Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-10
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE RAIN QUESTION.

The question as to whether any, and II go,
how much rain fell here in 1850, in the early
fall of that wear, sill proves a topic of in-
terest to very many OF the old pioneers. and
has its value in evolving much useful historic
information relative TO the meteorological
records of the early days, or as to what those
records should havs shown il they had been
accurately kept. It should be borne in mind
that it has been distinctly shown that the
late DIR. T. NJ. Logan kept no meteorological
tables prior to 1853, and that the figures in
his tables Of rainfall for the years previous
are only such as he was enabled to mske up
from the best information obtainable In his
lifetime, The present discussion appears to
be evolving facts which were unknown to the
late scientist but which are Of the highest
value to those now keeping the meteorological
records of the coast. The following COM
munication is from MIR. II. Arents, of Oro-
vile, and has in il some "reminiscences Of the
pioneer era Of interest. Mr.. Arents says:
1.-THE Logan table gives no record of rain
for September, 1850. Permit me TO relate
my experience On that point. Early resi-
dents of Sacramento must remember the
slough that crossed J street, between Eighth
and Ninth. La ths winter Of 1S49, and dur
ing the spring freshets of 1850 loaded teams
could not cross the slough without dividing
their loads or doubling with other teams, as the
bottom was 81 soft and miry. My brother,
George w. Chedic, and myself, composing
the firm Of Fl. Arents q Co., saw what diff
Guilty the teams mad in crossing the slough,
and conceived the idea of buying the north
east corner lot at Eighth and J streets, erect
ing thereon q store, and also of extending the
sidewalk, or foottriige across the slough to
the high land, AMI there load teams. Believ-
ing it to be good investment, we bought tie
lot from Maynard, Peachy and Billings, in
May, 1850, paying them for it the sum of
So, coo. At that time not single house
or tent was ia all that part of the
city. It was covered with a dense
thicket growth and underbrush. We cleared
of the LOT, erected two story frame store,
and moved into it on the "a of July. Called
it the Big Tree store. taking the name from
an immense sycamore tree on the corner.
From the day we moved into the store until
the 10Th of September not goods enough were
sold to pay interest on the money invested,
but on the 19sh of that month the rain set in
and continued off and on till the 2lst, and
during those three days OF rain enough had
fallen to run the slough nearly half full of
water. Our conceptions proved correct. The
bottom of the slough got soft; teams could
not cross without dividing their loads or
doubling up with others. Our trade now in.
creased rapidly. Teams stopped on the upper
side of the slough, aad we trucked the goods
bought of US over the platform and loaded the
wagons on the high ground. That rain essab
lished the Big Tree store on a firm footing,
and for time we could not get goods to the
store fast enough to supply demands. 1t also
was the cause Of building no shat part of the
city. Our trade became so i'm pense, it created
boom in building Tots, and stores were run
up thick and fast asout us. have always been
of the opinion that not less than one and one
half inches OF rain fell during that storm.
And again, I think the doctors table in
error as 10 the esrly part of October, for
quite heavy shower of rain fell then, prob
ably quarter of an inch. From that month
until March, 1851, very little rain fell. 1
don't think the table bas given full credit for
the rainfall for March. We were supplying
company with provisions that had turned
the river a. Big Oregon Bar, on the North
Fork of the American river; they had been
working in the bed Of the stream all wiuter.
I remember warning them to trust nothing
to the month of March, as it was tresch
erOus month. My calculations were correct
the rain set in the esrly part of the month,
and quite a heavy storm. 1t carried away
the company's dam and destroyed all their
works. They could not repair the damages
until late in in the summer. about July, on &C.
count of high water, and l think half Of the
rainfall for the winter of 1901 fell II the
month Of March"