WEATHER BUREAU. 165 



From Senator Duncan U. Fletcher, of Florida: 



Permit me to eay that I have always appreciated the value of the Weather Bureau 

 to the country, and the service rendered before and during the recent hurricane has 

 further emphasized its indispensability to Florida. * * * 



From J. R. Brown, president of the Florida East Coast Railway, to 

 the oflicial in charge of the local Weather Bureau office at Jackson- 

 ville, Fla.: 



I am pleased to express our appreciation of the excellent service rendered by the 

 Weather Bureau through your office during the past season, and the frequent advisory 

 warnings sent down the line during the approach of the recent hurricane. The infor- 

 mation thus furnished, I am ad\"ised, enabled us to get practically all our large fleet 

 of floating equipment into hurricane harbors, thus making our loss in this respect 

 comparatively light. We were al.'^o enabled to get our scattered forces of about 1,500 

 men into safe locations, so that there was no loss of life. By use of hurricane flags, 

 rockets, and signal whistles we were enabled to warn the inhabitants of the keys, the 

 fishing fleet in the locality of our work, as also two steam.^hips anchored at Knights 

 Key Harbor. Had we depended on the barometer we would not have been able to 

 secure one-half of our floating plant before the storm was upon us. 



From an editorial in the Tampa (Fla.) Morning News of October 20: 



That there was no loss of life during the storm is largely due to the efficiency of the 

 W^eather Bureau in warning mariners. 



From an editorial in the Vicksburg (Miss.) Herald of October 19: 



There can be no question that a ^rave calamity has befallen Cuba and the Florida 

 Peninsula as well. The one gratifying circumstance in it is the proof furnished of the 

 infinite value of the Weather Bureau warnings, which gave ample time for all shipping 

 to seek shelter in safe anchorage. 



WEEKLY FORECASTS. 



Forecasts of a general character for a week in advance, based on 

 the atmospheric conditions exhibited by the daily chart of the 

 Northern Hemisphere, have been issued on each Sunday throughout 

 the year, except during the last two weeks of June, 1911, and special 

 forecasts announcing important weather and temperature changes 

 were made when occasion called for them. These forecasts have in 

 the main proved reasonably successful, and the demand for them on 

 the part of the press and others has steadily increased. 



The weekly forecast issued on August 21, 1910, attracted spe- 

 cial attention. In this forecast it was announced that a cool wave 

 would pass over the country the latter part of the ensuing week. This 

 cool wave gave the lowest temperatures of record for August in the 

 Northern Rocky Mountain Region and the Plains States, and snow 

 fell in Wyoming. It caused frosts in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, 

 (^olorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and 

 light frosts at .ex])Osed places in New England and New York. The 

 following favorable comments on the part of the press, subsequent 

 to the issue of the forecast, indicate the widespread interest taken in 

 its successful fulfillment: 



Oklahoma (Okla.) Oklahoman: 



The day was a great triumph for the weather man. The prophecy was on long time, 

 as weather forecasts go. It was made last Sunday. It was accurate to the hour, and 

 to distance, direction, and temperature: geographically correct — absolutely correct. 

 The Sunday forecast said that the wave would start in the Northwestern States and 

 e^veep east across the country. For Oklahoma and vicinity Thursday was the day set 

 for the cold spell, and the cold spell came. No one but the doubter was disappointed. 



