WEATHER BUREAU. 285 



has issued instructioMs to all its vessels to make reports to our officials 

 at San Francisco and Portland. 



At San Francisco the daily forecasts are distributed by the United 

 Wireless at stated times each day to vessels at sea. 



At San Francisco 321 vessel reports were received during the year, 

 but the official states that most of the reports were of little value in 

 connection with his forecast work. Reports from coastwise steamers 

 were of interest to the public and were published in the papers. The 

 maximum distance from which reports were received was 1,440 miles. 



At Portland, Oreg., reports were received from 534 vessels, of 

 which 176 were of benefit to the forecaster in connection with his 

 work and 358 of only slight value. Forecasts made at Portland are 

 sent o.ver the Port Crescent Lines to Tatoosh Island, where they are 

 delivered to the Naval Wireless station for distribution to vessels at 

 sea and to points along the coast. 



RADIOTELEGRAPH SERVICE. 



The bureau is in close cooperation with the Naval Wireless, the 

 United Wireless, the Marconi, and the United Fruit Telegraph serv- 

 ices on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. Instructions have been 

 issued to the stations of these services to forward immediately to 

 Washington all weather information received, and special hours have 

 been set aside for the broadcast dissemination of forecast messages 

 and storm warnings over the ocean. Even when information relat- 

 ing to a disturbed condition of the weather at sea is contained in a 

 private message, the operator at the radio station has been instructed 

 to request the master of the vessel to make a weather report. The 

 proposed extension of wireless weather service to cover the entire 

 north Atlantic Ocean, through international regulation and cooper- 

 ation, has already been referred to. 



VESSEL-REPORTING SERVICE. 



In addition to their meteorological duties, the officials at the sta- 

 tions at Block Island, Cape Henry. Sand Key, Southeast Farallon, 

 Point Reyes Light, North Head, Port Crescent, and Tatoosh Island 

 are required to report all passing vessels, wrecks, and marine dis- 

 asters, and to transmit communications between masters, owners, 

 underwriters, and others interested in marine matters. All of these 

 stations are prepared to transmit messages by telegraph, and all 

 except Block Island and Port Crescent are equipped for day signal- 

 ing by the international code. Cape Henry and Sand Key are also 

 equipped for night communication by flash light, Morse code. 



Cape Henry uses the telegraph and telephone in reporting all ves- 

 sels to Norfolk and Newport News. The names of the vessels passing 

 that station are also furnished to the Norfolk press and the New York 

 Maritime Exchange. All naval vessels are reported to Norfolk, and 

 in some cases a report is made to the Navy Department at Wash- 

 ington, Vessels bound for Baltimore are reported to the Maritime 

 Exchange of that city. The Virginia and Maryland pilot associa- 

 tions cooperate with this station. Cape Henry has a list of 100 asso- 

 ciations, firms, and individuals to receive notice of passing vessels. 



