Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-24
Rain and Its Ravages In
and Out of Town.
How the Railroads Have Fared
In This Last Storm.
About Half a Flood AS Measured By
Those of Former Years.
Many Bridges and Levees Washed Out
All Over Southern California.
General StOppage of Travel.

1t was indeed somewhat damp lot
day or two. The storm is at last well
over, after period of fully nine days.
The week before last many people here
abouts we're very blue under the impress
sion that dry year was as certain to
be the experience of this section as the
rising of the sun is certain. Well, as
they say on the Rialto, these people
were a little bit off. At noon of Sun
day, February 18th, the rainfall for the
season beginning September, 1890, to
that date was beggarly account Of $50
inches all told. There had been
only one day of good rain. The record
was like this: The last week of Sep
tember developed the first rain OF the
season, few showers of one-tenth Of
an inch in all. Two more showers fell
on the 9th and 10th of October. The first
week of November brought two more
light showers, and then there was no
more rain until the month of December
had counted its first three days.
On the 4th, 5th and 9th of
that month there fell in all about
an inch and half of rain.
The 10Th and Goth of the same month
there were moderate rains, and the year
closed with three showery days. The
total for December was 2.32 inches, and
for the season to December 31st, 2.5S
inches. The whole month of January
gave only OBS inches of rain, and the
month ended with only 2.S3 inches for
the season.
February opened with a rain. very
early, thirty y-six-hundredths of an inch
ON the I'd and Observation-Disclosures
on the Sd. The count for the season
was then 3.47 inches. On the 9th fell
thirteen-hundredths bringing the total
UP to $50 inches. Then came ten days
Of drought, with drying north winds; ;
the grass was short, the barley and
wheat plants began to turn yellow, and
many feared a failure of the crops.
They have got over that. Since Sunday
afternoon, February 18th, there has
fallen total of 7.14 inches of rain,
swelling the seasons precipitation
to 1878 inches, two-thirds of which
belongs to this storm, and worth more
to crops than Is inches would be falling
before the end of December. Here is
the record complete for the last storm: :
To S O'Clock Sunday, the fifteenth, .Ol
inches; to Monday same hour, 2.75
inches; Tuesday, none; Wednesday,
so inches; Thursday, .O1 inches; Fri
Sunday, 1.94 inches; Monday, 1.6S
inches. The storm abated about
daylight Yesterday morning, the down.
pour from noon Saturday to that time
having been 3.S7 inches. The twenty
four hours from O'Clock Sunday, the
fifteenth, was 2.75 inches, the heaviest
of the season in this city. The storm
during the earlier part of last week was
heaviest along the coast. and spent most
of it's force before it reached even twenty
miles inland. The storm of the last
three days reversed this order totally,
the rain coming on the wings OF
mighty wind, which drove the heavily
laden clouds violently against 5000
to 5000 feet perpendicular height of icy
mountains, where the condensation was
something difficult to imagine, and re-
sulting in a precipitation varying from
perhaps 4 to 10 inches OF rain. The
currents from the south were so
warm, that but little snow was found,
and nearly all the rain ran off the hard
surface of the mountains into the flood
channels and so into the rivers Of the
valley, which rose rapidly.
The rain of the early part OF last
week fell upon ground very dry, and on
mountains where all the natural lake
bowls were empty. In spite of the
downpour of Sunday night and Monday
a week ago, very little water reached
the water courses, and one would hardly
know by the rivers that there had been
so much rain. But that heavy fall
soaked the ground to repletion, and
Glled all the lakelets to the
brim. The liberal rain of Saturday
wet the top OF the ground and started
all the streams running. Then came
the awful rain of Saturday night, Sun
day and Sunday night, 1862 inches on
the plains and six to ten on the mount
aims. The watersheds of the rivers are
very wide in area, and the water courses
exceedingly precipitous. But the Arroyo
Seco, for instance, heads up $50 miles or
more in the mountains. The Tejunga
runs up as far, and the Los Angeles
nearly as far. Sunday afternoon there
was very little water in the rivers, but
by morning they were coming down half
bank full, and as rapid as a mill race.
Through this city the current ran per-
haps six or eight feet deep in places and
hS IlC IdJC vi IltCCh VI CWCnty ali
hour. In the Arroyo the depth was less,
but the rate was more. The Tejunga
1uns all of 800 feet to the mile, and
there an express train could not keep
pace with the impetuous torrent.
1t may be imagined such currents do
damage to bridges and railroad tracks in
all directions. The floods did not reach
half the height of those of March,
1884, or December, 1889, but they
were high enough to carry out
great many bridges. The last train to
come in here from distance was that
from Santa Barbara, by the Southern
Pacific, at about 10 o'clock Sunday
night. All the others are tied up at out
side points. The last train to go out
for distant points was that by the same
road, which left this city at 10 40 Sun
day night. 1t and all outward bound
trains are tied up at some point in
Southern California. The only un-
crippled branches are the Southern Pa
cific to Santa Monica, and that OF
the same road to San Pedro; the Santa
Fe branch to Redopdo, and the narrow
gauge to the same point. 1t is difficult
to learn just what the damage outside
Of the city is, for the reason that the
telegraph lines are down too, and no
way of communication remains. The
Southern Pacific bridge on New river
and that over the Santa Ana, on the