300 Memorial of George Brozvn Goode. 



1849. Successful applications have been made to the presidents of a number of 

 telegraph lines to allow us at a certain period of the day the use of the wires for the 

 transmission of meteorological intelligence. ... as soon as they [certain 

 instructions, etc.] are completed, the transmission of observations will commence. 

 [It was contemplated to constitute the telegraph operators the observers.] 



1850. This map [an outline wall map] is intended to be used for presenting the 

 successive phases of the sky over the whole country at different points of time, as 

 far as reported. 



1 85 1. vSince the date of the last report the S3'steni particularly intended to inves- 

 tigate the nature of American storms immediately under the care of the Institution, 

 has been continued and improved. 



The system of weather reports thus inaugurated continued in regular operation 

 until 1861, when the disturbed condition of the country rendered impossible its 

 further continuance. Meanwhile, however, the study of these daily morning reports 

 had led to such a knowledge of the progress of our storms, that in the Report for 

 1S57, Professor Henrj^ writes: 



1857. We are indebted to the National Telegraph Ivine for a series of observa- 

 tions from New Orleans to New York and as far westward as Cincinnati, which have 

 been published in the Evening Star of this city. 



We hope in the course of another year to make such an arrangement with the 

 telegraph lines as to be able to give warnings on the eastern coast of the approach 

 of storms, since the investigations which have been made at the Institution fully 

 indicate the fact that as a general rule the storms of our latitude pursue a definite 

 course. 



It would seem, therefore, that nothing but the disturbances of the late war pre- 

 vented our having had ten years ago a valuable S3-stem of practical storm warnings. 

 Even before peace had been proclaimed. Professor Henry sought to revive the sys- 

 tematic daily weather reports, and in August, 1864, at the meeting of the North 

 American Telegraph Association (see their published Report of Proceedings), a paper 

 was presented by Professor Baird, on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution, request- 

 ing the privilege of the use of the telegraph lines, and more especially in order to 

 enable Professor Henry "to resume and extend the Weather Bulletin, and to give 

 warning of important atmospheric changes to our .seaboard." In response to this 



communication it was resolved, " That this Association recommend 



to pass free of charge, . . . brief meteorological reports, . . . for the use 

 and benefit of the Institution." 



On the communication of this generous response, preparations were at once made 

 for the laborious undertaking, and the inauguration of the enterprise was fixed for 

 the year 1865. In January of that year, however, occurred the disastrous fire which 

 so seriously embarrassed the labors of the Smithsonian Institution for several follow- 

 ing years: it became necessary to indefinitely postpone this meteorological work, 

 which indeed had through its whole history been carried on with most limited 

 financial means, and was quite dependent upon the liberal cooperation of the differ- 

 ent telegraph companies. 



It will thus be .seen that without material aid from the Government, but through 

 the enlightened policy of the telegraph companies, and with the assistance of the 

 munificent bequest of James Smithson, "for the increase and diffusion of knowl- 

 edge," the Smith,sonian Institution, first in the world, organized a comprehen.sive 

 sy.stem of telegraphic meteorology, and has thus given first to Europe and Asia, 

 and now to the United States, that most beneficent national application of modern 

 science, the Storm Warnings. 



In the report of the vSmithsonian In.stitntion for 1858 it i.s .stated: 

 An object of nuich interest at the Smithsonian building is a daily exhibition on 

 a large map of the condition of the weather over a considerable portion of the 



