The herald., 1896-03-08

OIL Ju0 buUJeCt, luoTo are COm pAraClVoly
few non-residents of Southern Califor-
MIA who have approximately fair idea
of the climatic conditions existent
here, and there are maay who have
lived here for years who, although
familiar with these conditions, are not
cognizant of the causes which pro-
duce them. Let US, than, look into the
subject little.
The state of California is about $50
miles long, and has an average width
of 230 miles. 1t is three times larger
than England, and one and one-half
times as large as Italy, 30 there is
plenty of room for the several kinds Of
climate which may be found in the
state. The combined area of the seven
counties which comprise that part of
the state known as Southern Califor-
mia" is as great as the total area of the
seven states of Vermont, New Hamp-
shire. Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecti-
cut, with q surplus of over 1900 square
miles: or as compared with few
foreign countries, it is more than twice
the size of Greece, and three times
larger than Belgium, the Netherlands,
or Denmark, and nearly three times
the size of Switzerland. Yet with all
this vast territory of superior eli
mate, at its present rate of settlement
it will not be many years before it is
as thickly settled as that portion of
our country which borders the Allan
tic, and which has been centuries in
acquiring it's present population.
Separated geographically from the
rest of the state by high mountain
range, Southern California has a eli.
mate peculiarly it's own, differing ma
terially from that of the northern and
central portions Of the state, the
change commencing at Point Concep-
ton, bold promontory northeast of
Santa Barbara, which extends twelve
miles out into the ocean, thus forming
a barrier which turns the colder north
ern ocean currents away from the land
and outside of the Channel islands, and
with the aid of the Tehachepi noun
tains shuts out the cold north winds.
From this point the coast line runs
nearly due east for fifty or sixty miles,
and then trends in southeasterly di-
rection to San Diego, which is 300
miles east of San Francisco. This
gives the mainland a sunny exposure,
which is a condition as desirable in
countries as in boarding houses.
But the two great conditions of the
climate are the Kuro-Siwo or Japan
current and the great deserts. The
Kuro-Siwo or } pan current is branch
of the Equatorial current which flows
past Japan in anortheasterly direction,
after acquiring high temperature
from long-continued exposure to the
tropical sun. It separates in 40 de-
grees north latitude into two branches,
one of which flows eventually into the
Arctic ocean. The second and larger
branch crosses the North Pacific ocean
and curves southwark by Alaska and
British Columbia. Part of this current
returns as the North Equatorial cur
| rent, and the rest flows along the coast
of California, giving warmth to the
land that would be impossible with
out it.
The great Colorado and Mojave des-
erts, which partly surround Southern
| California, are each larger than the
state of Massachusetts. The sun pour
| ing upon these immense seas of sand
causes great volumes of heated air to
rise, and because of other currents it
is forced to flow out over the ocean,
where it becomes cooled and descends;
then drawn by the suction caused by
the rising of the hot desert air, it flows
back over the land a dry. health-giving
breeze which gathers but little moist
ure from the ocean. This breeze blows
about four-ffths of the year; in the win
ter being vrey light, attaining velocity
of about three to four miles an hour,
but in the summer the strength of the
wind increases to about ten miles an
hour, making cool, refreshing breeze,
which does not raise the dust.
Serious wind storms are hardly
known here. As good illuetration OF
the mild character of the winds, an in
cident in the history of the United
States signal station at San Diego may
be taken. About eighteen years ago
there was received at the station sets
of cautionaay signals, consisting of
flags, lanterns, and various other appar-
atus used to give warning of approach
ing storms. After having had them on
hand for some eight years, they we're
returned to the weather bureau, having
never been in use. Sand storms pre-
vail at times on the deserts, and are
extremely disagreeable to say the
least-for those unfortunate enough as
to be caught out in them. The sand is
taken up in great clouds by the wind,
and hurled against every obstruction
in its way. Section hands, station
agents, and others who are obliged to
be out in these storms are forced to
wear wire masks and heavy goggles to
protect their face and eyes, and thick
gloves for their hands. Telegraph
poles are followed out by the sand so
that they have to be renewed every
four months. The sides of the houses
are eaten away as if by orms, and the
glass windows become genuine ground
| glass.
Another peculiar Southern Califor-
mia storm is the electric storm. It is
neither accompanied by wind or rain,
nor does it affect the barometer; it is
usually of greater power during the
prevalence of sand storm on the des-
ert. They present no visible phenom-
ena, but consist simply of an unusual
amount of electricity in the air, which
is felt more particularly by people of a
nervous temperament, and are harm
less in their effect. These "storms"
are usually the result of the extreme
dryness of the soil, caused by the lack
of summer rain, and also from the
friction produced by the passing in
opposite directions of great currents
| of eir-the dry air of the desert going