22 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



Nineteen nautical miles of two-conductor cable, laid bj^ the Signal 

 Service of the Army in 1898, between Block Island and Narragansett 

 Pier, R. I., were recently transferred to this Bureau. This cable has 

 been out of working order since last January. It was our purpose to 

 recover it, replace the defective parts, and relaj'^ it so as to jjarallel 

 our old Block Island cable for use in case of an accident to the latter. 

 On taking it up it was found to be too badly worn to justify the 

 expense of again putting it down, and an appropriation of $40,000 is 

 recommended for the purchase and the laying of a new cable and the 

 purchase of ground and erection of necessarj^ buildings at each of 

 the two termini. 



The total ' ' this line " receipts from commercial telegrams transmitted 

 over Weather Bureau lines during the j^ear were 12,326.17, an increase 

 of $597.68 over last year's receipts. 



The total number of whole days and fractional parts of a daj^ 

 respectivelj^ on which telegraphic communication over Weather 

 Bureau lines was interrupted is as follows : 



From— 



Port Crescent to Neah Bay, Washington 



San Francisco to Point Reyes, Cal 



Edgartown to Nantucket, Mass 



Block Island to Narragansett, Rhode Island. 



Norfolk, Va, to Hatter as, N. C... 



Alpena to Middle Island, Michigan _ 



Alpena to Thunder Bay Island, Michigan 



Under acts passed by the last Congress, specifications and plans are 

 being prepared for purchasing and lajang about 50 statute miles (more 

 or less) of submarine telegraph cables, to connect Sand Ke}', Florida, 

 with Key West, Fla. ; South Manitou Island, Michigan, with Glen- 

 haven, Mich., and the Farallone Islands, California, with San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal., via Point Reyes, Cal. A teredo- j)roof, one-conductor 

 cable, with rubber insulation and twelve No. 8 guard wires, will be 

 used for the Sand Key connection, and gutta-percha cables, with twelve 

 No. 5 guard wires, for the others. 



A short telephone line, to connect the new station at North Head, 

 Wash., with the lines terminating at Fort Canby, Wash., is now under 

 construction. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



TOTAL OUTPUT. 



Forecast cards: Pieces. 



Manila 15,785,760 



Paper 3,370,105 



Station maps 4, 087, 792 



Station forms, all kinds 2, 738, 130 



Weather maps, Washington 539, 772 



Climate and crop bulletins 140, 089 



Monthly Weather Reviews. - 52, 750 



Lake charts 44, 500 



Snow and ice bnlletins 31, 043 



Total 25, 789, 941 



These figures relate only to work done within the division, and do 

 not include miscellaneous printing for the Bureau done under authority 



