The record-union., 1891-08-19
SALTON SEA CLOUDBURSI'S.s
Sergeant Barwick Gives Some Data
on the Subject.
They May Come From Salton sea,
But How Did Riverside Get
IN On One. of Them.

Signal Service officer James A. Bar
wick is a great hand at keeping himself
posted on the why's and wheretores of the
various and numerous phenomena that
are daily being brought to notice.
81 see by the RECORD UNIONS tole-
graphic reports to-day he said in con
versation with 2 reporter yesterday,
that the editor Of the Banning Heroid
gives it as his opinion that the Salton Sea
or lake causes cloudbursts and rain IN
summer. That may be all true, bat ifso,
what then caused the heavy cloudburst
over Riverside in August, 1881? On the
22d Of that month there was rainfall OF
three inches, and the Chief of the y Gather
Bureau, thinking it an error, wrote to me
to try and find out III reference to it. l
have letter from NIr. Keith Of the
Riverside Press, which fully explains it
self, and goes to show that something be-
SIDES the Salton basin being filled with 4
sea Of water causes all ciOuibursts. Here
is the letter. Ill read it to you:
"RIvEEsIDE, July %, 1891
'Jd8jcS 4. BdT2cicE-DEAE SIR: In re-
ply to yours of the 10th, would say that
the storm mentioned III your letter oc-
Cured between the hours OF and 4
o'clock p. NJ. on August -, 1884. The
maximum temperature OF that date was
81, minimum $50. | have no barometric
record Of that date neither can | find
one. My record of temperature dates
back to October, 1882, but the barometric
only since January !, 1887. The storm in
storms that prevail in Arizona at that
season OF year. Nearly every day heavy
cloud formations appear in the eastern
horizon, sometimes reaching as high as
60 to 75' during the last half Of July and
nearly the whole of August, but on this
particular day heavy clouds formed III
the northwest and also in the east, aud
shortly after noon appeared to approach
each other, with the result as stated.
About 2:30 p. Il. the wind was blowing
from the northeast and east, then chang
ing to the north and west. | am very
sorry that l cannot furnish you with the
readings of the barometer for that storm,
but no one has d record. I have tried to
get information on that point for my own
satisfaction, but have been unable to do
so. / would like to know the weather
conditions, both temperature and pres
sure, Tor the southern half of California
and Arizona for that date. If you obtain
them from Lieutenant Finley will you
be so good as to give me the benefit?
| Yours very truly, w. i. KEITH
''Mr. Keith in his first letter in refer
ence to that storm says: The report of
three inches in august, 1884 is not an
error. 1t occurred about p. NJ, and was
accompanied by very severe hail, high
wind and some lightning. 1t had
more the characteristics of a cloudburst
than anything else. The entire amount
of three inches fell in forty-five minutes,
and only covered an area of country
about seven miles long and two and a
half to three miles in width. There is no
record Of anything like it having oc-
Cured in this vicinity before or since
'It will be remembered that the twelve
months Of the year 1884 gave forty inches
of rain, but in August only .02 of an inch
was precipitated. The cloudburst Of Il
few days ago near Redlands is the first
time since the rain of August p, 1884, oc-
CURED at Riverside. It seems strange
that in August they appear to be preva-
| lent in Southern California. What causes
them I am sure do not know, nor would
1 like to advance any theory regarding
them either, They usually occur over
the mountains, and seldom in the val
! leys."