Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-08-21
Kinney finds
SOME errors
SOME PLACES EXCEED VEGAS
Captain zad Sacramento Mountains
Get More Rainfall Than MesooA
City. According 10 Weather Repssss.

Editor. Tue Optic. Las Vegas. y. n.
Dear Sir:-in booking over The 0p
tic Of the issh instant. | noted. with
much interest. the article of Mr.. A.
". Thompson. relative 10 the month-
ly aud annual precipitation Of Las
Vegas. And. while We rarely ever
take occasion to review or erifleise
an article in the press af the territory.
the fact that Mr.. Thompson apparent.
~ gives the Weather Bureaus az
prevail TO his figures. causes me to call
In question some Of his deductions.
In the first place ! believe that Mr..
Thompson Ia Ia error i'm simply using
the record Of precipitation from 1886
10 1906. for W have n complete rec.
ord back To 1899. barring December Of
the latter year. and a partial record
for several years prior. making q fair
average for the statian Of nineteen
years. A record for this period n
much TO be preferred 20 a sen.year
record. This longer period discloses
several things more In favor of Las
Vegas than Mr.. Thompson gave. but
does not disclose some Of his deduc.
tons. Thus Il shows an annual aver.
age precipitation Of 1894 inches. with
July. August September. May and
June the months Of greatest !precipl.
tation In the order named. and that
slightly more than Is per cent tli.5s
inehesp Of the annual precipitation
occurs In the growing season from
April to September. inclusive.
0iseioses No Change
Il does not. however. disclose o
change In the precipitation. as neither
an increase Is shown nor q change In
the seasons. On the contrary Il
shows a remarkably regular and per.
sistent character to the precipitation.
Thus the average Of all data tabout
nine years, up to the year 1896.
shows an annual average Of cola
inches: the average OF all data up TO
the year 1900 shows an annual aver.
age Of 1904 inches. while the aver.
age to Include all data up to the past
month July. 1906 shows an annual
average Of 1924 inches.
A month, season or year Of abnor.
mally large or small precipitation
should not be taken to indicate either
a changing month. season or year. On
the contrary. there has probably been
no material change In the climatic
conditions Of Las Vegas. or Of any
Of the western country. within the
recollection. or recorded act. of man.
While Il Is true that December. 1850.
had 3.12 inches Of precipitation. this
indicates simply an abnormal month,
even as December. 1904. January.
February. March and April. 1905. were
also months Of abnormal precipita.
ton. II would be quite as reason.
able to argue that because June. July.
August. September and October. 1909,
had but 5.si inches OF precipitation
that the summer seasons were chang
ing and that Las Vegas had dry sum,
mer and falls, but when We look at
prior or subsequent records we see
that these were abnormal months,
and rather serve to indicate the line
where the minimum precipitation
may be expected. while the years 1875.
1895. 1906. aud our present bountiful
year should serve rather to indicate
the maximum precipitation.
This Area Exceeds Vegas
Finally, while the precipitation rec.
ord Of Las Vegas is certainly credit.
able and worthy of much praise. Mr..
Thompson is wrong In his conclusion
that 1t is the largest Of any portion OF
the territory. with the possible ex.
ception of Johnson's Mesa. The region
Immediately above Las Vegas. along
the higher levels Of the eastern slope,
will be found to exceed the precipi-
tation OF Las Vegas. also the higher
districts Of the Captain and Sacra.
mento mountains and the region ad.
jacent to the Chama river in Rio Ar.
riba county. while IL is possible that
others will be shown as our records
are prolonged.
Very respectfully.
rIIADT USy T. q fNzS,ryy