cclxvi 



October 18., 1877. 



C. V. Riley, President, in the chair. 



Fifteen members present. 



F. E. Nipher made a communication on " The establishment 

 of a Missouri Weather Service." 



This Service is shortly to be established under the auspices of 

 Washington, which is to be regarded as the " central station." 

 For the present, only stations of second grade will be established, 

 the observations being made upon rainfall, cloudiness, wind and 

 phenomena, such as early and late frosts, the flowering of com- 

 mon trees, very high or low temperatures, etc. Special blanks 

 will also be issued for the record of phenomena observed during 

 storms. 



The observers will also report upon the success of various crops 

 in their respective counties, with the causes of failures. 



Forty-eight* persons in different parts of the State have already 

 volunteered to make such observations. The observations will 

 begin Dec. 1, 1S77. As soon as practicable, a system of stations 

 of higher grade will also be established, where more complete 

 instrumental observations will be made. 



Mr. Nipher also made a communication upon "A Cheap Re- 

 cording Instrument for Robinson's Anemometer and the Anemo- 

 mescope," of which the following is an abstract : 



The design of this instrument is to record the number of miles of wind 

 during each twenty-four hours, and to record the direction of the wind at 

 the completion of each mile. 



The battery circuit is completed as usual through the dial of the anemo- 

 ter, passing thence to the shaft of the wind-vane, and thence by one of 

 eight wires (corresponding to the eight principal points of the compass) 

 to the recording magnets. These are four in number, provided with 

 double coils (as in the relay of the duplex telegraph), each coil being con- 

 nected with one of the wind-vane wires, and with the battery. A change 

 of the current from one to the other coil of the same magnet reverses the 

 polarity of this magnet. The magnets are provided with polarized arma- 

 tures the polarity of which is not reversed. The armatures are held mid- 

 way between the poles of their respective magnets by means of delicate 

 springs, and carry recording pencils which are in contact with a revolving 

 drum. Each armature (by its vibration to right or left when the circuit is 

 closed in the anemometer) registers two different directions. The revolu- 

 tion of the drum is regulaledhy the descending weight of a common 24-hour 



* This number has now (Nov. 29) increased to seventy. 



