Weather Bureau service is clearly set forth in the appended tabulated statement, which begins with 1882 and closes with 1894, as follows:

* Estimated-accounts not yet permanently closed.

This statement shows that for the year 1894 one hundred and thirty eight thousand five hundred dollars ($138,500) of the appropriation was covered back into the Treasury-an amount of money aggregating nearly twice as much as all the moneys covered back into the Treasury from that Bureau in the preceding eleven years. It is agree able to state, also, that the Chief of the Weather Bureau reports the reduction in expenditures to have been made without impairment of the efficiency of the work of the Bureau.

PROMOTIONS.

Important positions in the Weather Bureau were filled during the past year by competitive examinations. Some examinations were freely thrown open to all citizens. Others were only accessible to those in the lower grades of the Weather Bureau whose service ratings were the highest. The results of this competitive system have been exceedingly satisfactory. The introduction of this manner of promoting subordinate officials has been an inspiration to all the Weather Bureau observers to do their very best as forecasters. Examinations have been held for forecast officials. Doubts entertained by many heretofore, as to whether capacity in forecasting might be satisfactorily tested by examinations, have been dispelled. The Weather Bureau itself has conducted the examinations, because this method of securing suitable persons for forecast duty was altogether experimental.

PUBLICATIONS.

hundred and twenty-nine thousand one hundred and twelve (229,11 within the city's limits. During the same period of time the Bure issued seventy-one thousand two hundred and sixty-six (71,26 Weather Crop Bulletins.

The observations on the general subject of publications under t head of Division of Records and Editing, regarding gratuitous d tribution, apply with peculiar force to the publications of the Burea

FORCE AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE.

During the year there was a complete reorganization of the force the Washington office of the Weather Bureau. In that time fifty-eig (58) persons, whose salaries aggregated fifty-four thousand seven hu dred and fifty dollars ($54,750) per annum, were taken from the p rolls of that office. During the same period forty-five (45) person whose salaries amounted to thirty-six thousand seven hundred a seventy dollars ($36,770) per annum, were added to its pay rolls; th lessening by thirteen (13) the number of persons employed, and redu ing their annual pay roll seventeen thousand nine hundred and eigh dollars ($17,980). The entire number of persons on the pay rolls of t central office, June 30, 1894, was one hundred and seventy-one (17 Their salaries amounted to one hundred and seventy-eight thousa seven hundred and thirty-one dollars and sixty cents ($178,731.60) 1

annum.

FORECASTS.

Regular forecasts of weather, wind, and temperature have be made from the 8 a. m. and 8 p. m. observations and furnished to t press associations, telegraph companies, and newspapers througho the United States. For forty-five (45) separate districts, covering t entire country east of the Rocky Mountains, these forecasts have be made. They are for periods each usually of twenty-four to thirty-s hours, respectively; but for longer periods when conditions seem indicate such a necessity.

Storm warnings have been wired often to the lake and seacoast s tions, and to the director of the Canadian Meteorological Service Toronto. Warnings of frost to fruit, tobacco, and cotton regions, a warnings of severe local storms, cyclones, cold waves, northers, a dangerous floods have been frequently sent to threatened distric Such admonitions are issued whenever conditions indicate the necessi for them.

VALUE OF THE WARNINGS.

During the year the Weather Bureau warnings received, as a ru wide distribution. There were very few disastrous storms of whi the people had not been apprised twenty-four to thirty-six hours advance of their culmination during the last summer. The seve

cyclones of August 25 to 27, and October 12 to 14, 1893, were notab well foretold. The warnings given for those dates italicized the valu of the service to agriculture and to commerce.

During the year much inquiry was elicited as to the probable val of the forecast work of the Weather Bureau. It is difficult to estima with any degree of precision or accuracy the real value of the curre work of the Weather Bureau. It, however, affects almost innumerab interests. It varies from day to day in its influence upon, protectio over, and conservation of, those multifarious interests. Directors of th State weather service in Ohio and in North Carolina report—the fir a saving of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) by the warning January 24, 1894; the latter estimated that during the season tw hundred thousand dollars' ($200,000) worth of farm products in h immediate territory was saved from frost by the same means. Thes estimates are conservative. They only hint at the vast possible valu each year of the forecast work and warnings throughout the Unite States.

In January, 1894, the Steamship Rappahannock was stranded, an the nearest Weather Bureau observer, at Cape Henry, Va., immediatel telegraphed a wrecking company at Norfolk to the effect that unles the stranded steamer lightened up enough to float at high tide on th night of the 24th she would be broken to pieces by a coming stori upon the rocks. The observer's message was communicated to th Rappahannock by flag signals. This warning caused the wreckin company to exert themselves to the utmost and they consequentl discharged a sufficient cargo to enable the vessel to float that night a 10:35, and at 12:45 a. m. of the next day-that is, twelve hours an ten minutes after the vessel was floated out of danger, because of th Weather Bureau warnings-an intensely severe westerly to northerl gale (which had been forecasted) with freezing temperature, rain, and heavy sea set in; and it is generally conceded that, had the vessel co tinued aground until that storm struck her, she would have bee pounded to pieces and, with her cargo valued at six hundred thousan dollars ($600,000), proved a total loss.

The September tropical storm of 1894 was forecasted with grea accuracy and exactness. Warnings were sent very generally along th Atlantic coast. Because of the admonitions of the Weather Burea relative to that particular storm one thousand and eighty-nine (1,089 vessels, valued at seventeen million one hundred thousand four hur dred and thirteen dollars ($17,100,413), were retained in port. Durin the October tropical storm of 1894 one thousand two hundred and six teen (1,216) vessels, valued at nineteen million one hundred an eighty-three thousand five hundred dollars ($19,183,500), were pro vented from going out to sea because of the warnings issued by th U. S. Weather Bureau. The value of the cargoes in all this multitud of ships which were prevented from encountering the tropical storm

of September and October has not been estimated. It is, howev reasonable to presume that the cargoes were worth much more th the ships, and therefore safe to assume that the Weather Bure warnings for the two months, which kept in port vessels valued in t aggregate at thirty-six million two hundred and eighty-three th sand nine hundred and thirteen dollars ($36,283,913), also preserv from the perils of those most disastrous and far-sweeping storms seve million dollars' worth of merchandise, commodities, and other proper in transit.

Besides that vast amount of value in materials, many human liv undoubtedly were preserved from jeopardy and death. The reco of those vessels which disregarded the warnings of the Weather Bure in those two storms show that they suffered severely or were utte destroyed. The owners of the vessels remaining in port because of t Weather Bureau admonitions plainly say that, but for those warnin they might have been lost.

It is not practicable to estimate the value of the warnings to ag culture and inland commerce up to this time. But data are being o lected by the Weather Burean which hereafter may be of great serv in elucidating the value of its warnings to farmers shipping perisha fruit and root crops in the autumn and spring, as well as to the middlemen who handle such products.

Facts and figures have been quoted sufficiently in the foregoing prove that the Weather Bureau, when it is properly and efficien administered, may save to the American people, by its forecasts a warnings, many millions of dollars each year. And as the utm expenditure for the maintenance of this Bureau at this time is less th one million of dollars annually, the investment is apparently a payi one for all the people. This outlay of money may therefore come pro erly within the functions of the Government, because it is in the line protection to property and life.

By recent arrangement with the Postmaster-General, the warnin have been extended by the Post-Office Department to 3,608 more d tributing points east of the Rocky Mountains, and thus a great increased number received warnings of the tropical storms of Septe ber and October above mentioned. The actual saving of proper from jeopardy by the admonition of those two months is beyond co putation.

The extracts from reports of observers concerning the value of t forecasts and warnings received from the Weather Bureau in conn tion with the September and October storms of 1894 will be publish in the full report of the Weather-Bureau Service over the signature that eminent forecaster, Maj. H. H. C. Dunwoody, in his transmit of statements to the Chief of the Weather Bureau, showing the fo cast work of his division in regard to the prenamed storms.

THE WEST INDIES CYCLONE SERVICE.

This service is continued from July 15 to October 15 each year. Reports are rendered by telegraph and mail from Santiago, San Domingo, St. Thomas, and Kingston. At all these points the U. S. Weather Bureau maintains paid observers. During the hurricane season observations are taken twice each day. They are wired to the United States observer at Key West whenever an unusual meteorological perturbation occurs. All approaching storms are also heralded from the West Indies stations. Voluntary telegraphic reports are received by our observers at Jupiter and Key West, respectively. When of interest they are telegraphed to Washington also from Nassau, New Providence, the Bahama Islands, and Havana. This work is carried on by the coöperation of the governor of the Bahama Islands and the superintendent of the central office of the Meteorological Marine Service at Antilles, Havana.

The attempt has been made by personal interview and correspondence to secure the voluntary coöperation of the Rev. Lorenzo Gangoite, S. J., of Belen College, Havana, and members of the Jesuit Order in Balize, Yucatan, in rendering reports of hurricanes to the U. S. Weather Bureau. So far the Bureau is much indebted to the Rev. J. T. Hedrick, S. J., of Georgetown College, Washington, D. C., for kind offices in this connection. The commercial importance and great need of reports from Yucatan can not well be overestimated.

TELEGRAPH SERVICE.

The service rendered the Weather Bureau by telegraph companies during the year has been reasonably prompt and generally efficient. The best record of telegraphy in this service was made on the morning of April 6, 1894, when all reports due in Washington at the central office over circuits and by special message were received by 9 a. m., that is, just fifty-four minutes after the time of filing. Not a single report was missing. These reports, be it remembered, embraced observations made at 126 stations. They covered the continent from the British Possessions to the Gulf. They reached from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

During the year a reduction in the cost of the regular "circuit" busi ness of about 15 per cent was effected. This was accomplished by revising and reforming contracts of the preceding year. The total expense for telegraphing (May and June estimated) was one hundred and forty-six thousand one hundred and forty-seven dollars and fortyeight cents ($146,147.48), that is, forty-three thousand eight hundred and fifty-two dollars and fifty-two cents ($43,852.52) less than the allotment. That is a saving of twelve thousand and fifty-two dollars and sixty-six cents ($12,052.66) by reason of reduced telegraph rates. Furthermore, by readjustment of the rates for local forecast and