SCIENCE,
249
E I C-
cal and mathematical science. This is the first great want. But again, the Signal Bureau has cgrowvi, tinder Genleral NIYER'S vigorous adminisA WEEKLY RECORD OF SCIENTIFIC trationi, to be a vast machine, composed of many parts-oficers anid men-and controlling many inPROGRESS. struimeiits. Ior example, tlle many military telegrap)h lines of the \West, several thousand(ls of miles in length. JOHN MICHELS, Editor. Aga,;in, the service imuiist lookl not only to the Continianice ol)eolCe at hlomlie and abroad, btit to the contitngenicy ot' a \var in \whclih trained signial mliell Mma bie anited. '1'he militairy post of Fort PCiA.lSlIhi) AT W\hiipple. Virginiia. is- enitirtely dlevote(d to the train229 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. il service tor P. 0. Box ~3833lug 01 tule enlisted mien0ot tu mgnal tlheir variedl dutties as meteorological ol)servers,
SCIENCE :
a
=____________.
~
signal mentan military! telegraph iiien1, directly tundler theclhare of officers of the alrmly, Nvhlo tlhCmselves become tamiliar witlh these variedl anI iin-
(luties. l)ortaltit THE SIGNAL SERVICE. The'I se a:n(l otlhCer obvious reasonis make it plain Thle qulestionl of thle al)lointmllenit of' a Chief Sig- thialt, if the proper scienititc eiliciency of the Weather can l)e maintained it will be highly advan. nal Officer in the room of the late General M'YFlt B is immedialtely interestingt. It is a question xvlichj t ft~~~~~~~~ittill" r -\;Iewld; Gienerals G Uniite(d States, throtui accurate andrplropll)t pre- Itiie 11AZ;E-N aii(1 XMILEs ;1re (lictiotis, and(1 thlius to julstifN the annliul;al expendituire menioned in tis C')IL'Ctioii. T of nearly $i,ooo.ooo. At present about So peSr . SFc.-COND '1' appo)finitmlent of sotiie o)fficer wlio cenit. of the predictions aire fultilled, w-hiich is a fair has learned the art of aliuistration during our , o showing-indee(d, a verv cre(ital)le onle. I\Iost unlair,re bodiees of troops, aInd conimanin:gzli( , . , * ., ~~war, by) c familiar with of the routintie the preju(lice(d persons, (dties and stiu(lies sinlce the wvar hlave been Sicnia;lL'~ Service, willl admlit thlat Genieral Nl51.X t hadt llhose . t tO lit tlietii foi) tiiis pOSitiOnl: Geilerals .1 lsol't a o carried the Ceicienicy ot the service about as far ias of tipotio GEneal oI it couild, have been carried unii(ler an ()rijatillCOMTOC, \\AtREN and POE, of '~~~~h E th llEni lleerl8ls, ar1c ol' thils C;lassi. like hiis owni ; and the countr,t'y may feel contilfdet that, vwhoever is appointed to suiccee(I him, tile use I'iiin o, The al)pointment of a scientific civiliain fulness ofrthe Signall Service aIs a Weather Buireaul, meictcorologist, as P'rof. Loomis, Prof. Cleveland that is to l)re(lict stormns for the benielit of coin- Abbe oi Dr. D)anicl Draper. Two facutilties are re(quired in the person to be metCe, acgricuilture, etc., will not be greatly ditniin)oitcd First, lhe mutist bean able adliministrator; ishe(l. ''lhe l)reselit rlolitilne is so well established that we may be siile frt soimie timile at least, of the anditl seco:.d lv, hie miul-st be cap)able of uin(lerstanin(Iiig alld diiectil g scihutitiic ilnvetigattiolls. same proriciency. If the ap)l)ointment is made fiomii the first class Btit meteorologists know that this percentage can be inicrease(l. To (l thiis, scienititic investigation named above, it is lilkely that we shall haive good muist be cairr-ied on in various way s, an(l by comipc- adj olminisitration, and tlhat the present efliciency of thle tent persons. The vast material no%v' accuiliateildted service will be maintained, but that no advances by tile 13tBreaut must he examine(l, dliscsse(l, and(I will be made. It is dlitlicult for the necessary forthe laws--emipirical and other-deduced. This war(d steps to l)e ina(le ui(ler the (lirection of men can only be (lonie und(ler intelligent anid sympathetic in middle life, now first called ulponI to examine and direction, by metn traitned in thie methods of physi- Iapprove of the methods of physical science. If the
MSfOr
Downloaded from http://science.sciencemag.org/ on February 8, 2018
. . SAT''URDA).\Y, NOVEM11E1R, ISSo.
250
SCIENCE.
ro ASTRONONIE'RS.
The value of the work perofrmebI y thie stronoiners of the Uniite(d States is niow fully recognize(L
atnd has become ani important factor in the progress of astronomy. Tlhey have at thieir command some of tile finiest instruillents thaitt havebeen I)CIproluced, while thleiri l)o1oer to make goodl tse of tlhtii is tes! tililed- by the b)rilliant (liscoveries which they have recenitly mllade, form Illost impl)rtallt recordls in thte annals of the scietnce. WVC aire gladl to Iti1i thlatt hle plblifeationl of this l journal Imeets an imnpOtantt wvanto whiich is a,d1,imiitte(d to exist by asritronoiers, viz., a ready mean.;1s of commuinicationi. W\ e h1ave r-eceivedl letter s ft0om1 on this Mr. Burnham, of Chicago, and.fiom otIers, suibject, an(f to-day Mr. Swvift, of Rochester, makes the following statement, in a letter to uis, enclosilng valuable astronomical papler: " Of course yout ;are aware that thiere is iuot, in this country, a sinigle journaldlevote(l exclusively to
a
astronomy; and for ephemerides of comets we have to (lepend on the Astr. Nacer., but as it is printed in German no armateur takes it. Now if you wouild givena prompt ephemeris of all comets so that amatiurs can ascertain wlhere they are, or if oni the (liscovery of ever- niew comet a special circuilar be senit iminediately to eacih subscriber aniltnotilnlig it and gfi'iving position, dlirectioln and rate of mnotioni, andl if everybody klnew thie)y could and111 wcItild be thlius inilormeid, hlitin(dre(ds wotild take it [* SCIENCE; "]. It wvould he a great satisfaction for them to know that they are to be kept weekly posted onl a sul)ject niot mentioned -y a singale Wveekly ptil)licatioll on this conitinenit." It is at great consolation to know that tlhere is nio comnet in the sky, for it relieves him of all suspense, an(l it is e(lually so to be told, at so cheapl) a r;ate, wlhere it is and all about it. I couil(d immlledliately niotify yolu of all (discovere(l by miie, or telegraphed to miie, flomii the Smithsonian Inistittutiotn. I shall I)e ple;ased to call the attenitioni of miiy frientds, botlh hlerie an(l elsewhere, to )'OuIr JOURNAL, to increase its circulation that it may he liberally suistained." In regard to thle above letter-, we beg, to annouince thait it %vill be otir aini in the ftiutire to comply with the suggestions so ably expressed, andl in(lee(l have
partially anticilpatel thlemil.
shed ember WVe have, by CourteSy of;a dlistintgtisluiti of fth Naval\11 O)bservatory at Washinllgtonl, arranled Or a \we lv report ompll)led fr;om thirt library by at gentleman p)erlectly f.mmiliar wvitli p)rtacticail astrolnolmy, and in coninlectioIn withi the Smithsolnian lInstituitioni and all astronomers at Washincgton. Thtis wvill embrace a i-esitym,, of bothi foreigyn and lhome literatutre, and especially will give imme(diate notice of astrol)lomllical informiation receivedi at that estalblishm,lent. Professor Asaph Hall has recently fuirnishe(d us with two comimunications, and we truist will in the ftuttiure conititinue to favor uis With niotes. P'rofessor Eldward S. I lolden wi \Vllals.,1o cca-sionjalll g\ IS i the bellefit of inltrmationll comlin within lhis knowledgle. IProte.SSor Sitone, of thec Cin;ciniiiinti Observato'y', has allready llaced uis utiitder mllllnly obligratiolls f c'tantzl comnsicattionls, and1 up) tob date! jis one of outr iuiost tMeent'led coul.resh)ondellts. I'rofessom liu tl11;1 of Chicago, has also eng;aged to give us astronlom11ical intorlilation in his sl)pecial department, and1t is nowV only delayed, by the condition of the atmosl)here, froim Imaking soIme important observationis wvitl the great Dearborn Equatorial, to be publishietl n SCIENCE." Professor Swift, of Rochester, aIs h1is letter States, wvill comiunllicate to uIs imilmeeliatte niotice of results obtained wvithi hiis ietw and
Downloaded from http://science.sciencemag.org/ on February 8, 2018
appointment is made from civil life, it is lilkely that tne men of great anld acknowledge(d ability tlhe named, while devotinig their attenition to the many troublesome details incident to the management of a large body of men,-would deprive science of the benefits to be (lerive(l from mind(ls whlichi have been engaged for a lifetime uiponi one branch of research. Thje best interests, both of the people, whllo pay for the btireaui, of the arnmy, to whicih it is a sclhool of instruiction, and of scienice, wliichI looks to it for a thorouighi reorganization of its ol(d mnethio(ds (wvIich were ofteni clumsy and(1 antiq(uatedl) adi(l lor a (leci(led step in the (directionl of inivestigaltioIn and research,-would probablly be most surely advanced by the al)pointment of onie of the accomplislhed Officers of Engiineers named above. Each of these gentlemeii is enitirely competent to a(lminister the complicated business of the office, as ealchI of them commandled, d(urinig the wvar, a brigarde, dlivisioni, corps, or evenl airmy, alnd as each of them since the w ar lhas been etng;age(l inl workwherie strictly scienltitic ability is re(quiired(. Ea;ch of thiem hias showi in both capacities marked strenthti, and the appointmiient couildI not go wrong if made froin their niuimber. It is niot the puLr)ose of tiis arlticle to ldvallce tile personal :claims of aniv onie, I)ttt to p)oint ouit tile (lirectioni ill which. tilier- carefulil illoilatlit, it seemn1s the siginall service mllay 1)e led to the lmlakxiltilil of useftilniess anmd efhiciencv, I)oth to the peolec andl to science.
THE SIGNAL SERVICE
Science os-1 (22), 249-250. DOI: 10.1126/science.os-1.22.249
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/os-1/22/249.citation
PERMISSIONS
http://www.sciencemag.org/help/reprints-and-permissions
Use of this article is subject to the Terms of Service Science (print ISSN 0036-8075; online ISSN 1095-9203) is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005. 2017 © The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. The title Science is a registered trademark of AAAS.
Downloaded from http://science.sciencemag.org/ on February 8, 2018
ARTICLE TOOLS