76 THE WEST SHORE. June, 1879, OHRATI0N1 Of THK SH1NAI. HKHVMT HUHKAl) OR THK l'A iKlc 00 AST, "Old Probabilities" very quietly mule an ox tt'fi'lixl reoonnoiasance of the Pacilic coast a short time ago, unknow n in din modest incognito to almost every body. Tina hapoucil iu part at hast from the fact that the M gentleman la a complicated h rsniisge. Itia jMiiiaiihle for one mail the able chief of the Si.'iml Service lien. eral Myer to alt. ml to the entire directum a the Hunan, ami at the MHM tune to all tho ) tails of studying tad making nut, plotting and publishing the weather likelihooda fur ao large au area of the earlh'a aurface aa ia covered hy the United States. In the general ollieo at Washington there are aevcral other jireoiia whose bhii ial iluty it i to take tho collated lata, and deduce therefrom the probabilities. Iim.Iii g the work between them. Dun (if there arsons ia Lieut. ItoWt Craig Hiorniighly familiarited with thu air em n 'iila. olnude and storms, they hove a rninan tie eiiitriire, dwelling ill a higher aphore or plaM then ordinary plodding mortala. Their lunula and amla are alwaya Iran-ling apoa the whirlwiinl Thoy mat upon tho clouds; they are unceuingly sliding from one atratmn of the atmosphere H aimthrr, mounting to the loftiest highta of Hie "inruloau hlue," and delighting IMM all tlunga hi the auriiriaea winch they ere ahle to e reale among the huay populatiima, 11.nl. If to liH.k leyoml their oh ii hiiri.m. If they ian hurl apl 11a (aa ia their daily wont), an UUpMte4 ilorm of wind or rain, it ia to tin in a delectation. Worn and weari. ,1 finally hy thlt kind of life, billowed fur many yean without respite, l.ieut Craig laat fall obtained leave nl aheciice, and reniiereted hia Imddy enrrgioa among the nooks that furoiah congenial urroumliuga for am h a pint, on the IV ilif ,iat. along whkh in the curse of three or four moiitha he wamlrrod from l.er California to llritiah Columbia. Naturally enough the aptiit of 1 11.1 Probabilities nuwle ita iin-acneo known aa flitting over thla region to inn, win. dQ on the Paras, Our in terview or seance if the rea.hr like took place at the ItaJdwin hotel in Marvh laat Ijeut Craig 1. 1 1 a few daya later to Washington, where, remounting I. tripod, he ha since "wen n.wrtshiHg the scepter of Jove in the alisiw of a crow iiitH nrer lua weather mapa. Ill f..ir ll Sijfnjl Service llurran wa organised thle gentleman ohaerv.Nl to na, that very little waa know of three area of low and high prea ear. n an ritenefve scale. Thev had never made any aimaltaneoaa lln f-,y made some deductions, hut he drew simply a airtight hoe-a tea mend no trough representing low pressure lUit he did not have the data In ik upon C.-nsidrring what he had hi Mneaphahed all that could he eirmtod. The Signal Heme oharrvationi are now taken three tnnea a .lav all over the country at the urns m..,ei, The oheerratlon at 7 ! a. , Maahiugt. time. 1. Uk.n simultaneously al . round 11,,- world l renvoi, outaide regnm'a where Iherel. tto trhagraphie communication the rawulU ar. transmitted by M, ,! UMy , eewrse tke jrw ia a more general way and w it r effect Tlve results lM , general hei..r are paMtshed from Ume to time; and the M special dailv. In the printing ofhVe of Una Signal Hon lee Ibirvau Kvery mmiUl the Iturwau pn-ie and puMishes a monthly review " - I'wtod SUtoa, wherein are .harts, 5 direet.maf (torn ronlera. Ihwrjf afcirm that emaaea our coo a try ia inkall. wiW a abort deacnpu. and charta. ThM renrt are familiar to maay 0 oar read era. Il.ry .!.. owl ,1. oj H, hir( rfch aad wvay U aeeo at all the reajwlar and olunlecr MCWtJ oSoaa on the onaat, aa wall aa at other daoea where tbey hare baa daatfwd aad arrangwd lot. There art 400 or S00 volunteer nrnerretn In tht United Statei. In return for their aervicea thcao reports aro aent to all oliaerveri. 1 in tho Pacific coaat tha extonaion of the aervioa beyond the oonlineaof California ia new. The prohahiiitioa for the coaat have not been daily atudiud and published until the past year, when regular nUkos were established as fur north as Olympia, W. T. As both the regular ami volunteer offices have been constantly multiplying since, wu are unable to furnish a complcto Int. Many thousand square miles, however, of the Cordillcran plateau anil Rocky motintiiiu country arc not yet represented. The nioiinUin ranges have nut such a decided iiiHiicnccnn high and low pressure centers govern ing the movements of storms, as would be im agined; in fact, very littlo, though they have great inllucnce on the storm itself, after it has lieen rreated. Tho high mountain ranges sim ply take out all tho moisture, which is tho fuel of the storm, and keoim it going. As a storm approaches tho .Sierra Nevada, for example, the rising of Ho- atmospheric stratum into a colder bight, Mam deposition in the form of rain or snow. Mountains ami valleys have a gnol deal to do in ahapiug the directum of tho w inds of the lower atmosphere, being those with which wo are acquainted. Kain storms once generated and moviug in any direction close to the sur face, are subject to deflections just like the winds without rain. It So liAtltielia tlmt tin .. o ,? I.I it.. - rr '.' uiuniiiK way Hie i.ohlcn ''it' agroo in direction with the courso ..t l 1 l , . ... g. oerai aimospnoric current in this lat itude. No sooner do they reach tho interior valleys than their courses are altered from tho northwest to southeast. Storms generally move Irom uoat t.. aasa in .i,. laaux. -i 11-. tf - J u , W.HUIIB 01 uo United States, Mwccn 2.1" and 78 north of the collator. The storm ' ' 1 1 I I'h U 1 1 1. I, It. . f i I... North I'.i. ihi- imutt wtriLs. aa -w l- - from the west, at all points lietwcen tho ir allrls nienliiined. I L. . ......... lA "."i 0.- miv J.IBl BH likely aa not to strike tho coast south of San . ...0.,,,, M.ougo mo majority strike it to the north of that K.int Soma of tho California rain atorms come hero from Oregon and Wash- u , . . , l""l"inn originates north of tho I oliimlua. nhscrvatioiia bain .1. . ... . to ahow. The aoutherly winds of winUr are iimdm n.l taw "Pn'on-- low barometer-north of us, while it is high to the southward. Tho rains where they occur on the coast in summer time' have the aaiue eelleral ,1 ..I . . ' . . 1 .... . . 1 1 1 rn 1 aa those in the winter. The .1... -:-J "I ...u w 111.1 preeeil.na rain may vary according to thescaaon. hat brings the rain storms (Town tho coast not alwaya clear. Sometimes tho Signal Hun all ntiaervcra can n.rt.; :.!:--.'. . -- Miu lu.ucaiiiiiia 01 HMaj to make them so move while at others Uiey ...... .. ....,.ly ,, .,, th ,nuu tako that liartien .r ,r,..l ' i-l ,. , 1 i "".o. lie UfWSBB rain atorms frequently Uke this course nearly to I I.. oil, , 1 , ,. . . s, "i, i 01 saw normal courso direotly to h. ut Sometime, there is in ad ? 1 K nLonJ vmeut, eaatw.rtl be oreii I w V mU1n.U"'1' M liKh UWwaM. U, ""m 10 lurn Thfl-r rv ttir i.trTAw..at i i. , riTi iH-iu. rram Ui. e.,u.t, to lautude 2.V or SO" north, storm. v : : i . in.in weal , rMi WZ -i""'rwhm m .hlH,rh.d of t-1 or ,0 they beg.,, to move from tho north- TJu s ,ou,1?;r, "t up "-t aown a littl. aocl.ng u, the MMM lUIIH a Mi'l,.,. ....... . i. ' 7. J voe pnenomena .vn I their auea. I II r.i . . ... 1 . a 1 lie lirevaillBff 5 gll iienerallv a,..k, "'T!!,:1',,rr',,,, " Wt current rllt "i 01 mi surm movement; but tha IO IllMIUI . . . . ..11 . avorm .enters are a 25 T', g"1! " d'Uila, whU. UU wing there-elvea the ..ov.ment of the pre uuj .Inch (ollow a storm a it imumw. awav kV.r THE WONDERFUL SINKS. In a late issue we published an account of the Nevada sinks, taken from the Eureka Stntintl maintaining the view that they retain their level through evaporation and have no subter ranean outlet. To this the Inyo Indeptntltnt adds: That tho sinks and Uke of the Oreat basin are held to their levels mainly through evaporation is undoubtedly tha fact of the case. Mono and Inyo counties have the most notable sinks of tho kind in tha world. Probably Big Owens lake receives at much or more water than the Humboldt sink. It is not true, however, that the quantity of water ia at all timet the same; the great lake it now tome four feet highor than 11 or 12 years ago. The amount of mum -fall in the mountains it the only thing governing it. In summer heat the total amount of evaporation from ita vast expanse of water is incalculable, and doubtless furnishes moisture for the winter snow-fall of tha adjoin ing high Sicrraa. The minute particles of niin ortlt mid alkalies gathered from the aoil by the inflowing streams are left in solution in the lake, and during the centuries of this process tho lake hat assumed its Dead sea character, in which no living thing can exist, aave worms ami a small nondescript water-fowl. Mono lake is fully 12 feet higher than it waa many years ago. At the northwest corner of the Uke, near the Frenchman '1, tho posts of a former sheep corral can be seen far out into tho water. A pre-emiiter reoently appeared in tbe United States I, and Olfioo to prove up hit claim located fi ve or six yean ago. Of his 1 60 acres he ttated that all but 40 acres w as under water, and ho very naturally did not wish to pay for more than that amount Some asaribe the fact of tho water rising to an increased amount of mow on the mountains during the winter ovar former timet; tome believe that the tufbing of Virginia creek into the lake has caused the change; while others hold to the theory that tome secret outlet to the lake baa become tilled up. What ever may be the cause, the fact ii evident that the lako is rising at the rate of a foot or two a car. There are numerous evidences that in fornior timet Mono lake extended over a rut extent of territory certainly 10 timet at great at now. Ii it not poaaible thai in course of time it may again assume iu ancient proper tiont! ' Make Host ArriiCTivi. A writer in the New Wk Attn, givet the following advice, which we heartily endorse: Do not be afraid of doing too much to render homo pleas ant. Ut beautiful pictures hang upon its walls; lot good hooka, plentifully supplied, in vite tho attention of tha young; and, if poaaible, let the charm of music fling its magic epeflover all, that the tempted youth, when the gilded allurements of folly would attract hit gate, may ever turn to home aa the brightest and cheer iest place on earth. Do not, wa baa of you, make the mistake of removing to that ltd room, opened to call forth the admiration or minister to the enjoyment of the nnatnal visitor, the l-ookt, the pioturet, and the music. If they re not worth eninying, they are not worth htvuig. If a book is bought only for ita bind in.' an. 'I, loo. ti,.. 1. , .. - - 1. -- -- g, ...... Iv, vT.-r remain unm i a glass oaae, aafe from tha pollution of smoke. nr dual ..r , 1..I.I. 11 a 1 . . to las enjoyed only when we wear our Sunday clothes, then banish them to tha parlors. If num. 1. cheering and soothing only when the Ubbliug of strangers interrupts ita strains, let the piano cover only be raised when visitort ar. ureaeut. ai d H.l l m : - - on, nousra are ou eznioi- U"U. Hut if, 00 the contrary, these beautict of sight and sound are able every day to arart an elevating and ennobling influence, then let nt have III. Ill lirou.-ht fr.,.-. ,1.- 1 . a : n ,m room so our orum- try anartoi. nt 1 etoe throw open the long closed shutters, re move the curat covert from tha parlor farni lure, and make our children oar moat honored