While ours must be the kingdom.
THE WEATHER BUREAU.
BY OLIVER W. LONGAN,
Of the War Department.
In an article on the “War Department” in The Chautauquan for December, mention was made of the weather observations by the Signal Corps of the army. This novel service—novel both in its character and in its assignment to a military department—was commenced in 1870, under a resolution of Congress, approved February 9th of that year, which required the Secretary of War “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 northern lakes and on the sea coast, by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms;” and in June, 1872, the provisions of the service were extended to include “the agricultural and commercial interests” of the country. The plan of organization and the superintendence of the service were imposed upon the chief signal officer of the army, then General Albert J. Myer,[A] to whose memory the signal and the weather services are living monuments.
If failures are of value in guiding succeeding attempts in the same line, General Myer had the advantage of a number, both in this country and Europe, but attributing those failures to a want of proper agents rather than to mistakes of method, and being thoroughly imbued with the idea that efficient service from a body of men employed in the same enterprise can be obtained only by enrolling them under the oath of enlistment as subjects of military discipline, he could adopt all the methods of operation which had already been tried by others, and, uniting with them his own, could undertake the work with a confidence in men as much as in measures, and make sure progress over the same road that had been too difficult for others to travel. The signal service, which had been organized by him as a special and distinct department of the army, was well prepared to operate the most important agent in the work, the magnetic telegraph, and it has constructed its lines over a great extent of country not yet reached by civilization, connecting frontier military posts with each other and with the lines owned and operated by private companies.
The office division first established under the law of Congress, which has been mentioned, was called by the appropriate but too extensive name of “Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce,” but great works which have been proved and not found wanting may, like great men, afford to adopt simpler titles without loss of favor, or if they will not do so voluntarily, such titles will be fashioned for them and fastened to them by the people, who have not time to regard the official proprieties that would hold them off at a respectful distance by an appearance of gravity of demeanor or by an impressive name, so the office has come to be familiarly known as the “Weather Bureau,” and the officials in charge have accepted the designation without objection. It detracts nothing from the appreciation of the work they accomplish in giving information—premonitory—of wind and rain, heat and cold, frost and snow, river flood and ocean tide, and much more of interest and value day by day—yes, and night by night as well—for the inhabitants of this continent, and in adding to the knowledge of meteorology which is eagerly sought by the scientists of the world.