WEATHER BUREAU. 127 



field, Vt. ; and Chicago, 111. Similar data have been secured for publi- 

 cation from various seismic observatories distributed from Panama 

 to Canada and from the Hawaiian Islands to Porto Rico. 



The noninstrumental reports rendered by the regular and coopera- 

 tive observers of the Weather Bureau recorded 84 separate earth- 

 quakes strong enough to be felt by the unaided senses in continental 

 United States during the calendar year 1922. Although some of 

 these were felt over wide areas, none resulted in appreciable damage. 

 No important earthquakes occurred in our outlying possessions. 



Special investigations and observations of volcanic phenomena 

 have been steadily conducted at Kilauea. In the main, activities at 

 this place have been mild, and at the time of this report the volcano 

 is practically dormant. 



LIBRARY. 



During the fiscal year 968 books and pamphlets were added to 

 the librarv, bringing the total strength of the collection up to about 

 42,000 volumes. 



In addition to these books, which are kept at the central office in 

 Washington, though available for loan to stations, there have been 

 issued to stations for permanent use during the past 25 years more 

 than 11,000 books, generically described as " station textbooks." 

 Allowing for books withdrawn, discarded, lost, etc., the number of 

 such books now permanently deposited at AVeather Bureau stations 

 is estimated at more than 8,000, not including files of Weather 

 Bureau publications and various miscellaneous books of which no 

 record is kept at the central office. An especially strong collection 

 of meteorological literature has been assembled at the Chicago sta- 

 tion. This collection contains many rare works, including files of 

 the leading meteorological journals and foreign official reports, and 

 has been gathered to serve as a reserve library, from which books 

 could be transferred to the main library in Washington in case of 

 loss of the latter by fire. Station libraries are used to some extent 

 by the public as well as by the personnel of the stations. Inquiries 

 for meteorological information addressed to the central office are in 

 many cases answered by referring the inquirers to books accessible 

 at Weather Bureau stations. 



OCEAN METEOROLOGY. 



This work is sustained by the cordial cooperation of many ship- 

 masters making daily observations at Greenwich noon. The number 

 of reports rendered was adequately maintained, in so far as the 

 regions traversed by th^ principal trade routes were concerned, and 

 the matter furnished for periodical publication on the Pilot Charts 

 and elsewhere was prepared in the usual manner, and the Hydro- 

 graphic Office was assisted in the revision of texts relating to cyclonic 

 storms for its publications. 



An important feature of work accomplished during the year was 

 the preparation of a comprehensive article on the tropical storms of 

 the eastern North Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of Mexico and 

 Central America. This work was undertaken in the interest of the 



