The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-03-22

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zenith, with brick hotels, churches,
schoolhouses and a ~street-car line.
Prairie dogs now run about the chancel
Of the biggest church, and the hotel
door is hidden by a sand bank.
THE ANNUAL RAINFALL
Some Curious Facts Cleaned Through
Scientific Research.
There is always more or less guess
work concerning the amount of rain
that falls during any storm period.
Throughout the United States the
amount that falls on any one day rare
ly exceeds inch. There are certain
portions of the globe, however, that
are frequently, and others only occa-
sionally, deluged with water. On the
southern slopes of the Himalava noun
tains, at at altitude of 1850 feet, 61O
inches of rainfall have been registered
in a single year, of which amount LAT
inches az feet 8 inches) fell in the
month of June. At a meteorological
station in latitude 18 degrees, near the
western boundary of Hindoostan, the
average rainfall for the fifteen years
ending with 1893 was 254 inches. In
the northwestern part Of England, at an
altitude Of 1900 feet, the average an
nual rainfall, is 146 inches, Ill inches in
excess of the mean for st. Louis, which
is but 81 inches and q fraction.
The wonderful record given above is
still more phenomenal when we con-
slider the fact that all the moisture the
atmosphere is capable of holding at
any one time would cover the entire
surface of the globe to a depth Of less
than 4 inches should it all be instantly
precipitated.
Antelope Preserve In Afriea.
An effort is being made in England
to form q society with the object Of
preserving ma1y of the species OF
South African antelopes, which are in
danger Of o becoming extinct.
The scheme, which is being promoted
and supported by q number Of we'll
known sportsmen and scientists, is ia
inclose q suitable tract OF country in
the district near Fort Salisbury with q
wire fencing Of, say, forty-ive miles in
circumference, and drive into this in.
closure small herds of the still exist
ing species Of antelopes which 1t is de.
sired to preserve. At certain seasons
of the year, to prevent overcrowding,
a number of specimens would be let
loose or exported for the use of zoolog.
ical societies. To carry out the plan a
comparatively moderate capital would
be required; and it is said that the
British South African company will re.
ceive a petition before long asking their
consent to the fencing in Of the pro.
posed preserve.
Two Great Post Omces.
For several years past the post Office
department at Washington has been
protesting against the inferior accom-.
modations of the New York and Chi.
cago offices, which are the govern.
ment's chief money makers. Both
buildings are owned by the federal
government, and both are conducted
not from their liberal postal revenues
but by appropriation made by congress
The New York post Office, in use since
1875, is on land ceded by New York tt
the federal government. The receipts
of the New York Office in a year are
even million dollars. The expenses
including eight thousand dollars to the
postmaster and seventy-fve Thousand
dollars for gas, fuel and other detailed
items, are two million five hundred
thousand dollars, leaving q net profit
to the government from its operation
Of four million Eve hundred Thousand
dollars. The receipts Of the Chicago
Office I four million dollars a year
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