Evening star., 1940-02-04
U. 5. Will Set Up
2F|oating Weather
Stations in Atlantic
Cutters Set to Sail
In Move for More
Accurate Forecasts
By HAROLD b. ROGERS.

More accurate weather FORE
casts not only for benefit Of trans
Atlantic flyers but also for the en-
tire Eastern seaboard, including
washington, will be possible as a
result Of the establishment soon Of
two new floating Weather Bureau
stations in the Atlantic Ocean, 1t
was learned last night.
This promising prospect grows out
Of a program authorized by Presi-
dent Roosevelt to supply weather in
formation no longer available from
ships at sea because Of the European
war.
Plans have been completed, two
Coast Guard cutters are ready, novel
scientific equipment has been assem-
bled, and personnel of both the
Coast Guard and Weather Bureau
today made ready to put to sea.
From New York City one Of the
cutters, the Duane, was to sail today
for Norfolk. From there the Duane
and another cutter, the Bibb, will
leave to take up stations at two
points, about one-third and two
thirds of the distance between Ber-
muda and the Azores. Each OF these
vessels is a 2,0O0-ton craft, 327 feet
long.
Information to Be Relayed.
From these spots in the ocean a
mass of valuable information will
be relayed to the Weather Bureau
here and to ships at sea, to give a
far more accurate factual picture
Of conditions over the Atlantic than
are now available. Later additional
reports will be available also from
Coast Guard cutters on ice patrol In
the North Atlantic.
Without doubt the increased in
formation will make possible more
accurate forecasts, officials said, be-
cause little recently has been avail
able from the ocean.
As one official explained It,
weather does not stop at the shore
but is Influenced heavily by what Is
happening over the ocean. The
greater knowledge of temperatures,
humidity, wind velocity and direc-
ton, together with the boundaries OF
"air masses" will be of great value
to the weather forecaster in pre-
dieting what will happen along the
Eastern seaboard as well as at sea,
officials emphasized.
Regarding the forecasts here for
January, a check of the predictions
against the weather itself showed,
officials said, that the forecasts. in
Guiding temperature, winds and all
factors on which reports were made,
reached an accuracy of between IS
and 88 per cent. This is said to be
q fair average.
Concerning the minimum tenn
perature forecasts, an analysis Of the
month of January showed the aver
age forecast came within 35 degrees
of the actual temperature.
Miniature Broadcast Station.
One of the most curious scientific
instruments on board the ships is
a miniature broadcasting station,
weighing less than 2 pounds, which
each day at m. will be sent aloft
by a free balloon to rise so high
into the stratosphere that the bal
loon will burst and drop the instru-
ment into the sea. From this little
broadcasting station will be sent out
radio signals to the ship below giving
automatic reports on temperature,
air pressure and humidity at all
heights reached. Among the things
used in the construction of these
little radio stations are bamboo,
sulphuric acid and human hair. The
instrument is known as radiosonde.
At Norfolk, the Duane will turn
over to the Bibb her part Of the
scientific equipment, and the Duane
then will set sail, probably tomorrow,
for its post. The Bibb will follow
later. Other Coast Guard cutters
will assist in the ocean observation
service later. They are the Hamil-
ton, Inghar1, Spencer and Campbell
Each cutter will carry its usual COM
plement Of about l25 officers and
men, plus three Weather Bureau
experts Each ship will be relieved
by another cutter at the end of
four weeks.
Every six hours of the 24-hour
day, beginning about $3.50 am, the
experts will radio information to the
Coast Guard station at Fort Hunt
Va. From there it will come by
teletype to the Weather Bureau Of