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