Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-11-02
Weather Bureau, in 9th Year
First Had ~ Report Stations
800 Dissertations Made Each Day Assist
Experts in Forecasts-Airplanes
Climb 3 Miles to Record Data.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
When the weather man issued yes
terday's forecast, he started the sixty
seventh year that the Federal Gov
eminent has maintained this public
service
On November 1, 1870, the first COL
lection of weather data began by tele-
graphed reports from % scattered sta
lions to the Signal Corps headquarters
in Washington.
The experts who predict weather to-
day are aided by observations taken
at 800 different places on this CONT
nent at the same time.
More than q score OF airplanes
roared away simultaneously in as many
different places for a Smile climb.
carrying instruments that recorded
temperature, pressure and humidity.
Automatic devices that recorded
these data were examined in hun
dreds of other places. All the infor-
nation was sent by telegraph, tele-
phone and radio to forecasting GEN.
ters
Within two hours predictions for
thousands Of communities. for ships
at sea and for airplanes had been
made available through newspapers.
radio broadcasts. the mail and every
known method of communication.
Week Needed for First Forecast.
1t required a week for the first fore
cast when the service was organized.
That was a storm warning for the
Great Lakes on November 8, 1870.
Regular published weather predictions
did not start until February 10 of the
next year.
Precise accounts by the pioneer ad-
vocates of a Federal weather service
record that it required years "of long
agitation to persuade Congress that
it was worth while.
France had started a Government
weather service as early as 1885, only
II years after invention of the tele-
graph made it easy for man to send
storm warnings and other data with
speed. Holland followed in 1860 and
Great Britain q year later.
Scientists. marine experts and nu-
merous individuals and groups began
demanding a public weather service
for this fast-growing country but the
Civil War interrupted these appeals.
Finally, when Congress did approve
the idea, the Secretary Of War was
asked to take observations and give
storm warnings on the sea coasts and
Great Lakes.
Signal Corps Carried Burden.
The duty fell to the Signal Corps,
and for 20 years the Army experts
handled this service, first with q staff
Of only IS men.
In 1890 Congress decided civil staff
should handle the work and the
Weather Bureau of the Department
OF Agriculture was charged with the
Job OF aiding navigation, commerce
and agriculture. Even at the turn of
the century there we're only 400 per-
sons employed in the Weather Bureau.
Today the staff has expanded to
more than 1900 regular employees al
though headquarters in Washington
still Is in the same building in which
1t was housed in 1857.
1t is q rambling, thick walled brick
structure about q mile northeast Of
the White House and houses the 200
experts, scientists, inventors and others
who play q part in the many ACTIVE
ties Of the bureau.
Wireless telegraphy by Marconi In
1899 and later perfection of radio
were said by veterans Of the Weather
Bureau to have been the biggest aids
to their work in recent years.
BY these, they said, weather data
from ships at sea and points over the
world have been speedily assembled
and forecasts quickly made public.
Perfection of instruments that kites,
balloons and aircraft can carry aloit
also have increased accuracy and
knowledge of weather data from the
air, miles above the surface of the
earth.
These have helped develop the spe-
cial forecasts four times every "a
hours along airways. the hurricane
warning service Of sea trafic and
coastal regions, the frost warning
service to fplit and agricultural In
terests, the forest IRE forecasts. and