Weather Bureau Stations and Their Duties

WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES.

By JAAIKS KKXKALY, Local Forecafiler, Weaiher .Bureau.

INTKODTICTIOX.

The popular interest felt in the Weather Bureau, and the increasing attention given to the subject of meteorology, suggest that many readers may desire to become more intimately acquainted with the nature of the daily duties performed by observers at the various meteorological stations. This article has been prepared especially for the information of the large class of readers who know little or nothing of the history and work of the Weather Bureau, and who have had no opportunity to visit a W^eather Bureau station for the purjx)se of obtííining information regarding the character of the duties there performed.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOrMENT OF THE METEOKOLOGICAI. SERVICE. The invention of the thermometer and barometer by Galileo about the year 1600 marked the beginning of accurate meteorology and of the scientific investigation of the atmosphere. But it was not until 1818, when the successful operation of Morse's electro-magnetic telegraph was fully demonstrated and meteorology had further developed, that the feasibility of a storm-warning system, based upon telegraphic reports of meteorological observations, was announced both in Europe and in America. Weithin the next thirty years meteorological services were organized by most of the civilized nations of the world. The American system of simultaneous meteorological reports by telegraph, on which are based the daily forecasts and storm warnings of the Weather Bureau, was developed in 1870 under the authority of an act of Congress, and for the specific purpose of affording protection to the commerce of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Great Lakes. On November 1, 1870, twenty-four stations began the regular trans- mission of meteorological observations by telegraph to the Washing- ton ofiice, and a few days later the new service, then a branch of the Army, under the direction of Gen. Albert J. Myer, telegraphed its first storm warning. This was sent to points along the shores of the Great Lakes. The system of displaying storm warnings by means of flags and lights was first imt into pra(;tical operation about a year later, 109 lio YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMEXT OF AGRICULTURE.

when, on the niglit of October 20, 1871, the first storm-warning light was disphiyed at the port of Oswego, N. Y. As affording some idea of the expansion of the service since those days, it may be mentiojied that the nmnber of storm-warning display stations on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexicîo, and the shores of the Great Lakes has been increased from about 25 lo about 250, and that the numb(^r of regular süitions of observation and teh^graphic reports has been increased from D6 to about 180. The development of the service has been far more remarkable in other respects, such as the inauguration of new fields of work; the system of distribuí ion of cold-wave Avarnings; the flood-warning system; the S3\stem of colhitingand distributing reports of the condition of crops; the system of frost warnings; the special forecasts for the benefit of outgoing trans-Atlantic steamers and the marine interests of the Great Lakes; the extensive displaj^ of forecast cards, weather maps, and climate and crop bulletins in all the States and Territories; the issue of snow and ice charts and other publications of immediate practical utility, and the enormous increase in the amount of information given to the public by means of the telegraph and telephone. In the success of its work along these lines the Bureau takes much pride. The causes of these extensions are not far to seek. Everywhere the probable weather conditions from day to day are matters of general concern, and the anxiety occasioned by such unwelcome phenomena as cold waves, droughts, storms, frosts, and floods, with their destructive efi'ects on agriculture and on commercial and manufacturing interests, is shared, in a measure, by every individual in the communities affected. With the steadily growing enlightenment of the public on the subject of meteorology, and the consequent appreciation of the difficulty of the problems with which the forecaster has to deal, there is less disposition to criticize an occasional failure, and the practical utility of the forecasts is more generally appreciated from year to year. Moreover, the expansion of the service during the last few years may be attri'buted, in no small degree, to the increasing industrial activity of the nation, for every extension of railroad and telegraph lines creates new demands upon the service by enabling it to reach new communities with information that could not otherwise be furnished in time to be of benefit.

THK DAILY WEATHER FORECASTS. Among the great number of people who read the forecasts issued daily by the Weather Bureau, it is generally known that storms, cold waves, and other phenomena move from one region to another in obedience to physical laws; also that the forecasts are based on atmos- pheric conditions which are shown by the readings of the barometer, thermometer, and other instruments, and are reported by telegraph WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES. Ill from the plucc of observation to the forecast center. There are, how- ever, nian\^ intelligent persons who entertain erroneous and peculiar ideas concerning the nature of the work performed at Weather J^ureau stations, and who do not comprehend the magnitude of the working system of the service. The central office of the Bureau is located at Washington, I). C Two forecasts are issued daily for each State and Teri-itory, one about 10 a. m.« and the other about 10 p. m. Both of the forecasts are based on the telegraphic reports of observations taken two hours previousl}', the interval being occupied in collecting, collating, and charting the reports, and in preparing and issuing the forecasts. The morning forecasts are made to cover a period of thirty-six hours, or till 8 p. m. of the following day, and are issued from the central office or from certain selected stations designated as forecast centers. The evening forecasts cover the period of forty-eight hours, or till 8 p. m. of the second day after they are issued, and, with few exceptions hereafter noted, alwa3^s emanate from the central office. Telegraphic reports - are received from 180 regular stations of the Weather Bureau situated in various parts of the united States and on the islands of the adjacent seas, and, by a system of exchange, from 3 Mexican stations and 20 stations of the Dominion of Canada. Daily reports by cable are received from the Azores and from several localities in western Europe. The Canadian reports are invaluable to the forecaster, since they often furnish the first indications of marked changes in the weather of the northern half of the United States. Besides the regular stations there are 182 special river stations, 48 special rainfall stations, about 3,000 stations where observations are recorded by voluntary observers of the climate and crop service of the Bureau, and a number of other stations which cooperate with the Bureau, although not under its direct supervision. Voluntary observers receive no pay, but they are furnished with the Weather Bureau publications. They are provided with instruments by the Bureau, and take observations daily at a regular hour. Their instrumental equipment comprises, as a rule, only an instrument shelter, a maximum and a minimum thermometer, a rain gauge, and a graduated rule for rainfall measurements. Their records of observation show, for each da}^, the highest and the lowest temperature, the rainfall, the percentage of cloudiness, the direction of the wind, and the occasional special phenomena observed. These data are sent regularly to the climate and crop section centers of their respective districts or States, where weekly or monthly bulletins are compiled and published for the information of those especially interested in crop conditions. «Seventy-fifth meridian standard time, which is used in all references to time in this article. 112 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPAKTMENT OF AGKICULTURE.

WEATHER BUREAU STATIO^\S.

The number of regular meteorological stations of the Weather Bureau at the present time is, as has been stated, about 180. Each is in charge of a trained observer of long experience, who is commis- sioned by the Secretary of Agriculture, on the recommendation of the chief of the Bureau, at a fixed annual salary. These stations have a far more complete equipment of instruments than is furnished to voluntary observers. The number of stations is much smaller in the West than in the more thickly populated East, since in their geographical distribution due consideration must be given not only to obtaining the fullest possible information regarding general atmos- pheric conditions over the United States, but also to the most effect- ive distribution of information to the general public. Nearlj^ every important city has its W^eather Bureau station.

OFFICES AND INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATIONS. The stranger in any of our large cities who wishes to visit the AVeather Bureau office is directed to a building several stories high, on the top of which, far above the din and bustle of the street, may be seen the busy instruments securing a record of the ever-changing elements. The elevator quickly takes the visitor to the floor on which the oflice rooms are located. There he will be courteously received by the official in charge or by an assistant, who will gladly be of service if the caller comes after the morning map has been issued, when the pressure of office duties is not too great. Perhaps the visitor is already familiar with some of the instruments, but it may be necessary to explain the mercurial barometer and the principle employed in its construction. The vacuum above the mercurial column will be pointed out, and the visitor will learn that the higher the instrument is taken the shorter will become the column of menjury in the tube, because of the diminishing air pressure upon the surface of tfie mer- cury in the cistern, and as a consequence of the fact that the column of lïiercury in the tube is in equilibrium with the weight of the air pressing on the surface of the cistern. He will be told of the marked changes in the bai'ometer during the passage of storms, and will learn something of their causes, lie will be shown the quadruple register, and will be surprised to learn that it is recording on a sheet of paper during every hour and minute of the day just how fast the wind is blowing and from what direction; also w^hether the sun is shining or whether rain is falling, and if falling what the rate has been for any given time. He will note how the four hemispherical cups of the anemometer are driven around by the wind, and how this instrument counts off each mile of wind. The various parts of the quadruple register will be explained to him. He will learn how the electric WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES. 118 wires are connected and extended to the instruments that are exposed to the free movement of the air above the roof, and how the roof instruments themselves are enabled to telegraph the story of the outside conditions through the medium of the wires and by aid of tlie clockwork that moves the sheets of paper containing the record. If the station is provided with a tele thermograph, the visitor will be surprised by the ingenious mechanism employed in this instrument, which transmits from the roof down to the office the report of the temperature of the outside air from minute to minute and from day to day. He will be interested in the thermometers of the office exhii)it equipment, which are of the same pattern as those in actual use above the roof to show the temperature of the outside air, namely, the dry and wet bulb thermometers, by means of which the current temperature, the relative humidity, the dew-point, and the evaporating power of the air are determined, and the maximum and minimum thermometers, which furnish the official record of the extremes in temperature during each twelve-hour period. He will see the barograph, which, as he observes, is continuously registering on paper the weight or pressure of the air, and the sunshine recorder, which automatically registers on the sheet of the quadruple register the duration of sunshine. If not familiar with the weather map or with the way in which the telegraphic reports of observations are enciphered and transmitted by means of the telegraphic circuit system, he will hear a brief explanation of these matters, and others of possible interest. If the weather is not stormy, the visitor may desire to inspect the instruments on the roof. There he will be further interested to observe how the objects sought to be attained in the exposure of the instruments have been effected, after much careful thought and study, by the use of many ingenious devices. He will observe that the thermometers are exposed in a large wooden box, with slanting roof and louvered sides, standing on a support above the roof. This shelter, while affording a free circulation of air about the thermometers, pro- tects thena from rain and snow, from the direct rays of the sun, and from heat radiated or reflected from the roof of the building. This method of exposing the thermometers is in use at all stations. All the instruments are received from the instrument division at Wash- ington, after a thorough test as to their accuracy. The visitor will doubtless examine with interest the instruments used for collecting and measuring rainfall and snowfall. He will note that the self- registering rain gauge measures off each one-hundredth of an inch of rain as it falls, and that this measurement is by electrical means automatically recorded on the sheet of the quadruple register in the office below. After an inspection of the instruments the visitor will comprehend why Weather Bureau offices, in order to secure an unobstructed exposure of the wind vane, anemometer, etc., must have 2 A1903 8 114 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPAKTMENT OF AGKICULTURE. roofs higher than the adjacent buildhigs. In ¡sonie cities he will find that the forecast of the weather and temperature expected for the following day is announced from the roof of the office building by the display of flags and pennants having a distinctive meaning; in other cities he will learn that two disx)lay stafl's are used, as occasion may require—one for the cold-wave flag and the other for storm- warning flags and lanterns. If the visitor desires further information as to Weather Bureau work, his attention will be invited to the weather map and other publications of the Bureau. Weather Bureau ofllces are open to the inspection of all visitors.

GENhUlAL MANAGEMENT OF THE STATIONS. The general management of the affairs of the Bureau is directed from the central oflice at Washington, D. C. The chief executive is Prof. Willis L. Moore, who is assisted by the assistant chief, the chief clerk, and a stafl* of meteorologists and chiefs of divisions. The great amount of labor incident to the supervision of all stations in the service necessitates the employment of about one hundred and eighty persons, chiefly clerks, in the various divisions of the central oftice. The nature of the duties performed in the central oflice is suggested by the names of its divisions, which are as follows, namely, chief clerk's office, foi-ecast division, division of records and meteoroloi>ical data, climate and crop division, instrument division, telegraph division, division of supplies, publications division, division of accounts, review room, barometry section, library, and aerial exploration section. For the convenience of the general work of weather forecasting, the country is divided into the following-named forecast districts and centers: Boston center: The New England States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Chicago center: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Denver center: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Wyo- ming. 8an Francisco center: California and Nevada. Partland {Oregon) center: Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. N'ew Orleans center: Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, and Arkansas, and advisory warnings for Mexico. Washington center: All States not included in the foregoing districts, namely, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor- gia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. The oflicial in charge of each forecast center issues the morning WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIU DUTIES. 115 forecasts, the cold-wave, frost, and otlicr warnings (except hurricane and emergency warnings), and the storm warnings for his district, for- warding copies of the same immediately, by telegraph, to Washington. The forecast official at AVashington makes all night forecasts, synop- ses, and cold-wave warnings for the districts under all centers except San Francisco and Portland. The officials in (îharge of the latter two centers make night forecasts and warnings for their respective districts.

OFFICIALS AT THE STATIONS. Each Weather Bureau station has its official in charge, who conducts all the work under instructions from the chief of the Bureau. The number of assistants depends, of course, upon the amount of work to be done. About fifty of the smallest stations have none; at the others, the number varies from one to eight or nine. At centers of forecast districts, such as Washington City, Chicago, and San Francisco, the official in charge has the rank of professor or district forecaster; at storm-warning section centers, as well a^s at climate and crop section centers, his rank is usually local forecaster or director. In most other cases he has the rank of obscrvcj*. The observers are of several grades, the classification depending upon length of service, efficiency, industry, fitness, educational qualifications, conduct, etc. Vacancies in the position of observer are filled from the eligible list of those who have passed the required civil-service examination in meteorology and the ordinary English branches and algebra. The age limit of appointees is 18 to 80 years. Nearly all stations have messenger boys. Applicants for the position of messenger are required to take a civil- service examination, and the age limit for appointees is 16 to 20 years. A printer is also included in the regular force at some stations.

DUTIES PERFORMED AT THE STATIONS. In giving some account of the duties performed at Weather Bureau stations, those common to most of the stations will be mentioned first. During the half hour from 7.30 to 8 a. m. the observer at every station is taking the regular morning observation and preparing a telegraphic report of the meteorological conditions. He observes (from the roof) the condition of the sky; the direction of the wind; the clouds, their amount, kind, and direction of movement; and he scans the sky carefully for the appearance of any unusual phenomena; he measures the precipitation, rain, snow, sleet, or hail; reads the four thermometers—the dry, the wet-bulb, the maximum, and the minimum; records all these observations on the blank form provided for the purpose; and "sets" the self-registering thermometers for another twelve-hour period of registration, lie then returns to the office and finishes the observation, which further includes the reading of the barometer and the wind direction and velocity, and also the 116 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

''checking" of the readings with those of the self-registering instruments. He then makes the calculations necessary to reduce the barometer reading to sea level, and completes the record of his observations, taking great care to avoid the slightest error in any part of the record. In telegraphing the report a cipher code is in use at all stations. The following sample message and translation will illustrate the utility and economy of the code. It will be seen at a glance that the number of words saved is the difference between the words found in the message and the number of words used in writing the observation out in full. Regular 8 a. m. report. Memphis, Target, Lugmark, Geyser, Buforite, Kirby, Tally, Frost, Chamois. Trandatmi of the clpherlmyrds. Memphis (telegraphic designation of station): Memphis, Tenn. Target (pressureand temperature): Barometer, 29.92; temperature, 44°. Lugmark (precipitation for twenty-four hours, all of which fell before 8 p. m.): Precipitation, 0.52 inch. Geyser (direction of wind, state of weather, and maximum thermometer) : Direction of wind, southeast; state of weather, cloudy; maximum temperature^ 84°. Buforite (current wind velocity and minimun. temperature) : Current wind velo(;ity, 10 miles per hour; minimum temperature, 38°. Kirby (decrease in pressure during two hours previous to observation, barograph record): Decrease in pressure, 0.10 inch. Tally (river observation): Water level, 10 feet above zero of gauge, and falling. Frost: Light frost at station or in vicinity. Chamois (amount, kind, and direction of cloud, lower) : Amount, 8 to 10 tenths; kind, stratus; direction moving from, south. The average number of cipher words in observation messages is probably about five for each station. The messages are transmitted over telegraphic "circuits," and are received simultaneously at all places on the same circuit. A similar course is pursued when the messages are transferred from one circuit to another, so that each telegraphic office sends the report from its own station but once. The reports are "all in" at about 10.30 a. m. As soon as each sheet of the cipher messages is received at a Weather Bureau office the observers rapidly enter the data on geographical charts of the United States. Isobars (lines of equal barometric pressure) and isotherms (lines of equal temperature) are then drawn, to show the distribution of these elements. Auxiliary charts are also drawn, to show the distribution of rainfall and the changes in temperature and pressure during the last 24 hours and the last V2 hours, as indicated by the rei;^orts. These duties must be performed rapidly and accurately, and when completed the charts are ready for the forecaster. This stage of the work is reached at practi- cally the same time at every station in the countr}^ About this time the State or general forecast is received from the district center, and WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES. 117

the local forecaster prepares a forecast for his city and vicinity. Then follows the work of distributing the forecasts as rapidly as possible. This is the busiest hour of the day at Weather Bureau offices. The telephone is kept in constant use in answering special inquiries as to the probable condition of weather, wind, öT temperature, and the forecasts are then telephoned to the newspaper offices and other offices that have been listed for the information. These duties and the work of printing and wrapping the daily maps, and stamping the forecast cards, so that they may be ready for the first mails, usually require the utmost exertion of the entire office force. When, at this time of the day, a storm warning, a cold-wave warning, a frost warning, or a flood warning is received, the extent to which the "rush" is increased may be imagined, for in these cases bulletins must be hurriedly prepared and telephone messages sent out for the information of the public and the special industries or business interests most concerned. About 100 of the larger stations issue a daily weather map. This consists of a chart showing the weather conditions at the various stations whose reports have been received, the forecasts of the weather and temperature during the next 36 hours for the city and State in which the station is located or the map displayed, and a summary of the general weather conditions during the past 24 hours. All warnings received from the forecast center before going to press are printed conspicuously on the map. The maps of stations in the agricultural and fruit sections give special prominence to frost warnings; those on the seaboard to storm warnings and the expected direction and force of the wind; those situated on rivers to flood warnings and to forecasts of the rise and fall of the rivers. As a rule, the map can be furnished only for public display for the benefit of a community or for school instruction. Even with these limitations hundreds are issued daily at every station of considerable size. A popular method of disseminating the forecasts is by the forecast cards, which arc so well known that no description of them need be given. As the cost involved in their issue is comparatively small, they are much more extensively distributed than the map, and most of the larger stations issue 1,500 to 2,500 of these cards daily for prominent display in public places. At every station an observation is taken at 8 p. m. This is of the same character as that taken at 8 a. m. No maps are printed in the evening, but the telegraphic reports of observations are sent, received, and charted, as a rule, in the same manner as the morning reports. At climate and crop centers the evening forecasts for the following 48 hours are sent out on forecast cards for the benefit of the agricultural interest, and, through the rural free-delivery routes, reach a large number of farmers the following morning. W^hen storm warnings, 118 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OE AÖKICULTUKE.

cold-wave warnings, flood warning«, etc., arc received at night they receive the most prompt and eflective distribution practicable at that time. At man}^ important stations the night observer is required to telephone regularly some of the information contained in the 8 p. m. reports. At Cleveland, Ohio, for example, the two passenger steamship lines for Buffalo and Detroit are informed every evening as to the conditions existing at stations on Lake Erie and on Lake Huron, and the weather that is expected during their night trips. The preparation and delivery of the bulletins containing the reports of the 8 p. m. observations from the different stations, which are published in the newspapers of the following morning, is usually the last duty of the day. Weather Bureau offices are almost invariably closed before midnight, and in some cases an hour or two earlier. Though but two observations are made regularly, special observations are taken and telegraphed when called for by the forecast official at the district center, or by the official at Washington, or when sudden and unexpected local changes occur in pressure, temperature, wind, etc. The preparation of records forms a large proportion of the station duties. All Aveather conditions, whether observed or automatically registered by the instruments, are recorded and summarized with great care and detail on blank forms prepared for the purpose. Among the reports of greatest importance is the daily journal, the purpose of which is to show those characteristics of the weather that ai-e not easily susceptible of tabulation, and to preserve for reference a history of the official events of the day. In addition to the foregoing, there are many records kept that can not be enumerated here, but which are an essential part of the duties of every station. Further duties, such as those incident to the care of instruments and property of every description, requisitions for necessary supplies^ etc., can be mentioned only in a general way. Each station has its share of correspondence with the central office and with the public, the amount depending upon the importance of the station. At centers of climate and crop sections, especially, the amount of correspondence is necessarily large.

INTEREST IN SPECIAL DATA OF THE STATIONS. Considerable labor is required in the preparation of special data for those who wish to learn what the records say as to the weather conditions on certain dates, or during certain periods, of the past. The engineer, health, and police departments of cities require the records of temperature, wind, and rainfall for various purposes; civil engineers find the rainfall records of great utility in the consideration of plans for sewage systems, waterworks, etc. ; railway companies consult them in the consideration of claims brought on account of injury to goods WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES. 119

in transit; contractors engaged in various kinds of construction and repair work frequently find the records valuable in their calculations; city railway companies and the law departments of cities make frequent use of rainfall and snowfall data to aid in the settlement of claims for damages on account of y^ersonal injury alleged to have resulted from carelessness of the city or company; invalids and tourists consult the climatological records when contemplating a journey; and the records are often produced in court to aid in the settlement of questions in regard to weather conditions at certain times in the past. The United States Supreme Court has decided that the records of the Weather Bureau are competent evidence of the facts therein stated.

ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE STUDY OF METEOROLOGY.

The Bureau encourages the study of meteorology in the public schools and other educational institutions, and furnishes them the daily weather map free, but, as the map issue is necessarily restricted, it is impracticable to furnish this or other publications of like character free to pupils, or for private use.

WEATHER-BUREAU FLAGS, PENNANTS, AND SIGNALS. The flags, pennants (tigs. 1 and 2), and signals used by the Weather Bureau in forecasting the weather and temperature are explained by the Bureau as follows:

STORM AND HURKICANE WARNTNG8.

STORM WARNINGS.—A red flag with a black center indicates that a storm of marked violence is expected. The pennants displayed with the flags indicate the direction of the wind: red, easterly (from northeast to south); white, westerly (from south- west to north). The pennant above the flag indicates that the wind is expected to blow from the northerly quadrants; below, from the southerly quadrants. By night a red light indicates easterly winds, and a white light above a red light, westerly winds. HURRICANE WARNING.—Two red flags with black centers, displayed one above the other, indicate the expected approach of a tropical hurricane, or one of those extremely severe and dangerous storms which occasionally move across the lakes and northern Atlantic coast. No night hurricane warnings are displayed.

Hurricane storm waminff». teaming;

fe i*l NE. winds. SE. winds. NW. winds^ SW. winds. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. FIG. 1.—Weather Bureau storm and hurricane warnings: 1, red pennant, red flag with black center; 2, red flag with black center, red pennant; 3, white i)ennant, red Hag with black center; 4, red flag with black center, white pennant; 6, red flags with black centers. 120 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

WEATHER FLAGS.

The wt^athcr flags are live in number and of the forms as follows:

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5.

Fair weather. Lain or snow. Local rain Temperature,Temperature. Cold wave. or snow. FTG. 2.—Weather Bureau flags used in displaying weather forecasts: No. 1, white; No. 2, blue; No. 3, upper half white, lower half blue; No. 4, black; No. 5, white with black center.

When No. 4 is placed above No. 1, 2, or 3, it indicates warmer; when below, colder; when No. 4 is not displayed the temperature is expected to remain about stationary. During the late spring and early fall the cold-wave flag is also used to indicate anticipated frosts. WHISTLE SIGNALS.

A warning blast of from fifteen to twenty seconds duration is sounded to attract attention. After this warning the longer blasts (of from four to six seconds duration) refer to weather, and shorter blasts (of from one to three seconds duration) refer to temperature. Those for weather are sounded first.

Blasts. Indicate. Blasts. Indicate. One long Fair weather. One short Lower temperature. Two long Rairi or snow. Two short Higher temperature. Three long Local rain or snow. Three short 'Cold wave. By repeating each combination a few times, with intervals of ten seconds, liability to error in interpreting the signals may be avoided. As. far as practicable, the forecast messages will be telegraphed at the expense of the Weather Bureau; but, if this is impracticable, they will be furnished at the regular conunercial rates and sent *' collect." In no case will ihe forecasts be sent to a second address in any place, except at the expense of the applicant. Persons desiring to display the flags or sound the whistle signals for the benefit of the public should communicate with the Weather Bureau officials in charge of the climate and crop service of their respective States. <*

« Tlie central stations of the climate and crop service of the several States are as follows: Montgomery, Ala.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Little Rock, Ark.; San Francisco, Cal ; Denver, Colo.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Boise, Idaho; Springfield, 111.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; Topeka, Kans; Louisville, Ky. ; New Orleans, La. ; Baltimore, JNId. (for Delaware and Maryland); Boston, Mass. (for New England), Lansing, Mich.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Vieksburg, Miss.; Columbia, Mo.; Helena, Mont.; Lincoln, Nebr.; Carson City, Nev.; New Brunswick, N. J.; Santa Fe, N. Mex.; Ithaca, IS. Y.; Paleigh, N. C; Bismarck, N. Dak.; Columbus, Ohio; Okla- homa, Okla. (for Oklahoma and Indian Territory); Portland, Oreg.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Columbia, S. C. ; Huron, S. Dak.; Nashville, Tenn. ; Galveston, Tex.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Richmond, Va.; Seattle, Wash.; Parkersburg, W. Va.; Milwau- kee, Wis. ; Cheyenne, Wyo.