S>2 Professor Cleveland Abbe, M.A. [Jan. 29, 



to be expert in all manner of signalling, in cypher writing and de- 

 eyphering, and in building and manipulating all forms of telegraphs. 

 It was a very perfect organization for gathering information from all 

 parts of the country for the use of the Commander-in-Chief. And 

 now Gen. Myer proposed in times of peace to devote its energies to 

 this new work of charting and predicting the weather. Every officer 

 "was at once ordered to study meteorology. Circulars were issued 

 inviting the co-operation of scientific institutions. I recall sending him 

 the instructions, forms, cypher-code and other material used at Cin- 

 cinnati. By the use of this cypher all needed data for aiay one station 

 eould be telegraphed in five or ten short words with small chance 

 of any troublesome telegraphic error. New Signal Service observers 

 were especially enlisted for the weather service, and devoted their 

 whole time to the various kinds of work that it was soon found 

 .necessary for the service to engage in. The problem as it presented 

 itself to Gen. Myer embraced at least three main features : (1) Observa- 

 tion and telegraphy for the formation of a weather chart at Washington, 

 the chart to be finished within two or three hours after the observations 

 were taken simultaneously throughout the country. (2) The prepara- 

 tion of prediction and ordering of storm signals. (3) The forcing of 

 these predictions to the attention of every one interested as quickly as 

 possible. This last, which might seem at first the most difficult, was 

 •easily arranged through the co-operation of the various Press 

 Associations and railroad and telegraph companies. In addition to the 

 -weather the important river floods in the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi 

 were observed and predicted. In 1874 the scope of the Signal Service 

 organization was greatly enlarged by the addition of the observers who 

 had hitherto reported to the Smithsonian ; these are known as the 

 voluntary observers. About the same time also we began to receive 

 the monthly reports of the military observers that had hitherto reported 

 to the Surgeon-General of the Army. By means of all this new data 

 the monthly weather review, that I had started for Gen. Myer in 

 January 1873, and that had hitherto dealt principally with the 

 phenomena of storms, Avas enlarged so as to cover the general clima- 

 tology of the States. My own connection with the office began in 

 January 1870, and was as I then supposed only temporary ; in a short 

 interview with Gen. Myer, he stated that having organized the 

 observers and the telegraphy he now wished me to come to Washington 

 and organize the system of probabilities and storm warnings. My first 

 w r ork was to chart the observations, draw in the isobars and write out 

 the predictions for the day. These predictions began to be published 

 by the office about the middle of February 1871 ; they owe their success 

 largely to the fact that I was not required to predict for public use 

 every feature of wind and weather and temperature, but only such 



