Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-05

two miles Accounts OF destructive lorna
does have been SO frequent Of late that
little interest can be attached TO those OF
iygone days, and for that reason the
fnrther consideration Of this part Of the
subject Is unnecessary.
Rain without clouds has been sometimes
noticed. II commonly tails In tropical
countries. and at or after The close Of a
very warm day. The cause Ii supposed
IN be the descent and gradual melting and
| AGGREGATION of fakes Of snow. Those
c1untTies which have rainy and dry sea
sons have advantages, but the discomforts
more than counterbalance them, particu.
larIy a. the moisture Of the rainy season
drives myriads Of noxious reptiles and In
seefs into the house, where their bites and
stines often prove fatal 10 the inhabitants.
As the annual amount of rain, Of course,
IL the result of condensation Of moisture,
we find the greatest rainfalis take place In
the torrid zone, where the evaporation is
greatest. In the forest regions Of South
America the rainfall is often as much as
100 inches annually; and In Guadalupe,
In several years, the rainfall has amounted
10 274 inches. II Is very difficult TO con-
ceiye Of the violence Of a tropical rain. Ii
comes, not in drops, but in strings Of
water. Dampier says that, while on a
visit TO the sca-sbore OF New Granada:
| :. We made some chocolate, which we were
Obliged to drink standing. The rain was
| 30 strong that, however much chocolate
| we drank, our calebasscs remained con
stanily half full, and some OF Us even
| swore that it was impossible 10 drink as
much as il rained." This fishy story is
equaled only by one told very gravely by
! Prof. Maury: "Old scattering men men
ton such heavy and constant rains In the
| region OF Gains that they have scooped up
fresh waite. from the surface OF the sea. /"
The little incident would do well enough
were il not for the well known reputation
old sea faring men" enjoy OF being the
/ greatest liars on the green earth. AS II
/ Is, the truth Of the story may well be
4 doubted.
| In distinction from these countries,
where IL may be said 10 rain always, there
are some countries where IT seldom or
never rains. In the island OF Margarita a
few drops of rain occasionally fall In DC
tobcr. and never in any other month. On
the Indus ID rains, on an average, about
once in three years and the Canary ISL
ands are little more fortunate. In Egypt
II rains perhaps once in a lifetime, and on
the Sahara II has never been Known W
rain. Occasional heavy rains have re-
peatedly fallen In many localities. Per.
haps the best authenticated OF these heavy
rains was one that fell at Genoa In 1922.
In twenty four hours fall Of thirty inch
es Of rain took place, converting every
branch into roaring torrent, and causing
great damage. Another example Is given
Of rain which fell on the Catskill Mount
aims. N. Y, in 1919, when in seven hours
there fell, by actual measurement, eight
cen inches Of water The great English
floods of 1872 are well remembered, as
well as the ghastly sensation caused by
the washing of hundreds Of corpses from
their cemetery bed and sending them
drifting into the streets and lower stories
of Manchester houses. All these foods,
however, are but trifie when compared
with the violent outpOuring sometimes
seen from water-spout When one OF
these bursts the rainfall ID not unfre.
quently from two 10 six inches In an hour,
and, Of course, when such flood Of water
II emptied no ordinary means Of egrcss are
sufficient TO carry il of, and the most VIC.
lent effects are experienced. -" The Aertai
World" byS y. Hartinig