New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-24
portant, and should have place in the iegisla-
tion concerning Alaska to which Congress Will
soon direct its attention.
ORR NOVEMBER FLOODS.

Last veel,s floods in Southern and Western
Ney-York and the greater part of Pennsylvania
and New-Jersey, though not quite so severe us
either the May or September visitations, have
yet been notable, partly because they occurred
in what is not a particularly wet month as
rule, and partly because in this region the year
rainfall had already been excessive. At the
Signal Station in this city, for instance, the
precipitation of the last twenty-three days
1927 inches has exceeded that of any November
since the service was organized, nineteen years
ago. The next best record was in 1877, when
only 54S inches were recorded for the whole
thirty days Again, the total rainfall for 1889
in this city Ia tri1e SO inches up to date
exceeds by four or five inches the largest amount
in the corresponding eleven months OF any pre-
vious year since 1870. With only an average
precipitation next month, therefore, the current
year will be without parallel in nearly two
decades. And while precise data are not au
hand, it is probable that this is the case over
a tolerably widespread area.
No hasty differences should be drawn. however,
from these facts. 1t will not do to suppose
that this has been an excessively rainy year all
over the world; nor, indeed, all over the United
States. After all, these occasional great deVla-
tons from the general climate of a region are,
CVmphIhOiN'lJ SptdklIIS, lOcui' NhiN "N
which wrought such havoc in Conemaugh valley
early last summer were dropping from the SKIES
upon the Alleghanies, Louisiana planters were
complaining about the extraordinary drouth
from which they were suffering. And during the
last ten days, while the between Arkansas
and Missouri and the middle Atlantic coast was
being freshly flooded, the dry spell' which has
ruined so many Dakota and Minnesota farmers
this last summer and fall has remained almost
unbroken Another curious feature of this recent
wet weather is the way in which it has dis
appointed the promise of early autumn. Begin
ming with September 10, and extending nearly
to the close of October, here in the East we
had abnomally dry, cold weather; and there
was much reason to believe that the conditions
then prevailing would last for weeks, If not
months; although The Tribune, October %, re-
marking upon the situation, said How long
il will continue, if at all into the winter, only
the goosebone and musllrat prophets will tell
us with much confidence" Curiously enough,
in sharp contrast with the preceding six weeks,
November has been a warm wet month unusually
So Hereabouts, the temperature has averaged
or degrees above the proper level for this
time of year.
Another difference is interesting. Our summer
rains were in part caused by excep-
tional prevalence of winds from the ocean. At
that time the sea cooler than the land; and
our July and August temperatures were perceptbly
modified thereby Our November deluges. pro-
ceedng in measure from like cause, occur
at time when the ocean is warmer than the
land, and accordingly very different effect is
produced However, there is time enough even
vet for such a shift in the barometric distrbu-
tons as to give us an od-fashioned winter, If
only the weather clerk so wills.