Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-11-01
SEASON OF DROUGHT.
Deficiency OF Rainfall In Many
States.

|
States.
| The weather bureau at Washington,
in late summary of the weather for
the past season says that the drought
Is one OF the severest, most prolonged
and general, known in the United
States since the bureaus organization.
There are few places which show an
exception to the general condition,
but in no large section of the country
unless, perhaps, in the northwest and
far west does there appear to have
been a heavy rain for the past two
months or more. Where there has
been exceptional precipitation, it has
been confined to small areas. In
some parts of the country the drought
began in the latter part of July, but in
most of the sections it did not become
markedly pronounced until in August.
The entire Atlantic coast, with a
few exceptions, such as Charleston, S.
C., and Augusta, Ca, shows def
cheney below the normal rainfall since
the first OF August, amounting in some
instances to almost half the average
precipitation. The Ohio and Missis-
sippi valleys report similar conditions
as does a part of the Pacific coast.
The great lake region upon the whole,
has Jared better than other sections of
the country east OF the Mississippi. In
some parts of the Rocky mountain re.
gion. as in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah,
and Nevada. there have been excessive
rainfalls during this period and along
the Pacific coast from Olympia to San
Francisco, there were good rains in
September as there have been in
places since in that section.
The greatest complaints come from
West Virginia, Kentucky and western
Pennsylvania. Fortunately, in most
parts of the country, the drought did
not set in until after the principal
crops were matured, consequently the
effect has not been so disastrous as it
would have been if it had begun ear
lier. In some places it has had a
slight effect Oh the planting of winter
wheat, and complaints come from
many quarters of the inconvenience Of
securing water for domestic and stock
purposes, many small streams, stock
ponds, springs and wells having be-
come dry. Pastures have been in
jured in many States. 1t is also no
ticeable that there has been an in
crease OF typhoid fever over the nor
NAL in many of the sections where the
drought is severe.
The official figures for the entire
country covering the period from
March l, to October ii, show a def
cheney: At PASSPORT, Me-, more than
one third Of the normal at New Ha-
ven almost third; at Albany, N. V,
more than fourth; Harrisburg, Pa,
more than half; Philadelphia, about a
fourth; Washington, about a fifth
Norfolk, Va, about almost a sixth
Wilmington. N. c., between fifth and
a fourth; Jacksonville, Fla, almost a
fourth; Vicksburg, Miss, about two
seventbs; Galveston, Tex, about two
fifths; Knoxville, Tenn, almost
fourth; Louisville, KY, more than a
fourth; indianapolis, more than a
third; Cincinnati, more than two
fifths, and about the same rate at Co
lumbus, o.; Parkersburg, Pittsburg,
Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit and in
much of the lake region.
The falling off in the upper Missis-
sippi valley and Rocky mountain
States was less marked. The cities
which show an excessive rainfall for
the entire season are: Columbia, S.
c.; Atlanta, Augustus and Savannah,
Ca; Pensacola, Fla; Fort Smith and
Little Rock, Ark. Arkansas City, Mo-,
Pierre, S. D.; St. Vincent, Minn.;
Cheyenne, Wyo., Denver and Pueblo,
COL; Abilene, Kau. Astoria, Or. Eu-
reka and Red Bluff, Cal.