Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-05
THE DROUGHT AT THE EAST AND TIE
APPROACHING RAIN SEASON IN CALI
FoRNIA.

FORNlA.
Considerable apprehension is already
being felt in this State concerning the in
dications of dry season for the coming
winter The unprecedented drought on
the Atlantic side of the continent occasions
some alarm lest it should reach to the
westward and the rain necessary to ma
ture crop be denied to this territory. In
fact the drought in many Eastern and
Western States is so unprecedented and
its effects so calamitous as to encourage
the worst fears. In many parts of
New Jersey water for domestic
use has to be hauled thirty
miles. In Illinois and Indiana the corn will
not mature and the green stalks viii be
cut for fodder. The loss of crops is ag-
gravated by the recurrence of destructive
fires. The area of the suffering region is
greater than ever before known. 1t ex-
tends from the Gulf on the south to the
ST. Lawrence, and from the headwaters of
the Platte and Kansas to the Atlantic coast.
In 1872 the Northwest was subjected to a
most disastrous drought, but at that time
the Southeast was not affected. The Gulf
and Atlantic States enjoyed the usual
rainfall. In the present case the entire
section above outlined is suffering,
and crops of all kinds are reported
as on the verge of total failure.
Uneasiness in this State grows out of the
fact that however disastrous floods may be.
dry season is the GROWING misfortune.
Flood years are always years of general
prosperity, however locally destructive,
while dry seasons are years of adversely.
In this State crops, herds and focks alike
are destroyed by drought. We do not,
however, find any cause for alarm in the
drought indications at the East. The sta
tistics of rainfall have been kept for
thirty-two consecutive rain seasons, and
the periodicity of MAXIMUM and minimum
rainfall has been ascertained with a
degree of reasonable probability, not
to say certainty. The statistics show
the recurrence of dry seasons with
such regularity of interval as to almost
establish an unvarying periodicity. For
example, the first year of minimum rain.
fall exhibited on the rain tables for thirty
two seasons, recently published by the
RECORD. UNION, was the season of 1851.
The second is 1856 7, the third 1864, the
fourth 1901, the fifth in 1857. Here
are five dry seasons occurring at intervals
of six and seven years. From the date of
the last there have elapsed but four sea-
sons. The analogy of the past recurrence
would fix the season of lSS4,5 as the next
dry season, or two seasons beyond that
approaching. But there is still greater
regularity observable in the aggregate
amount of rainfall in the seasons divided
into groups by the minimum years. As
this is new observation of the statistics
it will be fully presented.
The first minimum season was that of
1861. Now from the season of 1851
to 1867 inclusive, we have the first group
closing with a minimum season-that OF
1867. The aggregate rainfall of the
period was 1851 inches. The second
group is from 1878 to 1863 4 inclusive,
and the aggregate rainfall is Us 05 inches.
The third is from 1864 ) to 1901 inclu.
sive, aggregating 1861 inches of rain.
The fourth is from 1871 . to 1867. agere.
eating ll3 II inches. Thus the average
rainfall during the periods ending in mini.
mum seasons is ascertained to be l24. Oh
inches. The current series which is to
end with minimum season has accom-
plished but four seasons The aggregate
rainfall in these is but 95. IS inches, or 36
inches less than the average of the former
cycles. Herein analogy gives second
strong inference in favor Of heavy season
for the approaching winter. But still a
third is to be found in the fact that in four
of the five cycles noted above the maxi
mum years exceeded 80 inches of rain in a
single season. Thus in the first group the
maximum was So &C; the second, 80. 80
the third, 3279, etc. The current series
has SO far no maximum beyond &c. 81 inches.
The observations of the past present three
prominent facts which by the extension Of
the analogies indicate heavy rainfall for
the approaching season and in favor of the
probable recurrence of another dry season
not earlier than that of 1875.