Smithsonian Institution Climate Network
The Smithsonian Institution, headed by Joseph Henry, was created in
1846 and began establishing a climate observation network. Henry envisioned
three types of observers; those without instruments who would observe
the sky, extent of clouds, wind, and beginning and ending time of precipitation.
A second group would do all that but would also be equipped with thermometers.
The third group would be equipped with a complete set of instruments
and would additionally observe pressure, humidity, wind direction and
wind speed, among other elements. In fact, the Smithsonian
Observer Form of 1864 had spaces for 48 observational entries per
day. In addition, there was a page on the back of this form devoted soley
to comments. In 1847, the Smithsonian became the weather data collection
agency for the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
To create the Smithsonian Climate Network, Joseph Henry sent circulars
to individuals who were already making observations. James H. Coffin,
a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Lafayette College
in Easton, Pennsylvania provided the list of those people. Professor
Coffin had been collecting weather reports for several years from independent
observers. By 1854, the Smithsonian had observers reporting from thirty-one
States and was receiving real time observations by telegraph from some
of them. In 1856, Henry contracted with Coffin to receive, analyze, and
archive the information reported by the Smithsonian observers. Afterward,
Coffin received as many as half-a-million separate weather observations
each year. He employed to fifteen people to make the necessary arithmetic
calculations — human computers so to speak. In 1861, Coffin published
the first of a two-volume compilation of climatic data and storm observations
for the years 1854 through 1859