Show How W Weather Forecasts Are Made by Government Service Experts I The sixth of a series of seven articles showing ht the Inside workings of the time weather veather bureau By FRANK FRANX Rain gauges of ot United States weather bureau stations have settled many points of law In mall many cases casos the he verdict of juries depended entirely upon the tho evidence of tho the gauges and in iu some us as in the recent Inlow murder case the little gauge was vms a great grent as as- In th the tho recent local case caso the gauge decided tho the approximate time ot the crime crimo That it was early in in the time morn- morn ing imig ng some evidence showed d while other evidence in indicated that it was late lato the night before Tho The rain raiu rain gauge was wa summoned its records s studied amid anil evidence furnished that the affair hind hall happened previous to 1 0 o'clock clock in the morn morning ll At that hour a short rainstorm rainstorm rainstorm rain rain- storm came camo and washed away away all wheel prints or stains of the time murder r and amid hind had the murder happened after niter the rain those evidences c would still have c bC been visible The gauge has lias played parts in ill railroad railroad rail rail- I road rond cases also aIllO One for example is is furnished in which a woman sued sucil tho the I railroad company for money for a a. ruined dress Sho She maintained that rain ratu camo came through a window soaking garb and damaging it materially The Time court responded b by counseling tho rain rain gauge The gauge auge testified that rain rainell fen fell ell at the time timo of 01 her journey journey and andin in the place which she slie was Wll traveling That with other othor witnesses cJ turned the tho case caso in ill favor of the nettled passenger Tho gauge in in appearance is ic is a cylindrical hollow metal ble It rt stands twenty four four inches n in in height hl aud and is exactly ci eight ht niches inches in diameter Rain Hain falls into thi this thib receptacle where it is measured V This simple method methol wis thou thought ht of If only emily after years vears of work Ti rl disastrous trous wind currents difficulty f f measurement and ana loss Joss of water m b by evaporation proving How However ever er a n scientific method was finally worked out As a n r result time Hie rain falls full into lute a circle of ci eight ht inches diameter the walls arc so o sharply formed that Hint raindrops are fire cut in iu mii two when the they hit them lne result is is that precisely the thu amount of ot water that hits Juts inside t 0 o area are is if admitted into the o cylindrical tube A funnel centers the water vater into an nn inner tube inches in in diameter This tubo tube is twenty inches in in height and amid rests inside the largo large cylinder It Jt is tenth one nth as large R as the outer tube tuh and thus the tho which winch falls into time the of the outer tube null and is drained into lute the smaller inner tube rit rises es to a n greater height and is m easier caster or measure measure- ment For example if one inch of water waler falls the tho inner tubo tuba is filled to the ten inch level tIn hr inner tube being tenth one the size size- of the tho outer recep The Tue unit of or rain measurement is 0 01 inch but tin since such Ii minute depths arc are difficult to tu measure accurately the in inner in- in nor ner tube t irlen wa wM worked out outs out and ancl the I unit of or t in the lar e I measures measures' 1 1 nf of an au t inch ch in n tho the f tube Consequently the precipitation is ib measured easil easily Location wor works s out the success of tho the rain gauge For example a gauge on a mountain peak is unreliable since sinco the wind velocity is great and drifts rifts the water around une eul unevenly However er in ina a valley where little wind IDd disturbs the ments greater grouter accuracy re reo re- re suits Therefore weather experts ex ex- erciso great care in selecting sites for their gauges and a place on a root roof protected from winds but open to th the sky is most of often ton chosen choson J. J Cecil Alter AHer of the thc local weather bureau contributed contributed contributed con con- a n convenient contrivance for successful ll rain gauging recently recent His plan is to the gauge in surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding cloth protection This outer circumference breaks the tho wind from t the e gauge but not in a way to interfere interfere inter inter- fere with rainfall into tho the gnu gauge e. e His Hii invention has received favorable comment com coin mont ment from United d States experts as ml evidenced in a n recent weather eather bureau publication on from Washington D. D C. C I Tn Ta order to facilitate further the time rain raiu measurements exports experts have ont invented d an automatic measure ure which is at at- to the gauge Tho rho rain f falls lIs into the funnel of or t time the e gauge nuge and is i is into a small bucker bucket bucko When hien thi this bucket b i in is filled it turns turus over oer or spills at the time same samo time placing another bucket buck buck- ft tt in iu in position to catch the downpour Every ery time it turns an nn arm of th the tho bucket touches a charged wire wirt thus numbing making electrical connection to a n T gister gis- gis ter downstairs Consequently tJ every 0 01 inch inch- of rain or a bucket full fuJI i is recorded recorded recorded re re- re- re corded on the re register istel of the weather bureau office The water poUred from the tin tiny buckets then goes goe into the time gauge prop prop- er or and there so bo that a hull bull measurement man can an be he made in iii ease case th the tho thore re register is not working How how- ever time section directors seldom hueto hue have to check on the time reported precipitation |