MM KM -SIGNALS. 



601 



It remains to bo seen whether their 

 vutions there are so important to the 

 country mill the cause of science 00 to make it 

 advisable to continue their watoh and wnnl 

 at tliat lofty outpost of the Northeastern 

 States. Several days during the winter, the 

 wind at Mount Washington blow over one hun- 

 dred miles an hour, and. the mercury marked 

 many degrees below zero. The superintendent 

 of the reports at the capital, on receiving them, 

 makes comparisons, and puts them into a 

 tabulated form, which is telegraphed to the 

 principal cities of the United States for the 

 morning and evening newspapers. The fol- 

 lowing is a specimen of the tables as they 

 daily appear the latest reaching the offices 

 of the morning journals toward midnight: 



METEOROLOGICAL RECORD, MARCH 1, 11. 4T r. u. 

 [BaromnUr corrected far tamjMntar* and ]rtlon.] 



Accompanying these tables is a synopsis of 

 the same in plain language, and a statement of 

 "Probabilities" regarding the weather that 

 may be reasonably looked for in different sec- 

 tions of the country, within the following twen- 

 ty-four hours. In these, the air of predictions is 

 carefully avoided. They are but probabilities 

 at the best, but experience has shown that in 

 most cases they may be depended on. It is 

 hoped that the science of meteorology will, 

 some day, be so far perfected that prophecies 

 of unfailing accuracy may be made ; but, should 

 nothing more than a wise estimate of probabili- 



ties be attainable, that of itself will be produc- 

 tive of incalculable good to ship-owners, mer- 

 chants, and travellers, by giving them due 

 monition of approaching storms. 



Subjoined are the synopsis and estimate be- 

 longing to the preceding Meteorological Record. 

 The probabilities were realized rally on the 

 succeeding days ; fresh winds and heavy rain 

 prevailing in the parts of the country in- 

 dicated, although but a few hours previously 

 the weather at the same places was reported 

 "fair" or "clear." 



WAH DEPARTMENT, } 



OFFICE or THE CHIEF SIGNAL-OFFICER, > 



WASHINGTON, March 2, 1871. ) 



Synoprit of Weather Reportt for the past Twenty- 

 four Hours. There has boon a general and decided 

 fall of the barometer, the lowest preusure being now 

 on Lake Erie. Bain has fallen very generally from 

 the Lakes to the Gulf, with cloudy and threatening 

 weather on the east and south Atlantic. It still re- 

 mains clear from Maryland to Long Island. Tho 

 weather is now fair, and clearing west and north of 

 Illinois. Fresh winds have prevailed on the Gulf 

 and Lakes, and with diminished force on the Atlantic. 



Probabiltiiet. Threatening and rainy weather will 

 probably be experienced on Friday on the Atlantic 

 and Lower Lakes, with fresh winds. Brisk winds 

 on the Gulf and Upper Lakes, with clear weather in 

 the Northwest. 



During the post fall and winter months the 

 public had repeated verifications of the " prob- 

 abilities," and the press of the United States 

 bore testimony to their great trustworthiness 

 and utility. The following extract from a report 

 of the Government observer at Chicago shows, 

 as Prof. T. B. Maury has pointed out, how 

 clearly the Signal Service is now enabled to 

 trace some of our great storms and anticipate 

 their arrival on the Lakes : 



Dec. \\th. The severest storm we have yet had, and 

 one of the highest significance to meteorologists, be- 

 cause of the clearness with which its course can be 

 traced, from the time it left the Gulf till it reached 

 Chicago. Its previous course would seem also to be 

 indicated from the newspaper report that a violent 

 storm was raging at Aspinwall about the 6th, causing 

 many disasters to shipping. On the 9th, at 4 p. x. 

 there is rain at New Orleans; at 11 P.M., at Mobile 

 and Montgomery ; at 4 P. M. on the 10th, heavy rain 

 at Augusta ; at 11 p. H., snow at St. Louis. On the 

 llth, ut 7 A. M. the storm had reached Chicago, and 

 at 4 P. M., Milwaukee. The storm would seem to 

 have travelled up the valley of the Mississippi in a 

 northerly direction, and then, attracted by the 

 moister atmosphere of the Lakes, to have turned 

 eastward. The Alleghany Mountains would seem to 

 have intercepted a portion of the air- wave, and car- 

 ried it up in the direction of Washington and New 

 York. The two branches of the storm would then 

 appear to have combined and remained almost sta- 

 tionary, covering the whole North for some days with 

 heavy cloud. 



Captain Howgate, General llyer's assistant, 

 writes in the same vein : 



The storm of December 19th, of the year just ex- 

 pired, was announced along our sea-coast some hours 



few days ago that he knew one instance where ves- 

 sels with cargoes valued at over a million dollars 

 were held in the harbor of Milwaukee on the strength 

 of the storm threatened and forecast by the Signal- 



