174 



KNOWLEDGE, 



[August, 1903. 



At present the earliest information that can be obtained 

 concerning approacliing storms from the Atlantic is 

 received from the observing station at Valencia, in the 

 south-west of Ireland. Now, on more than one occasion, 

 it has been suggested that something might be done in 

 the way of anchoiing a vessel or a sort of floating 

 meteorological observatory two or three hundred miles off 

 the coast of Ireland. The opinion has been expressed 

 that there are shoals and shallows that would afford a 

 suitable anchorage ; and, indeed, so much enamoured with 

 this scheme were certain enthusiastic meteorologists, that 

 they went so far as to design a floating observatory wherein 

 the observers and the necessary instruments could be 

 housed and floated in mid-ocean. These suggested ob- 

 servatories resembled nothing so much as a gasometer, 

 this being the shape favoured by their designers ; and the 

 idea was that the observers would be connected to the 

 shore by a telegraphic wire along which messages could 

 be sent concerning the state of the weather. But in 

 order to carry out this scheme a very large amount of 

 money would be required, and since, moreover, there 

 was apparently no great rush of observers eager to be 

 shut u]i in the floating observatories, the plan has never 

 been adopted, and it is to be numbered among the things 

 that might have been. It has indeed been suggested 

 that such floating gasometers would with difiiculty be 

 kept in position, the chances being that the observers 

 would periodically find themselves bumping about on the 

 coast of Ireland signalling for the steam tug to come and 

 put them in position again. 



Another idea that was actually tried was to obtain 

 reports from the steamers arriving at some of the 

 American jiorts as to the kind of weather they had ex- 

 perienced during their journey across the Atlantic. It 

 was considered that, by thus gaining early information 

 as to any cyclones that might be disporting themselves 

 over the Atlantic, there would be time to telegraph to the 

 weather forecasters in England and warn them that such 

 storms had been encountered. Difiiculty, however, was 

 experienced in collecting this information, for, commonly, 

 when a ship arrives in port, the first business of a captain 

 is to see to the landing of his passengers and the discharge 

 of his cargo, there being, as a rule, little time to spare for 

 writing out and dispatching weather reports. Excellent, 

 therefore, as this scheme for gathering infonnation appeared 

 to be, there were difiiculties in the way of its full develop- 

 ment, and it cannot lie said that it proved of any great 

 advantage. 



But it is from these swiftly-moving steamers that, 

 perhaps, after all, the weather jjrophets may, in the near 

 future, derive the much-desired information concerning 

 the weather over the Atlantic. By means of wireless 

 telegraphy, ships are now sending messages to lighthouses, 

 and are in touch with reporting stations scores of miles 

 away. Moreover, it seems clear that ere long messages 

 will be sent over hundreds of miles of space, and 

 when this becomes an every-day occurrence, the weather 

 forecasters will get their chance. Steamers, for instance, 

 leaving Queeustown and Liverpool, may be kept in touch 

 throughout the greater part, and it may even be during their 

 entire journey across the Atlantic. In the messages that 

 would pass from the ship to the British shores there might 

 easily be included information concerning any storms 

 that were encoimtered on the way. These particulars 

 would refer especially to the intensity of the storm, and 

 the date and place where it was met with. Doubtless, 

 before very long, all the great steamers will be fitted with 

 the wireless telegraphy apparatus, and it will be seen that 

 when the system is in full working order the problem as 



regards receiving intimation of the apjiroach of storms 

 from the westward will be solved. 



Moreover, the further development of wireless telegraphy 

 may not only l)o expected to prove of use as regards 

 collecting weather information from the Atlantic, but on 

 shore also it will prove of incalculable advantage to the 

 weather prophets. As already mentioned, there is often 

 delay in sending the daily observations of the weather 

 along the ordinary telegraph wires, the arrangements at 

 many of the local post ofiices often hampering the 

 prompt despatch of important reports. Telegrafdi offices, 

 in many places, are open only at certain definite hours, 

 and no matter how important may be the message an 

 observer may have to forward to the bead office, it can 

 only pass along the wires at certain hours, a circumstance 

 that often greatly handicaps the officials responsible for 

 preparing the weather forecasts. 



But not only does this apply to the receipt of the 

 messages, but it applies also to the issue of the storm 

 warnings. When the officials at the central weather office 

 have come to the conclusion that a storm is about to burst 

 over the country, it is, of course, part of their work to send 

 out storm warnings to the seaports, where, as soon as the 

 warning is received, the storm signals are hoisted. Now 

 these warnings have also to be sent by telegraph, and it 

 will be understood that at many of the country and out- 

 lying post offices -the messages can only be received and 

 delivered np to a certain hour. Supposing, therefore, the 

 weather forecasters were to sit Tip all night observing the 

 weather, there would, with present arrangements, be no 

 advantage in doing so, because so long as the warnings 

 have to be sent along a wire it is impossible now to get 

 any messages through to those whom they may concern. 

 But here, again, it will be seen that if the wires and the 

 post offices were done away, and communication lietween 

 the observers and the central office and between the central 

 office and the various seaports were established by means 

 of wireless telegraphy, an added usefulness would be given 

 to the stoiin warnings and the weather forecasts. 



At times, too, it happens that during stormy weather 

 the present telegraphic system breaks down entirely, it 

 being no uncommon thing during a severe snow-storm for 

 telegraphic communication between different parts of the 

 country to be interrupted during many days together. 

 In such circumstances as these, not only is it impossible 

 for the observers to forward their weather i-eports to the 

 head office, but it is equally impossible for any storm 

 warnings and weather forecasts to be dispatched along the 

 telegraph wires. These are doubtless irritating circum- 

 stances that the weather forecaster of the future will know 

 nothing about, for with wireless telegraphy at his service 

 his messages will come and go, no matter if storms may be 

 raging and the whole country buried deep in snow. 



There is, therefore, from the weather prophet's point of 

 view, much to hope for from wireless telegraphy, and on 

 the day that the first storm warning is issued by this 

 means, an important epoch in the history of the weather 

 will begin. At present many storms arrive unheralded, 

 but with this new agent at his service, the weather fore- 

 caster will keep in touch with them throughout their whole 

 course, and they will be kept under observation from New 

 York, it may be, and right across the Atlantic Ocean to 

 the coast of Norway. Recognising, therefore, the manj' 

 advantages they will gain from its future developments, 

 it will readily be imagined that those whose business it is 

 to forecast the weather await with interest the improve- 

 ments that will assuredly continue to be made in wireless 

 telegraphy. 



