Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-08-19
The Rain Phenomena.

The rainy season is noteworthy in g
more than common manner when con.
nected with ki ndred rainfalls in other
portions of the world. The United
States does not stand alone in regard to
the quantity of water discharged upon
its soil in given time, or the accom-
panying features Of the p henomena.-
Similar waterfalls have occurred in
other countries. They began earlier in
the season, and we are getting the heel
of the storm, though nothing dimin-
ished in duration, force or intensity
Perhaps the rain has continued iD the
United States for longer period than
in any other nation. In Europe, Eng
land, Wales, France, Switzerland, Italy,
Hungary and some portions of Russia
have been the main theater of water
devastation. The center of the storm
appeared to be in the southern portion
Of France, where section of city
was covered by the waters and hun
dreds of lives lost. In England and
Wales also, most unparalleled rainfalls
occurred at midsummer, by which pro-
perty was swept away and men and
women destroyed. In the other coun-
tries named the rains were not so cOpi-
GUS or protracted, still they far exceed
ed those of any other season recorded.
Scientific men who noted the march
and route of these storms declare they
followed the line of the Carpathian
mountains, the Alps and the Pyrenees,
thence along the coast of the Atlantic
in tn hnr fnr n tod
in the mountains of Wales. These
mountains seemed to act as condensers
as well as conductors of the rain col
umn that inundated certain sections of
Europe. Upon the termination of the
rBinstorms in Europe, similar water
falls commenced in this country, ta-
king in their course the States of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri,
Kansas and Nebraska. Rain fell also
in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, but
not in such quantities as to make 1t
necessarily a portion of the great storm
which ragged in the West. In the
usually dry and arid regions of Wyom-
ing and Colorado so much water has
fallen this year as to make the dry
places "blossom as the rose," and clothe
the earth with a carpet Of green and
agreeable vegetation. In former ar
ticle we presented one suggestion as to
the cause of this unusual rain araa and
volume i'm the United States. That re-
lated to the disturbance of the electric
currents by the multiplicity Of tele-
graphic wires. But from other quart
ers come the declaration that the rain
falls in this country are but natural
continuation of those that occurred in
Europe, and that the procuring cause
was powerful enough to influence the
elements in an area extending four or
five thousand miles, from east to west,
and taking in One-third of that distance
from north to south. Both theories are
entitled to consideration. One thing
is certain, the quantity of water dis
charged in Europe and the United
States within the past five months and
the range and location of the water
columns are of such remarkable char
acter as to challenge the attention of
the scientific world to close scrutiny
and investigation of the whole subject.
If there is "A connection between the
storms in Europe and those of the Uni
ted States, let it be pointed out and the
reasons given. If not, then let the in
vestigation be local. But in one way
or the other let the base facts in rela.
tion to the watery period of 1875 be
presented to the world in a certain and
intelligent manner.-[Phh. Times.