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Story
January 5, 1901
Wauwatosa News
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
Article details the British Rainfall Association's network of over 5000 rain gauges across the British Isles, describing manual and automatic devices for measuring rain, snow, hail, and related weather phenomena at Camden Square headquarters.
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RAIN-MEASURING MACHINES.
Interesting News Which Raindrops Furnish for British Scientists.
The British Rainfall association, as it now stands, is the result of half a century's unremitting labor. From something over 100 at the start, it has now more than 5000 reporting stations, which extend over all parts of the British isles. At each station is an agent of the association, armed with a rain gauge, making observations to be eventually dispatched to headquarters for embodiment in the annual report. On December 31 of each year printed forms are sent to all the agents, who are supposed to fill them in with the particulars of their observations for the entire twelve months. But now as to how the rain is measured. It is done by means of a gauge. There are various kinds of gauges, costing from about 12s. up to several pounds. The Snowden gauge is considered a very trustworthy apparatus.
It consists of a long circular metal galvanized iron or copper—reservoir, which is fixed into the ground by means of four wooden spiked stakes. It contains a glass bottle and a metal funnel. At the side of it, also fixed into the ground by means of a spiked stake, is a graduate glass, which will register from a hundredth of an inch to half an inch. The rain is caught in the funnel, which fits flush with the reservoir, and passes into the glass bottle. From this it is poured into the graduation glass and so measured.
At Camden square (the headquarters of the association) there is a very elaborate and ingenious gauge, which measures and registers automatically. The rain is caught in a funnel and passes into a metal cup, which is connected with an index. As the cup fills it presses upon the index, which marks a line on a paper form wound around a cylinder. When the cup is full it turns over and empties its contents into a larger receptacle and returns to its former position, the index having registered exactly one inch and shifted its position ready to repeat the operation. At the same time a dial on the outside of the gauge also marks the working of the index. The former can be read at night by means of a lantern which is attached at the side. So that the depth of a rainfall may be ascertained at once by merely glancing at the dial fixed to the gauge.
Another remarkably ingenious contrivance to be found at Camden square, and which took years to perfect, is an elaborate apparatus which will simultaneously measure rain, snow and hail and register them. It will also register thunder lightning and the rate of the wind. It gives the duration of thunderclaps and the number of lightning flashes. It is altogether a most wonderful invention.
The average rainfall of a locality very useful knowledge to a farmer who contemplates purchasing land in a district he is unacquainted with.—London Express.
Interesting News Which Raindrops Furnish for British Scientists.
The British Rainfall association, as it now stands, is the result of half a century's unremitting labor. From something over 100 at the start, it has now more than 5000 reporting stations, which extend over all parts of the British isles. At each station is an agent of the association, armed with a rain gauge, making observations to be eventually dispatched to headquarters for embodiment in the annual report. On December 31 of each year printed forms are sent to all the agents, who are supposed to fill them in with the particulars of their observations for the entire twelve months. But now as to how the rain is measured. It is done by means of a gauge. There are various kinds of gauges, costing from about 12s. up to several pounds. The Snowden gauge is considered a very trustworthy apparatus.
It consists of a long circular metal galvanized iron or copper—reservoir, which is fixed into the ground by means of four wooden spiked stakes. It contains a glass bottle and a metal funnel. At the side of it, also fixed into the ground by means of a spiked stake, is a graduate glass, which will register from a hundredth of an inch to half an inch. The rain is caught in the funnel, which fits flush with the reservoir, and passes into the glass bottle. From this it is poured into the graduation glass and so measured.
At Camden square (the headquarters of the association) there is a very elaborate and ingenious gauge, which measures and registers automatically. The rain is caught in a funnel and passes into a metal cup, which is connected with an index. As the cup fills it presses upon the index, which marks a line on a paper form wound around a cylinder. When the cup is full it turns over and empties its contents into a larger receptacle and returns to its former position, the index having registered exactly one inch and shifted its position ready to repeat the operation. At the same time a dial on the outside of the gauge also marks the working of the index. The former can be read at night by means of a lantern which is attached at the side. So that the depth of a rainfall may be ascertained at once by merely glancing at the dial fixed to the gauge.
Another remarkably ingenious contrivance to be found at Camden square, and which took years to perfect, is an elaborate apparatus which will simultaneously measure rain, snow and hail and register them. It will also register thunder lightning and the rate of the wind. It gives the duration of thunderclaps and the number of lightning flashes. It is altogether a most wonderful invention.
The average rainfall of a locality very useful knowledge to a farmer who contemplates purchasing land in a district he is unacquainted with.—London Express.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Nature
What keywords are associated?
Rain Gauges
British Rainfall Association
Automatic Measurement
Precipitation Recording
Meteorological Instruments
Where did it happen?
British Isles, Camden Square
Story Details
Location
British Isles, Camden Square
Story Details
The British Rainfall Association has over 5000 stations across the British Isles using various rain gauges to measure precipitation. Descriptions include the Snowden gauge and automatic gauges at headquarters that register rain, snow, hail, thunder, lightning, and wind.