REPORT OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER FOR 1883. 501 
ively, which froze the ground enough to nearly spoil undug potatoes. The 
highest temperature in the report was 73° on October 28th. 
REPORT OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER FOR 1883. 
In this report the Chief Signal Officer of the Army calls attention to the in- 
jurious curtailment of the service rendered necessary on account of the diminished 
appropriations by Congress. He urges increased appropriations for the future, 
and reports a deficiency bill to enable him to continue work already begun. 
Referring to the weather indications, he says : The abandonment of stations 
made necessary by lack of funds must interfere with the weather predictions 
made by this office. 
He gives numerous details of the fitting out of the Greely Relief Expedition 
and of the instructions issued for its guidance, but makes no allusions to its 
failure. 
He says the scientific work of the bureau has been steadily carried forward. 
During the year an investigation has been made into the standard of thermometry 
adopted by the Service which appeared open to objection. This resulted in the 
adoption of a new standard which no longer agrees with that of the Yale College 
Observatory, but approaches more nearly to that of the International Bureau of 
weights and measures. 
Attention is called to the necessity of a separate office on the Pacific Coast, 
under the charge of an instructed officer, and the report says: " If a weather 
service for the country is to be maintained, this important region should not be 
neglected as it has been." 
The number of stations in operation on June 3, 1883, was 376 — a decrease 
during the year of 118. 
The report shows that the Service has made a slight gain in accuracy. Of 
the cautionary signals displayed 83.9 per cent were justified by results against 83 
per cent last year. Eighty-eight per cent of the weather indications furnished the 
press were verified, as against 86.6 last year. On the Pacific Coast the verifica- 
tion of weather predictions was 90. 5 per cent. Commercial bodies throughout 
the country have greatly aided the Weather Bureau. In fifty-four cities meteor- 
ological committees have been appointed and have furnished suggestions and 
advice. 
The Bureau has made an investigation as to the relation between rainfall 
and growth of population in the northwest. There was also a careful study of 
the river floods in 1882 in order to discover some means of predicting such phe- 
nomena. Preliminary steps were taken toward better study of cloud formation 
by the aid of photography and the study of atmospheric electricity with a view 
to predicting local tornadoes. 
The Service has suffered from the lack of officers capable of making weather 
predictions. Two years' training is requisite, and there are not enough capable 
