Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-10-24
A SEVERE DRouTH.
Now Throughout Almost
the Entire Country.

-
Washington, Oct. %. - Reports re
ceived at the weather bureau indicate
that the present drouth is one OF the
severest, most prolonged and general
known in the United States since the
bureaus organization. There are a
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 soaking 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 drouth be-
gan In the Inter part of July, but in
most OF the sections 1t did not become
markedly pronounced until in August.
| The entire Atlantic coast. with a
few exceptions such as Charleston. s.
c., and Augusta, Ga, shows Il de
tiCiency below the normal rainfall
since Aug. l amounting in some in
stances to almost half of the average
precipitation. The Ohio and Missis-
sippi valleys report similar con.
d~itions, as does a part Of
the Pacific coast. The great
lake region upon the whole has Jared
better than other sections of the coun.
try east Of the Missouri. In some
parts of the rocky mountain region as
in Colorado, Wyoming. Utah and Ne
vada there have been excessive rain
falls during this period and along the
Pacific coast from Olympia to San
Francisco there We're good rains in
September, as there have been In
places since then that section.
Farther east, Fort Scott, Ark: Indian
apOlis, Ind, and st. Paul, Mimi, are
the Centers of districts where the
Grou:h was broken in September.
There have been good Rims also In
parts of Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and
Kansas.
The greatest complaints come from
West Virginia, Kentucky and West
ern Pennsylvania. Fortunately in
most parts of the country the drouth
did not set In until after the principal
crops were matured. consequently the
effect has not been so disastrous as IL
would have been if it had begun
earlier. In some places II has had n
slight effect on 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
become dry. Pastures have been in
iured in many states. 1t is also no
tiCcable that there has been an in
crease in typhoid fever over the nor
NAL in many Of the sections where the
drOuth is severe.
The official figures for the entire
country covering tie period from
March 1 to Oct. IA show a deficiency.
At PASSPORT, Me, more than a third of
the normal; at New Haven. Conn,
almost a third; Albany, n. Y, more
than a fourth: Harrisburg. Pa. more
than half; Philadelphia, about II
fourth; Washington, about a fifth;
Norfolk, Va, almost a sixth; Whining
ton, n. c., between a fifth aud a
fourth; Jacksonville. Fla, almost a
seventies; Galveston, Tex, about two
fifths: Knoxville, Tenn. almost Il
fourth; Louisville, Ky, more than 4
fourth; Indianapolis, more than a
third; Cincinnati, than two
tifths; with about the same rate at
Columbus, ParkPrsburg. pittsburg.
Cleveland. Tc'"uo and Detroit. and in
much of tho lake region. The falling
off in the upper Mississippi valley and
Rocky Mountain states was less
marked. The cities which show an
excessive rainfall for the entire sea-
son are Columbia. S. c.; Atlanta, Au-
grsta and Savannah. Ga: Pensacola,
Fla; Fort Smith and Little Rock.
Ark; Arkansas City, Mo; Pierre, :.
u; st. Vincent, n. d; Miles City.
Mont; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Denver and
Pueblo, Colo; Abilene. Kan: Astoria,
Or; Eureka and Red Bluff, Cal.