Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 31.djvu/126

116 new paths of activity for this service, may be mentioned the study of local thunder-storms and tornadoes, which were respectively assigned to Professor Hazen and Lieutenant Finley so far as a collection of general statistics is concerned; and to Professor Mendenhall, so far as concerns the electrical phenomena proper. The study of atmospheric electricity was especially authorized in 1884, by an order of the Secretary of War, transmitting the resolutions of the International Electrical Conference held in Paris the preceding year. After full consultations with numerous electricians throughout the country, General Hazen decided that a daily map of electric potential showing lines of equi-potential similar to the iso-barometric lines, offered hopeful prospect of eventually leading to a method of predicting the formation and motion of thunder-storms and tornadoes. But the methods of observation, and the apparatus, needed first to be determined upon, after careful experimental work. This whole matter was, therefore, in 1885, committed to the hands of Professor Mendenhall.

Perhaps the most important item in internal administration, so far as it affects the permanent scientific value of the office-work, was the effort heartily furthered by General Hazen to improve the accuracy and international comparability of our instrumental equipment. The standards of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures were recognized by him as being the proper legal standards for this office, and every effort made to determine the corrections needed to reduce the past as well as the current meteorological observations of the Signal-Service to agree therewith.

Perhaps the generous breadth of General Hazen's views, the absence of injurious jealousies, and his confidence in the principle that the Weather Bureau would be strengthened by the widest diffusion of an intelligent appreciation of meteorology, are in nothing more clearly shown than in the earnestness with which he stimulated the formation of state weather services, and encouraged the study of meteorology in every school and college. He was painfully impressed by the disastrous influence upon individuals and business of the wide-spread and utterly absurd predictions of the storms and weather of March 9, 1884, which were distributed broadcast throughout the country, and emanated from Mr. Vennor. He saw clearly that all this harm could only be prevented by increasing the intelligence of the people in scientific matters, and heartily indorsed every effort to diffuse a more correct idea as to what constituted legitimate meteorology.

Although his duties demanded the maintenance of a great central office at Washington, yet General Hazen realized that centralization could easily be carried too far in scientific matters, and would thus react injuriously upon the work of his office. He was desirous of rapid progress in all directions, and, to secure this, welcomed every prospect of co-operation with other institutions as well as with