Evening Star Newspaper, March 7, 1926, Page 77

MAGAZINE SECTION he Suntiy Stad -~ (0 ILLUSTRATED FEATURES WASHINGTON, D. ( SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 1926. o Part 5—8 Pages Service of Weather Bureau Touches All Sorts of Activities BY REX COLLIER. ITE Information Available for Public Aids in Extermination of Insect Pests, While Officials Are Able to (1 Precisely. other words.” | “Do you mean to’ tell | me that the United States | Weather Bureau, as part of its \_nulI Bugs, in duties to the public, is called on to ald in the extermination of insects?"” “Well, that’s about the truth of it.” Forecaster Charles L. Mitchell replied, | with a smile. And we have other kinds of special services ,\;\1»”‘1-))!\\.‘ just as strange “For instance, we are select health resorts for invalids, to| help the light companies prove their bills to custo not too high, to | conserve merchants’ advertisin 10 determine the origin of fir by flying sparks. and even to the manufacture of chocolat All in addition our forecast work. Then Uncle began to detail some of the specia services ouilined, beginning with the | mites | Out in the Middle he ex ned. in the =rain there great grain eleva These buildinzs become infested from tim= to (e, with a pestiferous mite. which makes its home in the | cereal contents, and defies oustin All usual methods of pest eradication tously are not practicable in such | a place. Powd ays and similar means of combating insects and bus would ruin the valuable food product There is but one feasible weapon that is effective and sure. It is in tense cold. A below-zero temperature will kill every mite and not barm the | grain. Here is where the Weather | Bureau comes in Every Winter get in touch with the remind him about the mites. The | forecaster understands. When the | first signs of a bhelow-zero cold wave manifest themselves, he notifies the | ain people and they do the rest The elevators are shut down, the ventilators, windows and doors opened wide and the frigid air of the North allowed to enter. One such treatmen usually compleies the fob. 1le xcemingly unim. g of ) the of Made to Furnish Information Which Is of Importance to the Interests of Individual Citizens. pected to | costs, used | id in | andy too Sam's | weather ex | | ain merchan.s.| recaster and | the g ration r a mini the zarnered the Governmen to shut ther mum time and crops from a b J\Y pear ture every e gired in Not i their phesicians climate denend on Weather Burean in their conditions demand phere free from humidity prognosticator usuali sound st for he ha of just such knowledze of his Sometimes el complain extra bills rendeved thein of the vear. usually when are long. e cor nies fall the Weather B : porting : i8 to blame tion of curre Newspaper adve practice. durinz asking the ads as to holdinz « tells them a sight. the nev with a apparel. S rangements for « in order. Adve they may = in advertis n: warnings of t An unexpected big sale may mean plete loss to the advert lected to consult the for launching his “drive Investigations of the or by muni ithorities, insurance | agents interested parties | often ither Bureau. | Claims that from a cer- | tain dire blaze may | thus be dis 1 1 \B\nl‘l\.‘ showing th the wind | was blowi The flapper who sits o these ni and Jusclous: - her swe owe th It i those chocolates would not h 80 luscious bad not the cand facturer conferred with 1 man z the advizah dippir v state of hu pending One of Forecaster Mit it i Outside of &mqm { havoc alond the water front, p the Pensacola RWurricane of 1906 did little dam- g age to shipping, thanks tothe warning of the g weather Bureai. ANY the ofthand. to be of made on Veather B v ap al ni makes the de equently., persons ordered by ha of | advice of the | respect. If n atmos the weather kive some the this Hand husiness. ctr consu inarily cer their cc r the inereased consump a daily spells, of ther man i isers ma unsettied of the we W v ads on hot Wi have learned | heeding ment expe the day of virtually com- | er who n aster before i in b he m n of fires | TPRrOF. CHARLES F.MARVIN chief of the United States v Weather Bureaw. s The Robinson Anemometeyr, & factor in the preparation of storm and urricane warnings A e veranda on the creams really hanks, hat | heen anu hat comi chorol ay of Ly b too s hell's duily Winter was r_in North | Carolin tele. raphed cact 1 forecast form his plar ment is easily weather and by hce that it wise svening for a special designed to help him s for the morrow. Ce affected by freezing rain. and if he knew was safe to lay a adway the next angements accord cost the con ph fees anil > worth im made the risks measurably Another “regular customer” of the ™rshington bureau. which embraces the Eastern States, is a hydroelectri power pla in h Carolina This plant water to generate power when is plentiful, but in the dry it depends on steam plant. storing rain water in a Rreat re the plant is provided with a cheap pow bt the conte 2 of the reservoir must be conserved when droughts are in prospect. The pusiliary water system consequently is operated as long as rainy weather is likely to prevail and | systems to be operated by windmills, replenish the reservoir with water. but | in determining the pressure to which is shut down at other times and held Jurge bulldings will be subjected under for emergencies. By keeping tab With stress of heavy storms, and the sur- the Weather Bureau here. the § ace movement of lake waters in con- engineers know how longz it is safe 1o nection with the disposal of city sew- operate on water and thus save c age. The humidity records are used PP by silk and candy manufacturers, in | TTHE burcau points out that among | tuberculosis _investigations, and in the miscellaneous uses of the va. Studies of the loss of electric current rious ¢ of forecasts are their ap- | in high-voltage transmission. plication to manufacture of certain | Data regarding rainfall and snow- articles where slight changes in tem- | fall are exiremely useful in planning merature, moisture and other weather | irrigation enterprises and selécting |ical records: by bond and investment eiements have been found to affect the | reservoir sites, and are studied in con- | companies in determining the loan quality of the product. | nection with the construction of water-| values of farm lands in newly opened This is true of certain stages in the | works, bridges, culverts and sewers. |countries; in short, in nearly every manufacture of bluing, varnish, oils, | River data are utilized by filtration |calling in which the weather plays any cement, lime. bricks, paper, photo-|plants in guidifig their methods of | part. graphic supplies, and some acids. They |chemically purifying the water used | et el e also serve usefuily the plans of public |for drinking purposes, as the con- A amusement companies, excursion en- | ditions of the raw-water supply as tof M[ANY other unique uses of the terprises, awning companies and those | bacteria content and turpidity are | warnings and reports might be | engaged in outdoor painting. greatly affected by the height of the | cited, but those already given—all of Grain and cotton brokers are guided ver and the amount of rainfall. ! which are taken from personal letters largely by the forecasts in their oper- | v in studies of | received at th~ central office of the atlon, but need the daily report of the | stream flow, dredging operations. the | Weather Bureau-or at its fleld sta. Current weather conditions as well in |location of Wharves, the construction | tions—suffice to show the extent to | thelr business transactions, while in a | of dams, and in practically every | which they are utilized by the public less degree the retailer and the small | phase of bridge building, levee work |in the practical everyday affairs of | farmer also can use the same informa- |and general river work. lif>. tion to advantage. Weather maps are used by business | Let Henry E. Williams, former Pata of atmospheric pressure are |men generally, by aero clubs and by |chief of the bureau's forecast division, used in tests of bollers, radiators and |achool teachers in class instruction. |tell of some of the regular service: automobiles, and in studies of the The miscellaneous climatological ' performed: » voided we iter sur e Weather Buygeat gave swow storm and freeze 24 This orenard owner, a staunch rooter for the the Weather Bureaw, 'kcqo: i constant touchv with the Bureaw vy telegrapn. - use water season By servoir source ing weather are value, particular also of immense v to the fruit. suga tobacco, cranberry and market gar dening interests. The early truck raising industry, so extensively car- ried on in the regions bordering on the Gulf and South Atlantic Coasts and in Florida, and which has increased so greatly in recent years, is largely dependent for its success on the co- | operation of the Weather Bureau in this particular, and the growers of oranges and other fruits in Florida and California have received great benefit. The value of the bloom, vegetables and strawberries protected and saved in a single night in a limited district in Florida through the instrumentality of the warnings of freezing weather sent out | by the bureau, was reported at' more than $100,000.” o R. WILLIEMS points out that in the citrus fruit districts of Calf fornfa it is reported that fruit to the value of $14.000.000 was saved by tak- ing advantage of warnings issued by the bureau during a cold wave. The deciduous fruit districts of Washing. ton, Idaho, Oregon. Utah |and throughout the East rely | the warnings of the bureau to guide them in smudging and heating their orcards on the occurrence of frost or freezing weather during the blos- wA“nm:l ald ip protection of forests ’ amount ‘of fuel to drive engines under varying atmospheric pressures. Sta tistics of wind force and direction as sist in the installation of water-supply data are used in medical and.scientific | studies of the relation of the weather | to disease and other conditions of health, life or human pursuits: by raflroad companies in the adjustment of claims and demurrage charges; by homeseekers; by irrigation investi- gators; by contractors and builders in settling labor accounts; by merchants | - in studies of the relation of the weath- er to their daily sales; as adequate testimony in court proceedings: in dry- farming investigations: in studies of | sofl culture. practical agriculture and | the life and migration of insect pests: | {in plans for the development of arid | regions; in the preparation of histor- CHARLES L.MITCHELL, senior fore- caster for the ecastern section of the Couniryn “The extent to which the work of the Weather Bureau, in the collection and publication of data and the issue of weather forecasts and warnings, affects the daily life of the hecomes a factor in their riou cations and business enterprises ready very great, is increasing 3 ‘ “Of the warnirgs issued. those u.‘ | vember, are liable to sweep the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. The sailings of the immense number of vessels en ’y:azell in ocean and lake traffic are largely determined by these warnings, - | and those displayed for a single hur, | ricane are known to have detained in | .| port on our Atlantic Coast vessels valued with their cargoes more than $30,000,000. “The warnings of those sudden and destructive temperature changes known as cold waves are probably next in importance. These warnings. which are issued from 24 to 36 hourd at storms and hurricanes, for the bene- fit of marine interests, are the most important and pecuniarily valuabie. | Storm warnings are displayed at more | than 300 points along the Atlantic, | Pacific and Gulf Coasts and the shores | ; of the Great Lakes, including every | in advance, are disseminated through- bort and harbor of any considerable | out the threatened regions by means Importance: and so nearly perfect has | of flags displayed at regular Weather this, service hecome that scarcely a |Bureau and subdisplay stations, by storm of marked danger to maritime | telegraph, telephone and mail service interests has occurred for years for | to all places receivi the dail which ample warnings have not heen and to large number of spe issued from 12 to 24 hours in advance. | cial addresses in addition. The warn The reports from the \West Indies are | ing ed for a single cold wave of especially valuable in this connection, | exceptional severity and extent re- as they enable the bureau to forecast | sulted in saving more than $3,500,000 with great accuracy the approach of | through the protection of ~property those® destructive hurricanes which, | from injury or destruction. *during the period from June to No-' “The warnings of frosts and frees- orange | Colorado | upon | Select Health Re- sorts for Invalids, Enable Lighting Companies to Prove That Their Bills Are Reasonable, Prevent Losses on Merchandise, Decide Questions as to Origin of Various Fires, and Even to Provide for Efficient Manufacture of Candy—Every Effort g warning of this owrs 1w advance. from fire, special “fire weather™ warn ings, iscued by district forecasters, are utilized by foresters in the Northwest ern States. Human life and large property in terests along the rivers of the United States are safeguarded by the is of flood warnings. The river and flood service is organized with its principal headquarters in this city and sub sidiary district centers at advanta geous points on the respective rivers along which a service is maintained About 60 district centers are main. tained outside of Washington Measurements of precipitation | the headwaters of the streams and observations of the height of the jwater on the gauge at upstream points | are collected by telegraph or telephone from about 540 substations and serve | as the basis for warnings of floods in the lower reaches of the streams. A second useful purpose is served on { navigable streams—that of giving no. tice of hoating stages during the low water season, The oceur within the | e on nee of disastrous floods st few vears has empha wrtance of eau officials point out. F. Marvin, chief of the au, stresses that the bureau aintained and conducted in the interest of “all the people,” and he desires that the greatest possible use be made of the very large amount y | | | | were it of meteorological during the 45 years of its existence “In fact,” declared Forecaster Mit chell to the writer, “if the housewife is undecided about hanging the clothes out to dry in the face of threatening conditions overhead, we will gladly give her-the benefit of our advice in the way of a special ‘wash-day’ fore- cast, if she will only take the trouble to telephone for it Anti-Rachitic Milk. 'HE prevention and control of rick- ets could probably be accomplished possible to furnish to the in- fant suitable amounts of the anti- rachitic substance in its food, mother's serum, o milk. Ultra-violet treat- ment of the mother might cause the data accumulated | anti-rachitic substance to be increased n the milk which she gave. To test | this hypothesis Holstein-Friesian cows | side by side in a | minutes | violet | cows prevented | hest | for | building f nearly the same age and calving late and receiving like treatment as to feed, temperature, etc., were placed ry barn in ‘ecent experiment, according to Science. Throughout the experiment these cows did not leave the barn. For one month none of the cows received ultra- light. For the second month two cows received ultra-violet light 15 a day generated from a ‘ooper-Hewitt ~ alternating current light at three feet ahove their backs. For the third month these cows re- ceived ultra-violet light for 30 minutes a day under the same conditions. In the meantime Rhode Island Red chickens were allowed to aevelop rick- ets, shown hoth clinically and by X ray photographs. They were divided into two lots, one lot of three chickens receiving milk from the ultra-violet cows, the other of two chickens, milk from the control cows. Both lots re- I the milk they wished. 50 days, the lot receiving milk from cows exposed to ultra-violet light were in good condition with no appear- ance of rickets in X-ray plates. The lot receiving normal milk moved pro- gressively toward more extreme rick- These sion tha sary to the cow exposed and secreted hy results point to the conclu- more of the suhstance neces. cure rickets is absorbed by to ultra-violet light her in her milk. The from receiving ultra- violet light are not able to secrete this anti-rachitic substance in sufficient quantities to cure or allay the prog- ress of clinical rickets It wonld appear from this that the cows' milk produced especially baby feeding would come from cows which have access to ultra-violet light, either from the sun or some other source. I'he New Geometry. es are curved. Their in space to form Space is not “in e in which we are The univer: not an open can be meas- LL straight lir two ends join enormons. circles finite” in the se: used to thinking of it is therefore a closed nd its Hm The new geometry, on which Ein- stein built and which in turn has been anew cn Einstein. is doing strange things to the ideas of the <hapes of things which we learned as voungsters in high school, according to Prof. James Pierpont of Yale Uni versity B though the old - fashioned ight line. which Euclid invented 2.200 years ago to explain his geomet rical ideas, must now go out of style, the new Einst n straight line, Prof. Pierpont insisted. is straight in a real sense, straight as regards the actual world of things and not an im- ary space in which no matter or energy exists, for the new straight ine actually measures the shortest distance between two points that can be obtained and measured in a uni- verse full of suns and planets and es of electricity, all pulllng and pushing and hauling to warp space out of shape.’ And though its two ends do meet, < making the Einsteinian straight into what lid would have called a ecircle, the circle is so vast that any part of it measured on earth ill_still appear ight, even in the ald-fashioned sense. Prof. Plerpont circumference as 18 quintil lions of miles. in round numbers A\ zeometry that deals in such vast magnitude this, it was suggested might appropriately demand a new name, for the old geometry meant lit erally “earth measurement” and was invented in the first place to help land curveyors. This world- measuring svs. tem might well be called “cosmom etry e Automatic Train Stop. A TRAIN came tearing along at 50 miles an hour. In the engi- neer's cab a small red light flashed, and in an instant the wheels shrieked and the whale train came to a sudden stop. the throttle still wide open. An unseen hand had prevented an imag- fnary wreck In this successful demonstration re- cently on the Pere Marquette Railroad near Detroit, Mich.. electricity had a new triumph. accord Popular Science Monthly. It was proved that it would warn of danger on the track ahead many minutes in advance, and, should the engineer be dead or dis- abled, bring the locomotive to a stop automatically FElectric magnetic the track rails.” expl Clark. inventor of the radio-con trolled safety devices, “are picked up by loop collector cofls under the loco- motive's pilot or cowcatcher. They e transmitted to a visual signal de- vice in the engine cab. This has three lights—red for dangzer, vellow for cau waves, flowing ined Thomas | tion and green for clear track ahead | only dishes in aceurate flood ! “The red light is flashed only when there is imminent danger of collision. a train he occupying a block est of the rail surface within the block becomes automatically demag. netized, and another train entering the block from the rear or front will re- ceive the danger signal and an auto- matic application of the brakes." The incoming signals are dispatched automatically by block towers along the line. Germ “Boom.” London you can get a bargain in zerms. A quarter of a dollar will buy millions, and you can have your choice of more than 2,000 kinds. There has been a great demand for germs lately from laboratories and hospitals, according to Popular Sclence Monthly, and workers in the Lister Institute are kept busy feeding, rais- ing and bottling them to ship to the far corners of the earth. Many of the germs are cranky boarders, and the chef has to make special dishes for them. A favorite food is beef tea, but others will touch which eggs are used. Topers in the assembly demand alco- hol in their foods. Some of the germs demand a lot of coddling. The “flu” germ, for in- stance, has to be kept at a certain even temperature in an incubator aum and day lest it catch cold and o.