The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-10-17

rotary Of the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, who shared in the
development Of the electric telegraph,
early conceived Of the use Of the tele-
graph for the dissemination Of weath-
er knowledge and put it to practical
use, In consequence Of which Con-
gress In 1870 began creating laws for
the establishment Of the present
United States Weather Bureau, first
imposing the meteorological work on
the Signal Office Of the War Depart
ment, and In 1890 transferring 1t to the
Department Of Agriculture, with the
Weather Bureau - the designated
official meteorological agency. This
change was impelled BY the value OF
the weather service to agriculture,
business, industries, and to the general
public, and 80 deserving Of q definite
separate civilian entity.
At first the service was for the
benefit Of navigation on the seacoasts
and the Great Lakes and then 1t was
extended to cover the interior dis
tricts and the great rivers Of the
central valley Of the country. 50 az
riculture and commerce came to be
included in the field Of weather science
in America. Today the forecasting
service touches directly the 1mmedt-
ate needs Of probably more people In
the United States than all the other
Federal activities comhiIsed, with the
single exception Of the postal service.
The convenience, health, and budget
Of every family In the country are
more or less affected by the fam
ilys ability to avoid weather hazard.
exposure, and loss.
Fogewarned u ForesFmed
The significance Of single FORE
cast upon the life Of . city may be
seen from the following: With the
notice Of an approaching cold wave.
greenhouses are closed and boilers
fired: heating and lighting plants. gas,
electric, steam, or hot water, make
preparations ct once to meet the in
creased demand upon them that will
follow: fire hydrants, exposed mains.
AID general plumbing are protected;
small householder and stockyards
drain their mains: sasoline engines
and automobile water-cooling sys-
TENS are protected BY the use Of anti
treeSe solutions: street car railway
companies arrange for more heat In
their cars; natural gas companies turn
more gas into their mains for In
creased consumption: merchants d..
rect their advertising to cold weather
articles; oyster dealers increase their
reserve stocks; coal dealers supply
only partial orders to customers need
ing fuel instead Of furnishing full
orders to . few, thus serving oil their
patrons; ice factories reduce their
output: dredging Of sand and gravel
ceases; iron ore Is placed in the holds
OF vessels to prevent wet masses from
freezing solid: and charity oTganiza-
tions prepare to meet increased de-
mand for food and fuel, the suffer-
iug Of the poor being thus minimized.
This Is but Z glimpse Of what happens
to city folk on just one weather fore
cast.
The Weather Bureau q IN organi-
zation Is authorised by laws Of Con-
gress to forecast the weather. includ-
ing the issuance Of warnings about
storms. cold waves. and frosts, forest
fire weather, airways, and fruit frost
service; the collection Of daily OBJ
servations by radio, telegraph, and
cable for the purpose Of issuing fore
casts and warnings; collection and
transmission Of marine Intelligence
for the benefit Of commerce and navi-
cation; securing and furnishing met
geological information and forecasts,
including upper-air observations for
the benefit Of air navigation; and
reporting temperatures and rainfall
conditions for agricultural and china
biological purposes.
Weather Visits Weather Bureau
Weather conditions are largely de-
termined for any locality BY what
are known Is areas Of high and low
pressure, which as they move across
the world bring changes In tempera-
tllre and in the winds-in the
weather generally-and the meteor
5plogist by obtaining information 6
70 what the weather Is IN other local
1ties can determine closely what e.
l1ects viii be produced from the de-
6elopment Of these phenomena. It Is
aid that more than 30 per cent Of
HE winds, rains, and storms behave
INST as the weather man predicts; In
net the daily forecasts Of the Wealth
3 Bureau attain from S to 80 per
Dent Of expectations. Sometimes .
form fails to follow the expected
nth and 30 the weather forecaster
makes : mistake. The average man
: apt to remember the one failure
}ather than the many accurate FORE
HaSts.
i Formerly forecasts were made In!
more cautious, tentative terms than
At present. Such expressions Is
fDfobably showers" probably fail"
Ste, were frequently used, and Prof
ireland ABB. one Of the pioneer