64 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ductors in the Army cable connectin-^ Fort Stevens and Fort Canby 

 on opposite sides of the Cohimbia Eiver. Serious and unlooked-for 

 difficulties were encountered in putting into effect the project of 

 purchasing and laying a ncAV cable from funds authorized by Con- 

 gress for cable and line repairs. Prolonged but unsuccessfur efforts 

 were made to determine a proper route to connect with existing land- 

 line facilities. Utilization of the route of the abandoned cable was 

 highly inadvisable. The selection of a new and longer route entailed 

 construction of new land lines or unsatisfactory cooperation with 

 other services in the use of present system. The greatly increased ex- 

 pense of cable and aerial material was prohibitive in view of the 

 small amount of funds remaining after expenditures necessarily in- 

 curred in emergency repairs on the lines above mentioned. As con- 

 tinued use of the Army cable is permissible as long as a conductor 

 can be spared, consummation of the project of a new cable has been 

 deferred pending future action by the Congress. 



TATOOSH ISLAND-PORT ANGELES SECTION. 



[Telegraph.] 



A large amount of reconstruction work was accomplished during 

 the year. This was made highly desirable, and in places necessary, 

 by the extensive logging operations along the route of line, railroad 

 (K)nstruction work, private road building, activities of the Spruce 

 Production Division of the Signal Corps, and heavy storms. 



The Weather Bureau station at Pysht was closed on August 31 

 and the repair work formerly done by the official divided between the 

 stations on either side. 



A temporary office was opened at the military camp at Joyce, 

 Wash., August 29, and a large volume of telegraph business was 

 carried over the line in connection with the spruce production opera- 

 tions at that point. The office was closed on December 25. During 

 these four months approximately 3,100 commercial messages were 

 handled at this station. 



WORK IN CLIMATOLOGY. 



No important changes occurred during the year in the work in 

 climatology, and the several important lines were carried forward as 

 usual, despite many general enlargements in most of the items making 

 up the duties and some decrease in the clerical force available. 



All material prepared for the several publications of the Bureau was 

 submitted as per schedule and the final reports printed at the time 

 designated. The weather data for the Monthly Weather Eeview, An- 

 nual Report of the Chief of Bureau, and the monthly and annual cli- 

 matological reports for the several States were subjected to the usual 

 careful scrutiny, and effort has been made to maintain the standard of 

 accuracy heretofore required, although, as stated above, there has been 

 a steadily increasing number of reports to be examined and a con- 

 stant diminution of the effective working capacity of the clerical 

 force. 



COOPERATIVE REPORTS. 



The work of the cooperative observers of the Bureau has been main- 

 tained in a highly satisfactory manner despite the additional duties 

 imposed on the observing force by the unsettled world conditions and 



