Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-26

ii Inches occurred. The rail- was from
a maximum Of about 9 feet 2 Inches In
1856 TO a minimum Of minus 9 inches al
the close Of 1900.
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
TIE average precipitation Tor the M
teen years preceding 1883. or from 1871
20 1885 inclusive, was 1924 inches,
which is 81 inch greater than the aver
age for the fifteen years ending 1900,
but ~ inch below the normal The
average for the eight years from 1858
tu 1870 inclusiva apprONlmatlng the
precipitation OF 1866 at 222j inches Is
lS22 inches. or 357 inches above the
normal The wettest fifteen consecu-
tive years were those from 1854
20 1875. inclusive, with an average
Of liza inches. and during this
period the lake rose TO a maximum
height OF about 10 feet inches In 1865,
fen TO a minimum OF about feet in
1874 and reached a maximum height
Of about ~ feet inches In 1916 The
rise of 1865 was preceded by 2S inches
Of rainfall in 1867, and the rise Of 1915
by 2Oi5 inches IN 1875
Is BASIN GETTING DRIER
The question now arises, is the
climate Of the Great Salt Lake basin
becoming drier2 IN connection with
this subject, the following extract from
a paper by Professor Willis l.. Moore
chief United States weather bureau
| will be Instructive
II have known intelligent and truth
ful men 10 publicly declare that they
knew. from personal recollection, that
the climate Of their particular places OF
residence had changed since they were
boys. that they had reliable land marks
TO show thgt the streams were drying
up: that the precipitation was growing
less, and that the winters were becom-
ing mllder. Notwithstanding the fact
that carefully taken observations OF
temperature and rainfall for each day
for the previous hundred wears showed
no alteration Of climate at such places.
/ OF course, wide variations, sometimes
/ extending over periods OF several years,
/ had occurred, but a deficit az one time
was made up by an excess at another.
/ To be sure changes must have taken
place during geological periods but
I these have been so slow that II Is
| doubtful whether man in his civilized
state has occupied the earth long
enough to discover an appreciate
quantity. Quite accurate records OF the
| opening Of nayigatiop I'm the rivers Of
/ Europe and OF the time Of Vintages for
| FIVE hundred years show no changes m
| the average data Of the first ten years
as compared with the average Of the
! last ten: and the date palm, the vine
and the ng tree floufish as luXuriantly
today In Palestine as they did In the
| DAYS OF Moses. Dried plants have been
taken from the mummy cases OF the
Pharaohs exactly similar TO those now
growing IN the soil once trod by those
/ ancient mOnorchs.
The matter Of the change OF climate Is
very important 10 our subarld West 10
the states whose normal rainfall Is
Just enough TO produce a profitable
| crop. Some years ago, when the tide
| of immigration was strong, there were
several years " rather more than aver
age rainfall IN regions that Heretofore
had had little rainfall for profitable
agriculture. These two conditions were
accidentally coincldent, but the fact
probably gave rise TO tho theory that
| civilization brings an Increase IN precip-
ustiop Ii was thought that the break
ing OF the virgin soil, making II more
permeablc and thereby conserving the
scaut deposit Of moisture the planting
of trees and the propagation OF vegeta-
ton bv restricting the run OF and by
drawing up. the moisture from below
surface of the ground though roots,
the enormous quantities Of aqueous va
nor injection into the air by combustion
Incident 20 o toeming population-had
all combined 20 increase the raintall
and 10 render the subarid plains more
responsive TO the EFFORTS OF the nus
bandmon. No one with even a spark
~ tbnt fellow feeling which makes US
v,androus kind" can fail TO regret that
mis- theory Is not founded upon fact.
mn n moments thought will indicate
to the physicist that the volume OF
superincumbent air Is 50 great, ana
capacitv for moisture so enormous, tha'
the additional yapur Of water evapor-
eted as above described, great though Il
he Is Intellectual 10 change appreciably
! tho amount Of rainfall which nature
beforehand had ordained should De pre-
me size OF continental areas, the
top0graphy OF the land surface, the
proximity " large bodies " water, ana
tbe direction Of the prevailing winds
are an factors 90 determining the pre-
clpltauon az region and IL u plouapl
that the feeble efforts OF man VIII never
be ahle materially 20 modify the result
CLIMATE NOT CHANGING
The climate Of the Great Salt Lake
basin Is not changing. The average
precipitation Tor the next nfty years
Win agree very closely with the average
for the past nifty years. Periods Of
heavy precipitation viii occur again
and following them the lake VII! rise 70
about the same levels reached by It IN
the past.