400 THEODORE WATERS 



that the list of liability is headed by the oaks. Firs, beeches, 

 pines, larches, ash and birch trees are most liable to be struck 

 in the order named, on account of their conducting qualities. 

 The records show an increase in the number of damage dealing 

 lightning strokes, especially in Europe. But the cause of 

 this has not yet been discovered. The only definite fact 

 observed by the bureau is that these violent manifestations 

 seem to occur in connection with the movement of sluggish 

 cyclonic areas across the country during the warmer months. 



The weather bureau also tells people how to avoid danger. 

 For the farmer it issues a pamphlet, advising protection 

 against frost by means of a blanket of smoke. It tells him 

 how to utilize fog for irrigation by erecting wire gauze screens 

 on his farm so that the fog will be condensed. The bureau 

 tells the people in tornado districts how to escape these whirl- 

 ing monsters; how to construct cellars; how the sucking action 

 of a tornado draws all the air out of a closed up house, and 

 by creating almost a vacuum collapses the walls. It cautions, 

 therefore, that every door and window should be kept open 

 to allow a free passage of air. It tells the shippers of perish- 

 able goods how those goods may be protected from heat and 

 cold. It issues suggestions for the closing and opening of 

 the hatches of freight steamers in certain kinds of weather, 

 and sends these vessels from port with certain signals flying, 

 so that incoming craft may be warned and may act accord- 

 ingly. In the lakes it has a regular corps of safe conductors 

 of merchandise, who go on board passing vessels and give 

 valuable advice to captains in view of certain weather condi- 

 tions. A vessel bound from Buffalo to Duluth is really pro- 

 tected as much by constant watchfulness of alongshore weather 

 men as she is by the sagacity of her captain. Thus it will be 

 seen that the work of the bureau is not confined to the com- 

 paratively passive business of predicting storms. 



Although this system of weather forecasting is a source 

 of great expense to the government, yet there are many 

 instances where a single warning sent out by the bureau has 

 saved more money to the property owners of the country 

 than would have paid the expenses of the bureau for years. 

 Take the matter of West Indian hurricanes. Every one of 



