The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-07-30


matte weather observatory on Mt.
Rose is coincident with the placing or
maximum and minimum thermome-
ters there June 30, 1905, to obtain
further data on summit temperatures
in winter in the Sierra Nevada. The
impulse thereto was given by the en-
thusiasm of Prof. Meade, who had
foreseen the value of high mountain
weather stations to the general serV-
ice. but whose endeavors had met
temporary check in the failure of Mr..
Bennett to reach the summit OF
Mount Whitney with a minimum
thermometer on account of early
storms in the autumn of 1904.
The observatory is in shape and
furnishings the counterpart of a ships
cabin. and is made of tongue and
groove lumber, with covering of
Malthoid roofing and tar, and fitted
with plate glass observation windows.
The building is held in place by be-
ing set in a nest excavated in the
solid rock and wedged there firmly
by smaller rock and slate driven
stoutly between the wall of the build
ing and the faces of the excavation.
A precipitation tank, 80 inches in
diameter and feet high was built
at Reno and carried to the summit
on the backs of reliable horses. This
tank was sunk in the rock to protect
it from freezing.
A mercurial barometer and case be-
longing to the Nevada agricultural
experiment station was installed In
the observatory just before winter
closed in and has been of great value
as standard with which to COM
pare the Paragraph.
The general Quitting of the OBJ
servatory was accomplished largely
by gifts and loans. collection OF
works on meteorology and climat-
ology was furnished by the weather
buprea and the experiment station.
An Sx1O camera with extensible bel
lows was loaned by the department
of entomology and a 3%x4A folding
kodak equipped with Goerz lens by
the writer. An Al-Vista (panoramlc)
camera was later furnished by the
experiment station to supplement the
others. The bedding was procured
by withdrawing the sleeping bags
and blankets used to such advantage
the previous winter at Contact Pass.
Despite the lack of long range in
struments, observations have been
continued by means of bi-weekly or
monthly visits throughout. the year.
On one occasion, March 2S-29, 1917,
the party, consisting of Prof. Frand-
sen and the writer, failed to reach
the summit after a prolonged strug-
gle with soft snow, in which the Ca
madam snow-shoes broke beneath the
strain. This failure occurred almost
exactly on the anniversary of the
failure of the two consecutive at
tempts the year before.
The most valuable results OF these
observations is a climatological rec
ord extending over two years. This
record, though necessarily fragmen-
tary on account of the inadequacy of
the instruments. still represents the
general characteristics of the temper
AZURE at the summit of Mt. Rose. So
far as possible, the tables will be ar
ranged by months and seasons.
Cortin. ed observations on Mt.
Rose and two reconnaissance trips
in cooperation with DIR. Kennedy
along the northern end Of the Car
son range from Verdi to Lake Tahoe,
and over Mt. Pluto, have led to some
practical conclusions on the relation
of timber to the conservation of
snow. Further trips are in contem-
plation to verify the conclusions al
ready reached and copious notes and
illustrative photographs have been
made for a btiletin on the subject.
one phase of the timber and snow
problem that has evidently received
little attention, so far as could be de-
termined from available publications.
and one of great importance to the