Ten Years in Washington or, Inside Life and Scenes in Our National Capital as a Woman Sees Them ... to Which Is Added a Full Account of the Life and Death of President James A. Garfield

CHAPTER XLIV.

Chapter 44124 wordsPublic domain

“OLD PROBABILITIES’” WORKSHOP—HOW WEATHER CALCULATIONS ARE MADE.

“Old Probabilities”—An Interesting Subject—The Weather Bureau—The Experience Of Fifty Centuries—Foreseeing the Approach of Storms—The Fate of the _Metis_—Quicker than the Storm—The First Warning by Telegraph—Exchanging Reports with Canada—The “Observing Stations”—Protecting the River Commerce—The Signal Corps—The Examinations—The Sergeant’s Duties—The Signal-Stations—The Work of the Observers—Preparing Bulletins at Washington—Professor Maury’s Account—Safeguards Against Mistakes—Deducing Probabilities—Despatching Bulletins—Watching the Storm—The Storm at San Francisco—Prophetic Preparations—Perfect Arrangements—Training the Sergeants—General Meyer’s Work—An Extraordinary Mansion—The “Kites and Windmills”—Inside the Mansion—The Apparatus—“The Unerring Weather-Man”—“Old Probabilities” Himself—How Calculations are Made—“Young Probabilities”—Interesting Facts, 491