[Vol. v., Vo. ni.
��I
��line oF tim army lire niso 1em|ionli'ily attached to the service; and Iheie liftve control of the disbiirie- menta, the property, the weather-predictions, the display of signals, tliD testing and coniparisoii of instruments, the arctic statloaa, the Intemational bul- letin, the monthly weather-review, the Pacific coast section, and other mahi dlvisiont of work.
These six officers, by the operation of the present laws, are being dhnlnished In number by two an- Qiially, their places belug filled by promotions from amoug the sergeants of ihe corps; so that in a few years the service will employ only officers and men of the signal-corps proper. This elimination of officers who have hod from ten to twenty years' experience In the algnal-teirico and the army is somewhat deprecated by General DaEen, who Is very natnraliy ioalli to lose their services, while they themselves are loath to go; although ft is evident tliat the corps proper already contains abundant and excellent material for the future needs of the
The signal-service aUo employs a number of civil- ians — namely, two chief clerks, several clerks of low- er classes, and a sclcntltic staS of three professors, four junior professors, and one bibliographer, and a large number of civilian observers, printers, messen- gers, artisaus, etc. — at various points throughout the country. The nurabor of civilian employees ai the central or Washington olGce is sixty-four, all of whom give their whole time to the work. The total of those employed at other stations is apparently much greater than this; but each is employed only a short time dally, and mo^t of them receive but twenty-five cents per day for some one special observation and record. The enlisted men of the service occupy about two huudrad stations scattered throughout the United States, including Alaska, at an average distance of two hundred miles apart. About an equal number of stations are also occupied by civilians, observing the height of water in the rivers, or displaying storm- signals. From about forty-Bve hundred other civil- ian observers, reports are received gratuitously by mail on weekly or monthly forms. These observers are cinssllied about as follows: voluntary land-observ- ers, all); voluniarj- marine -observers, 4S0; inlerna- tional observers, 8^0; Canadian observers, 18; stat« weatber-Bcrvioe, 430; tomaiio-obflervers, 1,200; thun- der-storm reporters, 2,000.
The following are some of the more prominent and important steps of progress taken during General Hazeu's administration; —
The Introduction of consulting specialists and civil- ian experts into the available working-force of the office; the assignment of selected sergeants and pri- vates to work demanding a higher education and special aptness for Investigation or study ; the or- ganize<l study of tornadoes, thunder-stonns, atmos- pheric electricity, and other Important novel fields of meteorological study; the Introduction of weather- signals upon railroad-trains for the beneHt of the farmers, and of local town-signals tor the beneQt of each community; the establishment of more severe rules for the verification of predictions, so that llie
��eighty-five per cent claimed al present means mueb more than It did a few years ago; the enll«tm«nl of a higher grade of men ; the improvemeiit ol the courses of instruction for men and officers; the compilation of a working-index to the llteraluiv of meteorology and the signal-office library; (be orgini- zation of new divisions In the office, especially of ili< atndyroom, the physical laboratory, the marine itU vision, and the examiner's division; the publicslloii of a monthly summary of International simulttnt- ous observation, with a weather-chart showing daily the storms on the Atlantic and Pacific Ihat'iittect the United States; the special etniiy atmospheric moisture with a view to improved niMb- ods of determining this factor; the special stud; of the exposure of thermometers, and correct metlioli for determining the temperature of the air; the \uaia- tenance of two polar and several aux In pursuance of an international system for the of the meteorology of the polar regions ; Ihe adopt of many of the recommendations of the Euro; lulemational meteorological congresses looting uniformity of methods throughout the world ; lilt adoption of improved methods of reducing baroniR- ric observations to sea-level; the stimulus given lo the formation of state weather-services (this great ad- vance has been wholly due to General Hazen, who has not hesitated to declare himself in favor at co- operation, and not monopoly; by his circular* and assislsQce, over fifteen states have been ted 10 de- velop minute internal systems for the study of local climate and the dissemination of weather-predic- tions); the stimulus given to higher scientific work by members of the signal-service, by requiring and publishing professional papers, slgnal-noles, trp»- tisca, etc.; the addition to the signal-office of a few experts In scientific matters, who are responsible for the proper conduct of work requiring speclll, study ; the eatablUhroent of a high class of c instrumeuts, and more exact methods for apparatus furniahed to the stations, thus i against any deterioration in the accuracy of work through many years l« come; the eueoura^ ment and co-operation in scientific work, bearint' on meteorology, by outside parties, such as spec- troscopy, the study of solar heat and atmospheric alisorption, and the prosecution of balloon- voyages; the adoption of a uniform standnnl of time tor all observers; the adoption of a uniform slandaid of gravity for barometric reductions: the Lntn>- duction of iiew special cautionary slguals for high norih-west winds and cold waves; the extension of signal-service stations in Alaska for Ihe proper study of storms that strike the Pacific coasi, attd are followed by the severe cold waves from 3ti
�� ��tolia
��Him
��the prosecution of these and other mall rious labors, the signal -service certainly demand* high degree of organization, discipline, and intelli- gence; and it is by no means clear that this con be obtained in any better way than by a proper combination of military and civilian obsen- scientific men.
��� �
