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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1900)
OMAHA ILLVSTRATEI ) HI3I2. Kobnmry 4 , 1000. How the Weather Man Executes His Work Of nH the public Institutions Unit Imvo within recent ycnin corno Into prominence , the United States Weather hurt-nil IB por- hnps the least understood by the general public. Mnny Intelligent persrns who Imvo a fund of Information nn the usual run of current topics have but slight conr-uptlon of the work performed by the weather innn , bow Jio does his work and of what value It IH to the business world. There arc men anil women , not to men tion the children , who have 11 vague Idea that the innn who forecasts the weather IH n prophet. They fancy that he sticks his bend out of his olflco window , looks wise and scans the skies for symptoms of what may bo expected of the elements. They tlons arc transmitted to the central office at Washington , D. C. , and from there they arc sent to stations throughout the United States. This Is accompllnhcd within forty- live minutes after the observations have been made. Ily a cipher cede n. largo amount of Information Is transmitted In a few words. This IH not to keep secret what Is being oenl over the wire , but to reduce thu expense of telegraphing. "When we receive our cipher message from Washington we decipher It , which Is easily done , and then , having already re ceived our local Information by our own observation , wo draw our chnrt , which shown weather conditions not only at home but elsewhere. On the Omaha weather map \VOIUC OK THE WEATHER MAN ASSIS TANT FORECASTER BROWN AT RECORD BAROMETERS Photo by Loula R. Bostwlck. class him as n guesser who Bomctlmcs hits anO sometimes missus. They do not under stand that the forecasting of weather Is u science and that It Is conducted along tliu most exacting bclcntlllc lines. Olllcials connected with the Weather bureau attribute this lack of understanding to the fact that the great majority of people hnvu nuvur taken thu time to look Into thu workings of thu system. This Is not only true of Omaha , but of every place In the United States where there Is a weather sta tion. L. A. Welsh Is thu weather man for Omahii and vicinity. His otllclal lltlu is local forecast ofllclal , and ho Is located on the top Moor of the federal building. Asked about his work the other day , Air. Welsh explained It lucidly as follows : "Tho bureau hi this city la of the llrst class and has all of the appliances and In struments for taking and collecting mete orological data. Wo do not glance at a thermometer and barometer and tlioa make a guesa aa to what kind ofeather wo aru going to have. Wo do not guess nt all , but make our deductions from the scientific ovl- denco brought before us by the routine of our system. "In the llrat place , wo have a wind vane and nnumoimoter on the roof of the build ing , with self-registering attachments. These registers aru on the Inside of the olllco. Wo look nt them and ascertain the velocity and direction of the wind. "Then there Is the thermometer which records the local temperature. The baromo- tur tells of general atmospheric conditions. A rain and snow gatigo with aelf-regls'terlns attachments record all forms of precipita tion. This Is among the most Interesting of all our Instruments. It weighs thu pre cipitation , and the registering apparatus glvoa the llgures. According to the old method In vogno years ago , the forecast olllclul could ascertain thu precipitation only by measuring the depth In a vessel. Our barometric and thormi > motrtc equipment Is elaborate , and , llko nearly nil the other ap paratus , has the self-reglstorlng attachment. A photographic sunshine recorder la ono of thu most Intricate devices In the entire lot. U was In use until n few months ago , when It was succeeded by an Improved recorder which does Its work by electricity. This record Is made 'by ' the direct rays of the sun and Is registered upon prepared sheets In the olllce. All these Instruments make a continuous record of all data collected. MiiUlitK 111' Uuta. "How do wo work ? Having explained that wo are equipped with apparatus for bringing to us exact Information as to weather conditions for every moment of the day and night It can bo easily understood how wo make up our data. Weather ob servations are niado twice each day 8 a. in. and 8 p. in. at every wtatlon In the United States. All observations are mode nt ex actly the same moment , soventy-Ilfth meridian time. It is a simultaneous at- mosphorio survey throughout the country. When an observer Is taking hla observation In Omaha no knows that the same work Is being performed nt all the other Stallone nt that very minute , oven down to the second. "Hy means of a system of telegraphic cir cuits wlilch the government baa arranged with telegraph companies these observu- there are about fifty stations , covering the country from the lower lake region west ward to the mountains. "How can wo give advance Information of approaching storms ? That is easily ex plained. As I have said before , the tele graphic Information wo receive tella us ex actly the conditions existing throughout the country. Wo know the exact velocity of the wind ; wo know where there lo storm and where there Is sunshine. We also know that all storms move from west to cast. They may not move on a direct line , but they move eastward. This Is true of all countries north of the equator. South of the equator exactly the reverse prevalle. Having all of this Information we can read ily form uu Idea as to what may be ex pected of the weather. Wo locate the storm center , ascertain the velocity with which the storm In traveling , and , knowing by fixed rule Its general direction , there Is no guesswork about It. This la how we do our work and how wo give correct Informa. tion without having the wisdom of a prophet. Ucociit IniprovciiitMitM. "Within recent years many improvements have been made In the weather apparatus. For Instance , by the old method of measur ing precipitation , the figures could not be obtained until the end of the downpour , and then It was for the whole period. By the weight method now prevailing wo can tell through the self-registering attachment exact figures for any given moment during the period of preclpltatlo.j. These solt- regltftorlng attachments have worked won ders in the perfection of the service. "As to the value of the weather bureau to the business world much In to bo said. There are many lines of trade that are con tingent upon weather conditions. This U especially true of ohlppers of various products. Business men who have learned to appreciate the advance Information thai IH to bo obtained from the weather bureat consult It dally as a guide to their move ments In trade. Ono day last week oiu prominent Omaha trader telephoned the loca bureau that ho had made a saving of $3,001 by the knowledge ho had received. This Is only ono incident out of many. The weathei forecant Is looked upon * as being n reliable Index In all cases where cold or heat 01 snow or rain make a difference In trade results. "On the great lakes of the north a syston of caution signals has been Inaugurated , am with this warning of approaching storms many disasters to vessels have been avoided Along the rivers there Is a system of an nounclng the stages of the water In times o freshets , and this has proved of great benefit The Omaha bureau has chargu of the Mis sourl river all the way from Kansas City ti Its source. This Information Is obtained am aont to headquarters by observation at thi various sections along the route. Oiuiiliu Mont Important Station. "Tho Omaha Weather bureau was oponci for business November 1 , 1870 , and ther < > has never been a break In the records sine i thu opening day. Owing to the gcograpblca i location , being a gateway between the eas and west , this is ono of the most importan stations in the United States , U Is als I ono of the moat elaborately equipped , an lu many respects is superior to any otbei \\ORK OF THE WEATHER MAN TAK ING THE WIND GAUGE Photo by Louis R. Bostwlck. not excepting the stations In the greatest cities , such as New York , Philadelphia and Chicago. There Is not another with such elegant olllco furniture , and as to scientific apparatus , thorn is none better. " Observer Welsh secures for Omaha all the latest appliances. Ho Is In point of service one of the oldest forecast officials In the United States , ho having had twenty-seven years experience. Ho has been stationed In several of the most Important points. He opened the Kansas City bureau lu 1838 , and soon thereafter came to Omaha , of choice. Speaking of bis location here , Mr. Welsh says : "I secured my appointment to Omaha be cause I liked the town , and now , after a residence hero since 188S , I have grown to esteem the Omaha people .most highly and .uiu contented to remain hare and keep tab on the weather the remainder of my days. " Mr. Welsh bears the reputation of being one of the most thoroughly Informed f..re- cast officials in the United States. His office force consists of two observers , W. D. Maxwell and 0. P. M. Brown , and ono map distributor , J. C. Coffman. The bureau occupies handsome quarters and Is con veniently located. The only break lu the service of Mr. Welsh In the Omaha bureau since ho located here was for a short time a few years ago , when ho left the city tem porarily to close a station at Leaven worth , Kan. With that exception his service has been continuous. Relative to general lack of Information concerning the purposes and accomplishments of the Weather bureau , Mr. Welsh says : "Many persons who are not engaged In busi ness wherein the weather cuts a figure liavo not had opportunity to Investigate our work and therefore they are not to bo blamed for not having a clear understanding of what we are doing. I am always glad to extend Information concerning weather observation. Wo Invite the public to visit us and get an Insight into the routine of an Institution that has come to stny. A weather bureau Is con ducted by the government for the benefit of the citizens of the United States , and 1 ahall at nil times give duo consideration to any suggest lens Intended for the Improvement of the service. " Thu government Is Inclined to pay much attention to the extensl n and development ( t weather observation , and this disposition has notably Increased of late years. Each year the weather bureau becomes u more Important Institution than It was tbo preceding - ceding year , and the service Is expanding into the new possessions. Tales of the Pulpit A Baptist and a Methodist minister were by accident dining at the same house. As they took their seats , rolatiw thu Columbian , there was nn embarrassed pause , the hostess not knowing how to ask one minister to say grace without offending tbo other. The small son quickly grasped the situation and , half rising In his chair , moved his finger rapidly around the table , reciting : Eny mono inlny mo , Catch a nigger by the toe. Ho ended by pointing his linger at the Baptlat minister and sluutlng , "You're It ! " The reverend gentleman accepted the de cision and said grace , but It lacked the usual solemnity. The Kansas City Journal bays : "At Ef- fingham , in Atchlhon county , the Rev. L. K. Mauzy recently preached u sermon against woman suffrage from which we extract this extraordinary bit of erudition : 'Take the word woman. Angloclte It , whi.ni docs it mean ? It means wo-man , and transferred to Greek It means woe to man. ' At tbo concluson o'f the sermon tin enthusiastic woman suffragist in the audience declared that the blblo said 'all men and women are cieated free and equal. ' Parson Mau/.y called the man down and said It was thu Declaration of Independence , and not the bible , that said this. The man icturned to the charge and offered to bet a dollar that bo could find It In the bible. The preacher re fused to bet , and the audience dispersed In full conviction that he bad been licked. " "Yes , " said the old before-tbo-war darkey in Georgia , "dey didn't forglt mo in do Christmas , I tell you ! I got seven secon'- hand longtall coats , seven pa'r er britches , seven , ol' beaver hats , en Lawd knows dcs how many collars ! " "And what did you do with 'em all ? " "Well , sub , my ol'es boy jumped Into one er dcm , en no sooner did he jump dan ho felt a. call tor be a missionary. Den , do next ter him hopped Into n'er one en felt n call tor be a perfesser In a echoolhouse. En den n'er ono rigged himself out , en felt a call ter bo a lawyer , en he's a-hangin' roun' do jestlce courts. N'er boy put on a suit en feel n call tor bo a congressman do' he never took a drink in his lifetime. " "And how do you feel about It ? " "Well , suh , ter tell de plain truth , en no He , I all mix up 'bout it. Fer de life er me I dunne w'ether I a preacher , a polltlclaner or des do same fool nigger dat I been ever scuco freedom broke out ! " Told Out of Court Justice Gray of the United States supreme court is a good deal of a wag and has been known , even when on the bench , to crack a joke. On one occasion an attorney was ualng a map to Illustrate his argument. Justice Gray asked what the map was. "A blrd's-eyo view of the land In controversy , " was the reply. "Well , " said his honor , "ploaso bring It a little nearer. I haven't a bird's eye. " A native Indian barrister of Bengal re cently made the following unique address in court : "My learned friend , with mere wind from a teapot , thinks to browbeat me from my legs ; but this is guerrilla warfare. I stand under the shoes of my client and only seek to place my bone of contention clearly WORK OP THE WEATHER MAN-LOCAL FORECASTER WELSH AT HIS DESK- Photo by Louis R. Hoetwlck. ln your honor's eye. My learned friend merely , and vainly , runs amok upon the Bhcct anchors of my case. My client Is a \\ldow , your honor ; n poor chap , with ono poal-mortcm son ; n widow , not able to ca't more than ono meal a day , or to look after n man ; so my poor client has not such physique or mind as to bo able to assault T the lusty complainant. Yet she has been deprived of some of her more valuable leather 1. o. , the leather of her no o. My learned friend has said that there Is on the side of bis client a respectable witness namely , a pleader ; and since this witness , Is Independent , therefore ho should bo bu- llevcd. But , your honor , with your honor's vast experience , la pleased enough to ob serve that Iruthfulnese Is not so plentiful ns blackberries In this country ; and I nui sorry to say though this witness Is n man of my own foathoro that there arc In my profession black sheep of every complexion , and some of them do not always speak gospel truth. Until the witness explains what has become of my cllent'a nose leather ho cannot bo believed. He cannot bo al lowed to raise a castle In the air by beating upon a bush. So , trusting In that adminis tration of British justice on which the sun never sets , I close my case. " "Now , " said the client , taking out his pocketbook , "how much arc your serviced * worth ? " "That baa nothing to do with the case , " answered the professional man .of fine dis tinctions. "What you ought to have asked Is merely bow much I am going to charge you. " "So , " the lawyer said , "you wish to break WORK OF THE WEATHER MAN BA ROMETER AND THERMOMETER BOX Photo by Louis R. Bostwlck. your father's will ? What's the matter with it ? " "Well , ho loft nearly half of bis fortune to colleges and charitable Institutions. " "Il'm. Did he ever show any evidences of being weak-minded ? " "He was accepted as a juror In a murder trial once. " "Oh , thls'll be dead easy ! " Pointed Paragraphs Chicago News : The unexpected seldom happens more than once. A hungry parrot comes vnry near being a hollow mockery. Some people are radical In theory but con servative In action. Be turo you are right then let your wife have her own way. The bite of a toothless dog might be termed a soft snap. A pretty girl thinks every mirror she sees Is worth looking Into , The hungry nctor at the table Is willing to take overybody'o part. Men toll moro lies about their weight than women do about their ago. The old black diagonal now shines unseen under the charitable ulster. A woman may think her husband Is a failure , but marriage never. The bill board makes the nctor glad , but the board bill makes him tired. The foremost question of the day Is con cerning the prospective weather. An enterprising Chicago baker gives a can-opener with each of his plos. A man can talk himself out of n Job easier < than ho can work himself Into ono. When two souls have but a single thought the thought seldom Interests outsiders. New wrinkles In dress please a woman , but a now ono In her fuco has the opposite effect. Every time u man sees his wlfo purse up her llp ho thinks she Is going to ask him for money. When a man Is in trouble hla frlonda console themselves with thinking It will be a lesson for him.
