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Show Uncle Sam to Keep Tab on Sun Spots TTNCLE SAM and tlfe Western Union Telegraph company, which was damaged to the extent of a quarter quar-ter of a million dollars by a sunspot In May of last year, are now developing develop-ing a system of precautions, against sunspots like that of the mariner and farmer against the weather. The sunspots shower the earth with excess electrical current, producing the electrical storms which now and then paralyze telegraph, cable and telephone service. Arrangements have been made with the United States Naval observatory for a regular bulletin bulle-tin service on the condition ot sun-spots. sun-spots. Whenever a new one appears on the rim of the sun and starts to move around where It will be In a posit on to volley the earth with electrical elec-trical showers, notice Is sent from the observatory to the Western Union officials. of-ficials. In return for this service the Western Union Is preparing to collect Information on a large scale on electrical elec-trical currents, their strength and direction, di-rection, and their apparent connection connec-tion with sunspots. ' SunRpots occur In eleven-year cycles. The present year Is near the middle of the cycle, or In the period when the autiBpots are fewest. Last year was a time when few sunspots were normal- ly due, so that the sunspot, or cluster of spots, which caused the great electrical elec-trical storm on May 19, 20 and 21, was quite unexpected. It Is only since telegraph and telephone wires and cables have been In use that electrical storms of this type have made any great difference to human beings, so that records of them have been meager, but that of last year is by far the worst that ever occurred, when measured by damage te electrical apparatus. ap-paratus. It burned out fuses and short-clr-culted apparatus all over this country, 'caused flres In Europe, and probably caused one In a railroad -yard In Washington. Wash-ington. It damaged cables so badly that the Western Union had to send out a repair shop to put them In good order. |