120 ANNUAL KECOHD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



resort. Six thousand and thirty- nine post -offices are sup- 

 plied daily, at about 11 A.M., with the farmers' bulletin. The 

 weather case or farmers' weather indicator lias been pre- 

 pared to be used in connection with the fanners' bulletin. 

 River reports, giving the depth of water and notice of high 

 or low water, have been regularly made: they will soon be 

 extended to the rivers and valleys of California, for which 

 rivers data are being collected to fix the danger lines. Spe- 

 cial observations were made of the transit of Mercury on May 

 6, and the total eclipse of the sun July 29. 



The Weekly Weather Chronicle and the Monthly Weather 

 Bevieio have been regularly issued. Observations taken on 

 vessels at sea have been reported in a few cases. The Inter- 

 national Weather Bulletin and the corresponding Interna- 

 tional Weather Map, embracing the whole northern hemi- 

 sphere, are published daily. 



The sea-coast service of the Signal Service, in connection 

 with the Life-saving Service, has been continued and extend- 

 ed during the year. By means of telegraph lines running 

 directly from the War Department to these stations, it has 

 been possible to promptly communicate messages, and save 

 much property and many lives. Vessels sailing past such 

 sea- coast stations can communicate, by signals, with the 

 shore, and thus, in pleasant weather, ascertain from the Cen- 

 tral Office the probabilities of a storm. 



The construction and operation of telegraph lines for con- 

 necting military posts and the protection of frontier settle- 

 ments has progressed steadily. The lines in Arizona, New 

 Mexico, and the Texan frontier are nearly completed. The 

 lines in the Northwest are bein^; rapidly built. A total length 

 of 3200 miles was, July 1, in the care of, and operated by, the 

 Signal Service. From each station on these telegraph lines, 

 three daily weather reports are received. They have thus 

 opened out to meteorology regions of territory otherwise in- 

 accessible, and of the first importance to a proper care for 

 the commerce and agriculture of the United States. 



Professor Ilinrichs has begun the publication of the Iowa 

 Weather Bulletin with the number for March. This, as well 

 as the quarterly reports, represents, of course, the results of 

 the observations of the Iowa Weather Service. The Bulle- 

 tin for March gives a graphic presentation of the daily obser- 



