Extent of the Signal Service. 91 



through the Signal service, was the onl_v country which had 

 endeavored to follow the line of oliligation agreed on for inter- 

 national use in publication. 



If for no other reason, meteorology owes its debt of gratitude 

 to an officer of the army, the late General Myer, from whose mind 

 in August, 1873, proceeded the idea of an exchange of interna- 

 tional telegraphic weather reports as widely as possible, and to 

 whose initiative in connection with the congress at Vienna is 

 due the unparalleled, im]iortant and successful international 

 meteorological Avork. 



During thirteen years, 1875 to 1887 inclusive, the land obser- 

 vations of this service covered the countries of almost the entire 

 northern hemisphere and a part of the southern hemisphere, 

 and reports were also received from regular naval and merchant 

 marine vessels of the principal countries of the northern hemis- 

 phere. More than 150,000 monthly reports, representing up- 

 Avards of 5,000,000 daily simultaneous observations, were re- 

 ceived, collected, and published or charted by the Signal office. 

 The number of vessel reports reached 600, and the foreign land 

 stations increased to a total of 459, exclusive of the interna- 

 tional polar stations. The following countries cooperated dur- 

 ing a part or a Avhole of the period 1875 to 1887 : Algeria, 

 Australia, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain. 

 Canada, Cape Colony, Chili, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, 

 France, Germany, Greece, Hawaiian islands, India, Italy, Japan, 

 Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Scotland, 

 Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. In addition to the reports 

 furnished by the regular services of the several countries, obser- 

 vations Avere made and forwarded from the islands of the north- 

 ern Atlantic ocean, of Central America and northern South 

 America, and from Bering island, the Aleutian islands, Alaska, 

 Greenland and Iceland. 



The international publications of the Signal service, Avhich 

 commenced Avith the regular issue of the daily bulletin of simul- 

 taneous, ooserv^ations in -July, 1875, embodied data whose A'alue 

 cannot be overestimated. The netAvork of stations Avhich covered 

 the northern hemisphere for a period of years furnished a vast 

 number of reliable observations, the study of AA^hich has in no 

 small measure contributed to recent discoveries and advances in 

 meteorology, and in future investigations these observations Avill 

 be invaluable. 



