The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-02
TO PREVENT LOSS Much Rain HERE
Fifteen Santa Fe Officials Water in During
Galveston Meeting Summer Than Other States.
Damage Committee Measuring Rainfall Is Easiest
Was Formed in 1908. Job of Weather Man.
70 REDUCE LOSS TO MINIMUM INCH OF RAIN WORTH MILLIONS
Cooperation Between Carrier Dry Critical Time
and Public Is Requested. State Heavily in Crops
MANY Cases Freight Kansas Bankers Keep
properly Packed. Record on weather.
More Water in Kansas During
Summer Than Other States.
Measuring Rainfall Is Easiest
Job of Weather Man.
INCH OF RAIN WORTH MILLIONS
Dry Week at Critical Time Cost
State Heavily in Crops.
Kansas Bankers Keep Close
Record ON Weather.

by S. d. Flora. Meteorological, c, s.
Weather Bureau.
Kansas gets more rain during the
summer months than almost any other
part of the United States. The aver
age for the eastern third of the state
for the six warm months of the year.
April to September, inclusive, is great
er than the average for those months
for any state in the country, except a
few along the Gulf coast. while even
| the extreme western counties, the
| Short grass country comes within
rs per cent of having as much rain
in the summer months as Iowa. where
corn is king and farm land is worth
up to $500 an acre.
Measuring Rain Is Easy.
Measuring rainfall is one of the
, most important and at the same time
the easiest thing about keeping a
| weather record. Variation in the
month andeometimes from day to day
makes all the difference between fat
bank accounts in the Sunflewer state
| and periods like those of two years
vance money to enable wheat farmers
to put out their crops.
| It is literally a fact that an inch of
rain at the right time may be worth
millions of dollars to the Kansas corn
crop while a dry week at a critical
crop yield.
Anxious About Rainfall.
How much did 1t rain" is the call
| that goes out from newspapers, rail-
roads, financial centers and grain
dealers every time shower belt
reaches Kansas during the growing
season and many are the ways of ar
irving at this information. A press
correspondent in small town, anx-
ious to boost his community and sup
ply good news Item for city paper
is prone to take the word of some one
who left a milk crock or q wash tub
near the cave of a house and caught
half a foot of water in it, while the
railroad agent, in response to insistent
demand from headquarters, is liable
to estimate a heavy rain at anywhere
from half an inch to five inches, de-
pending on whether he happened to
be caught out in 1t or not and the kind
of reports given him by the village
gossip. 1t is unfortunately a fact that
such reports have the widest c1rcula-
ton, while accurate measurements are
seldom circulated, except in official
bulletins.
Kansas bankers, who are closest to
an understanding of the value Of ac-
curate rainfall reports. often have in
stalled rain gauges that collect the
rainfall into graduated glass recep-
tacles in the show window of the
bank. where every passer-byi can see
it. The bank gauges are a big step
towards accuracy, but the weather
bureau has found after considerable
investigation that they are seldom re-
liable because the receivers are 10
Gated too close to the edge of the
roof. where the air currents are in
clined to blow up and carry fine drops
of water over and away from the
gauge.
Coffee Can May Be Used.
An ordinary coffee can or milk can
with sides that do not flare makes
more accurate and much less expen-
sive gauge than the bank gauge, but it
must be located close to the ground
and in the open where trees, shrub
berry, or adjacent buildings will not
influence the catch. An inch of rain
will leave an inch of water in the bot
tom of such a can, where it can be
measured with an ordinary foot rule
or measuring stick which. preferably,
should have no varnish or paint on it.
Before the government began state
wide observations about 80 years ago
several observers in the state were
using apparatus of this nature ana
subsequent investigation showed them
to be so reliable many of them are
now published as official records.
The Standard Gauge.
The standard rain gauge of the
weather bureau consists of a galvan-
lied iron can, inches in diameter and
2 feet high, with straight sides. This
can by itself makes a good gauge. but
the pattern in general use has fun
nel-shaped receiver on top which col
lects rainfall and runs it into a brass
tube inside the large can This inner
tube hasa diameter of exactly 2-53
inches, SO that its cross section is one
tenth that of the large can. By this
Arrangement an inch of rain falling
over the gauge makes 10 inches in the
brass tube and a hundredth of an
inch-ordinarily not enough to be
ACCOMPLISHMENTS a tenth of an inch
in the tube and can be measured with
a stick. The measuring stick used
with this kind of gauge has gradua-
lions a tenth of an inch apart stamped
on it, but the figures given are for
hundredths of an inch, SO there is
small liability of making a mistake
and recording the hundredths of an
inch that fall as tenths of an inch,
even though they are contained in the
small tube.
These standard gauges. with at the
| present high cost of materials, are
listed by reliable instrument makers
at about $11, complete with measur-
/ ing stick, and will last a life time. A
timer or mechanic used to repairing
automobile radiators would probably
| be able to construct one for less that