The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1914-02-25
SNOW CONDITIONS REPORTED
1t Is Ascertained That Snow Already
Lying In Mountains VIII FIJI
Tahoe Basin.

Hlleu 10 Tue llHllt Ol us CdpdcilJ, III
yolying a six-foot rise for the winter
season, is the belief of DR.. ]. e.
Church. Jr., of the University of Ne
yada, who found. during his recent
trip to the lake, that the water has
risen % feet and that the snow on
the watershed Is sufficient to make
it rise 2S5 feet moro, making total
of 5.05 feet. These figures do not
include the present storm.
While the lake has been higher
than the point to which six-foot
rise would bring it. this would be a
food stage and might result in dam
age to property.
Average f0f per Cent
DIR. Church finds that the average
precipitation for the watershed on
the west side of the lake is 80 per
cent of last year. The rise of the
lake last year was Is feet. This
has been surpassed already by Z of
a foot.
One of the conclusions resulting
from the measurements made by DR..
Church is that, If all the snow in the
mountains were turned into water
which could be suspended in that
form, the water would vary from a
depth of 20 inches at the lake level
TO a depth of SO inches on the mour.
tain tops. II such vest sea CT
water should sweep down as fast as
il could be pulled by gravity. every
thing would be swept away. he says,
except the eternal rocks themselves.
The illustration Is given BY DR..
Church as an indication of the man.
ner IN which nature works in con-
serving resources; holding such a
vast amount of water as in dry
reservoir, and allowing it to come
down the mountains slowly.
Skis were used in travelling near
the lake level and web snowshoes in
the high mountains. At the north
end of the lake. the water in the
snow varied from 1897 inches at
Tahoe City to 57.9s inches at the
mountain tops.
Snow Measurements
At the south middle portion the
moisture was 1876 inches; at 1900
feet it was 30.3s inches and at s.
600 feet 1t was $500 inches. AT
Tallae the moisture at the lake was
1895 inches, at $500 feet, Glen Al
pine, It was 1868 inches; at $500
feet, It was 5s.55 inches; at $3.50
feet, It was 56.77 inches, and on the
backbone of the mountain peak, II
was 44.s5 inches. The conclusion
reached is that the maximum snow
fall occurs at $500 feet.
In making the trip up Mount Tai
lac. DR.. Church stayed over night al
Glen Alpine. There. he says, the
people built steps by which to climb
from the surface of the snow down
l4io lAtif HbAatas
DR.. Church made measurements
at Summit. finding an average there
Of 142 inches of snow and 59.34
inches of water. These were made
with view to getting the relation
between the precipitation there and
al the lake, so that the daily reports
from Summit might serve as an In
dieation of the conditions at the
lake.
Horses Wear Snowshoes
There Is now stage between
Truckee and Tahoe City. DR.. Church
says. The horses wear rubber snow
shoes about a foot In diameter and
the sled has wide runners with a
sharp keel in the center to make 1t
run true He says he had a very
enjoyable trip The lake was like
millpond except the last day in the
mountains, and the snow on the
rocks hung over the water like
domes.
DR.. Church was much impressed
with the magnitude of the snow car
nival at Truckee. Californians are
taking great advantage of it and two
motion picture companies are on the
ground making dramatic films with
the aid of troupes of Eskimo dogs,
kayaks and other Eskimo equip
ment. The Alaskan scenes in one of
Jack London's books are being
made by one of the companies.
Charles Wheeler of Fernley ae-
companied DR.. Church and assisted
him materially in making his snow
measurements.