Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-12-22

enough OF the climatic peculiari
ties of the coast to know the gener.
al law that rainfall dlminishes al
you 60 south; and observing tina
the average annual rainfall Of Sac
ramento is eighteen inches, while
that of Stockton upon the south IL
sixteen and eight-tenths inches
and that in the Tulare country
which is still farther to the south
1t has decreased to only six and Q
half inches, they reason that al
what Is known as distinctively
Southern California lies yet beyOnC
those lanes of steadily falling mois'
ture, 1t must be still more arid
They have not stopped to inquire
whether there may not be othel
influences at work changing or sus.
pending the action Of the law.
For q proper understanding oil
the climate of Southern CalifOrnia
1t is essential that the general eli
matte laws of the whole State
should be studied. The mosl
strongly marked feature In the
physical geography Of California,
and the one which ut once catches
the eye of the observant traveller.
Is the fact that its noun.
taius, for hundreds of miles,
run parallel with the coast,
and that there are two Of
these great chains, one rising alb.
ruptly almost from the sea-line,
like long wall with only here and
there shallow coast valley, as al
Santa Cruz, lying outside of the
range and facing directly upon the
ocean. This is known rs the Coast
Range. The other Is the great up.
lifted crest OF the, Sierra Nevada.
which, for hundreds Of miles, III
unbroken chain, forms the horizon
line upon upon the east, crossed
only, at long distances, by come
rugged pass, leading to the interior
basin Of the continent.
This range, with its great aIti.
tude, its heavy SHOWS, and its i'm
mense condensing power. is the
source of all the important rivers
OF California. From it come the
Sacramento and San Joaquin, with
their tributaries, and in Southern
California, the Los Angeles, the
San Gabriel, and the Santa Ana.
These two ranges Of mountains
divide the lands of the State into
two classes ofiw:deIy different
climatic featnres-the humid coast
valleys, lying outside of the Coast
Range, facing upon the ocean, aud
marked by ~ comparatively great
precipitation of moisture and slight
evaporatiOn; and the more arid in.
terror valleys. lying between the
two ranges, and characterized by
just the reversal light rainfall aud
an excessive evaporation.
The great interior basin Of Cali
fOrnia, the Sacramento and San
Joaquin, together with several
smaller valleys, as the Santa Clara
and Napa, formed by local split
ting OF the coast mountains into
two ranges, drains outward to the
ocean through thegsp which forms
the inlet to San Francisco Bay,
while through the fame gap Cows
back the coni air current which.
gives the daily sen breeze to these
valleys.
TIE Winter fa;n-current, which
is "A southwest.fiy wind blowing in
from the sci, has to cross this Coast
Range te'ore il can reach ana water
the dry iatefior valleys. According
to u welt kuOwu law, il parts with
much of lis moisture in climbing
the elevation, giving u climate
upon the ocean face OF the range
damp aud foggy home of tho red
wood AMI fern, both of which are
types OF vegetation tourishing only
in comparatively humid atmos-
phere. After crossing this range,
the rain. current, thus deprived of
large portion of it's moisture, passes
on to give lighter rainfall upon
the level plains Ut the interior,
until it reaches the tall line of the
Sierra, where, with the cold Of q
still greater elevation, the remain
ing moisture is wrung out of the
clouds, giving precipitation largely
in excess Of that which fell In the
valleys; and again we hnd forests
of dense growth. yet of type that
does not, like the redwood need the
constant humidity Of the ocean air,
which, after the Winter rains have
ceased, rolls In n daily fog to the
sea ward face of the Coast Range.
How thoroughly the Sierra has ac-
cOmplished the remaining work of
condensation is shown in the al
most hopeless aridity of the plains
lying eastward from its Ease, and
to which the now dess!cated rain.
wind next passes.
This Winter rAiu-current In its
sweep inland passes over the crest
of the Coast Range In more or
less continuous sheet; yet, like u
vast aerial river, which it is, 1t
avails itself OF every break and de-
preston Of the range to pour
through in still denser volume.
And it Is opposite these breaks and
depressiOns Of the range that we
fiDd the line Of greatest rainfall In
the interior valleys, as the lower
and more humid portion Of the cur
ront has at these points been able
to reach the interior without bav-
ing its moisture wrung out In cross
ing the range. II Is in this way
that the Sacramento country, with
Its river-valley leading out to the
ocean through the break In the
Coast Range which forms the eB-
trance to San Francisco harbor,
has a greater rainfall and more
humid climate than the plains
which lie behind the range. Who.
ever has stood and watched the
evening fog roll in Mt the Golden