THE WEATHER BUREAU 391 



counties, cities and lakes are sketched dimly in aluminum 

 paint. Weather conditions are marked on the map as they 

 are received by telegraph, and are altered or rubbed off as 

 later reports suggest. Men walk up to the map at all hours 

 of the day and mark on it queer symbols, which, interpreted, 

 mean rain, snow, cloudiness, heavy winds, fog, hot or cold 

 waves, as news of their existence is received. Of course 

 they are marked on that part of the map corresponding to 

 the part of the country from which they are received, and 

 during the day every part of the map is reconstructed. 

 The men are enabled thus to keep track of the condition of 

 the countrj^, because in the United States there are two hun- 

 dred branch meteorological stations; 250 special stations 

 which display danger warnings to mariners; 260 special 

 stations for observing certain conditions of temperature and 

 rainfall in the cotton, corn and wheat regions, and over 3,000 

 stations where volunteer observers make daily records. If 

 any change takes place, the fact is telegraphed at once to 

 the central office, and the big map on the wall is altered 

 accordingly. This does not mean that each of the 4,000^ 

 is in individual communication with Washington. Every 

 state has its own bureau, in which all messages from its 

 own territory are received, and at the discretion of the state 

 forecaster are transmitted to Washington. Some of the 

 outlying stations are on mountain peaks; some are on gulf 

 coast islands; some are in the arid regions of the southwest; 

 some are on the lakes, and some are in the West Indies, where 

 the men watch for hurricanes, but all figuratively are at the 

 finger's end of the man who operates the telegraph sounder 

 in the corner of the room. 



Twice every day — at 8 A. M. and at 8 P. M., Washinq:ton 

 time — every telegraph line in the country must be left 

 open for the business of the weather Ijureau. Eight o'clock 

 in Washington, D. C, is 7 o'clock in Chicago, 6 o'clock in 

 Denver, and 5 o 'clock in San Francisco. At those hours the 

 4,000 weather watchers take an observation in their vicinity. 

 They note whether it is raining or clear, or, if cloudy, the 

 kind of clouds and their direction. They scan the thermom- 

 eter and read the barometer, and they telegraph the result 



