The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-22
RAINS At CHERRAPOOEJEE
The Remarkable Record of the Wettest
Spot on Earth,

HAMS Al CHERRAPOONJEE
The Remarkable Record of the Wettest
Spot on Earth.
Most of us have not troubled to
study the details of the rainfall Of our
own islands, being content to accept
the popular belief that ours is the Wet
test climate in the world, because our
old friend the gulf stream brings us a
never-ceasing supply from the ocean to
the west of us. Taking series of
years, the average annual rainfall over
the united Kingdom ranges from 20
inches to % inches in the southeastern
counties Of England to from 60 inches
TO 50 inches in the mountainous dis
trlcts on the western coasts Londons
average is rs inches, rarely as low as
20 inches or as much as 80 inches in
anyone year, While falls Of as much as
an inch within "a hours are but seldom
recorded During the first five and a
half months of this year, down to the
middle of June, Cherra had received
the mere bagatelle Of 267.s4 inches of
rain, SO that clearly, we ought to deal
with the volume in feet or in yards
rather than inches. Within the limits
Of single week the aggregate fall was
1878 inches, while on two successive
days the gauge registered 1915 inches
and 1921 inches, or more in As hours
than has ever been known to fall in
London in the whole twelvemonth.
If we look at a map Of the Indian en-
pire we see the funnel-shaped Bay OF
Bengal leading to the extensive low
lying tracts Of the Gangetic Soonder-
buns and the Jhils Of Sylhet, SO that
Assam is reached before an elevation
of 100 feet above the sea level Is at
tanned Suddenly the Khasia hills, CT
rather mountains. in the southwest of
Assam, rise abruptly from this great
Lott ino ttNIx, ah ha
plains of Cachar to an elevation Of
thousands of feet, the escarpment. fac
ing south, toward the Bay Of Bengal in
the far distance. At an elevation Of
about 1000 feet there is, facing south
west a deep gorge with precipitous
of rock rising up straight another
couple of thousand feet. At the top of
this terrible cliff, at an elevation of
400 feet above the level of the sea,
is small plain on which stands the lit
tie station of Cherrapoonjee, close to
the edge of the precipice.
Cherra is not wet spot all the year
round. Like the rest of the Indian EN-
pre, it has it's dry and wet seasons,
the former under the southeast mon
soon (the wind from the interior of
Asia), the latter under the southwest
monsoon (the wind from the Indian
OCEAN,. During the four months No
NellDel u February, WIFI VIC ldHu
breeze prevails, very little rain is eX-
perienced, less than London receives in
the same period. but with March comes
marked increase in the fall, and 1t at
tains it's maximum in June and July.
when the southwest monsoon Is fully
established, afterward decreasing
again. The average annual fall is
about so inches, to which the four
dry months contribute in all five inches
and the two wettest months $50 inches.
At the wettest spot in the British Isles,
the Stye, near Seathwaite, in the Cum
berland hills, the rainfall for the year
averages as much as 1874 inches, but
Cherra's average for the month of judy
alone exceeds 1870 inches.
The explanation lies in the situation
of Cherra with regard to the rain-bear-
ing winds. The Bay of Bengal is
vast cauldron of warm water perpetu-
ally throwing off immense volumes of
moisture. To the northward the Soon
derbuns and Jhils. low-lying swamps
covered by floods of water during the
midsummer months. supply as much
moisture as the bay. 1t is over these
immense areas of aqueous Vapor that
the southwest moonson sweeps, carry
ing inland the precious liquid, which is
poured down on the country in such
lavish manner Even at sea level or
thereabouts the copiousness of the rain
may be gathered from the fact that it
averages about 100 inches annually, but
Cherra gets five times as much as the
plains, while places on the little plain
within half mile of Cherra, but not
so exposed, return from 10 inches to
100 inches year less. When the south
west moonson strikes the face of the
great cliffs of the Khasia hills it is
already supersaturated with the moist
ure collected further SOUTH and as it
cannot continue on it's course at low
level it is forced to ascend to the top
of the range. and it is this sudden as
occasional movement that brings about
the discharge of such stupendous tor
rents of rain on the summit
Now as. to the marvellous records at
Cherra as already stated, the average
annual precipitation there may be TAX
en- as 500 inches, but in 1851 the to-
tai was 591 inches, in 1860 it was 700 in
ches while in 1861 it exceeded 9o5 in
ches, or more than % yards. against
London's paltry % inches. Back in
1S41 Yule measured 264 inches for the
month of August alone. five consecu-
tive days contributing 130 inches to the
total July. 1865, had POS inches ana
the same month in 1861 no less than
366 inches, or more than so feet. Hooker
mentions so inches in one day and 5oo
inches during a stay of seven months
Over as long a period as tiVe days ram
falls at Cherra at a rate Of an men OF
more per hour. For shorter peflodS tne
rates are much greater, II inches IN
seven hours, II inches in six hours, 80
inches in IS hours. and so on. The AUS
inches on June IA, 1876, appears to have
been the largest amount on any one
day at Cherra. No wonder. with so
much dampness, that the locality teens
with leeches. Notwithstanding the
huge rainfall the spot is considered
fairly healthy one, for almost as rapid
ly as it falls the water flows down the