PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 269 



resolution of Congress approved February 9, 1870, and which 

 provided for the establishment of the meteorological work of 

 the Government under the Signal Service of the Army, is as 

 follows : 



That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, authorized and 

 required to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military 

 stations in the interior of the continent and at other points in the States 

 and Territories of the United States, and for giving notice on the north- 

 ern lakes and on the seacoast, by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, 

 of the approach and force of storms. 



A study of the origin, as well as of the legislation providing 

 for the establishment and extension, of the Weather Bureau 

 clearly indicates that practical utility has always been a dominat- 

 ing consideration. The chief criterion by which the justification 

 of appropriations is determined is the direct benefit to agriculture, 

 commerce and navigation. Such a condition is not highly pro- 

 pitious to the rapid progress of the pure science of meteorology ; 

 nevertheless, there is no lack of authority of law permitting the 

 Weather Bureau to engage in research and legitimate investiga- 

 tions in the realms of pure meteorology. In the practical ad- 

 ministration of the appropriations, however, by far the greater 

 part is required for the effective maintenance of the regular 

 daily service, while the amount that can be diverted to technical 

 investigations and studies is relatively small. A fair recognition 

 of these conditions is essential to a proper understanding of the 

 work of the Bureau, which, as we see, may well be styled a work 

 of applied meteorology. 



While describing these conditions to you, as a matter of 

 information I desire to add that the present policy of the Bureau 

 seeks to maintain its practical service tO' the public as effective 

 as possible and at the same time to encourage and undertake 

 every species of research and investigation that promise, legiti- 

 mate and useful results and that funds will permit. 



The whole fabric of the Weather Bureau work is built upon 

 the foundation of regular meteorological observations over a 

 very extended region. Many of these are made simultaneously 

 and reported telegraphically. In recent times the wireless 



