wanted.
Since many of Americas storms and
cold waves have their origin In the
polar wastes. 1t is of supreme impor-
lance to have sentinels in the Far
North. ready to send advance warming
southwark of the approach OF these
disturbances. Until the past few years
, the number of these sentinels was so
small that only meager notice OF 1nl-
pending meteorological upsets was OBJ
! tainable.
A station or two in northwest Canada
and in Alaska we're of considerable
helm but the vast mo mans land"
between Alaska and Greenland lay
stretched out on the weather map A
great unknown quantity with WHICH
to reckon. -, -.
That unknown quantity north of
Alaska and Canada. extending TO Huo-
son Bay. really had to be taken INTO
consideration, too. TOO Irequen..iy
there came down from tne h,ceic
fastnesses an unheralded blizzard or
ether storm that could not be foreseen
hy the weather prophets. They came
from out of the blind spots that existed
on the map. Their intensity and We,
i locitv after reaching civilization could
not we'll be plotted. because there were
No nrior observations and STUDIES OF
| their trend available.
Depended on Dog Sledge.
Trne. the Weather Bureau had one
| far Northern official observer IN tne
| gap between eastern Alaska ana eIis
Hudson Bay region. but since ne ma
| to depend on dog sledges lor coIInul y.
| servations usually arrived long a1ter
| the disturbance which he was report
ING had arrived and departed down
| this way. His reports were valuable
| only for scientific study.
This observer was located at Polnt
barrow. the little Alaskan town from
which Cant. George wilkins Launched
! his great flight over the polar Ice cap.
point harrow is on the northernmoSt
fin Of Alaska and 1t lies far within the
| Arctic circle, beyond the 10 degree
| latitude lire. -.
The only observation post from
| Point Barrow to Hudson Bay was the
Canadian station at Aklavik. at the
| mouth of the Mackenzie River. Tnis
/ was much to the southwark. Otner
stations in the Canadian northwest or
| Alaska were at Edmonton, Fort smith
and Simpson.
Hopes Now Realized.
The Weather Bureau long has sought
/ To obtain a regular radio weather serV-
| ice from Point Barrow. 1t was argued
| that If a daily report could be sent
| down here from that remote outpost
| the reliability of the daily forecasting
service would be increased. The hopes
In this direction now are about to De
| realized.
In a month or so there will be sci
| up at Point Barrow an Army broad
casting station of the short-wave type
from which will come daily reports
| of meteorological conditions near the
| polar seas. The Signal Corps listened
! sympatheticaily to the pleas OF the
| forecasters and has agreed to oper
| the station and send the reports, pro-
vided the bureau arranges to have tbs
| observations taken. The latter provis-
ion was easily complied with. Mrs
| Stanley r. Morgan. wife Of the Army
sergeant who will operate the station
was offered the job of official weather
observer at Point Barrow, and she has
accepted. She now is being put through
a rigid course training to At her for
her new ONCE She is learning how to
| read the thermometer accurately. how
| to note barometer changes and how
to do the other things devolving upon
| one of Uncle Sans weather observers.
Woman to BE Observer.
Mrs. Morgan will make her readings
every day. hand them to her husband
and let the radio do the rest. The
broadcast reports win be picked up al
| Fairbanks and relayed to the United
| States by way of the Cordova cable. The
| observations will be received here every