Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14

-v HE Summer of 1890 viii long be re-
membered as "humdinger," when
H heat over half the United States
was violent and continuous, when
our fields and lawns lay parched,
when crops were burned up, when forest hres
ragged and cattle thirsted for water.
When the area affected by the drought, its
length in months and deficiencies in precipi-
tation are considered, it becomes the greatest
drought in the Genealogical history of the
country.
An official report characterizes it thus: up
to August the deficiencies in rainfall in gen.
eral has extended over period of eight months
in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia; hve
months in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Missouri and two months In tennessee,
Arkansas Texas and Oklahoma. The enormity
of the deficiency in water from that normally
received in the form of rain for these II States
for tt months named is shown by calcula-
ton {. at the actual shortage exceeds 100000
100000 tons of water"
1t didn't rain because air currents which
ordinarily flow down the central part of the
country became hayward and gay. They I'M
expectedly took Summer jaunt over Europe
and parts Of Asia-.just why nobody knows.
Heat and drought tend to perpetuate them
selves from day to day and from week TO week.
according to officials of the United States
Wealth. Bureau.
But drought such as that Of 1890 is a much
festations Of Nature. 1t means more than
immediate discomfort and inconvenience. 1t
has long and far-reaehing consequences which
will possibly affect our national life for several
years.
TN geographical area, the drought extended
over more than half of the United States;
broadly speaking, from the Atlantic seaboard
to the Rocky Mountains. That means that
the great corn and wheat growing regions Of
the country were affected During the early
part of the Summer New England did not suf-
fer particularly, but during August the drought
spread out its parching and burning fingers to
close down on the picturesque New England
.hillsides and over New York and Michigan
For once in recent years Florida has had a
real break" There has been enough rainfall
from North Carolina southwark through Ala
bama to the Gulf Coast to keep that area from
feeling the worst effects of the drying and
parching air. The region around the Western
Great Lakes was saved by local conditions, too,
but in general the broad expanse Of country
from Texas and Colorado eastward through
Kentucky, Indiana Ohio illinois, Missouri, Ar
kansas Oklahoma TO the Atlantic seaboard
through Virginia and Maryland and Pennsyl-
wanna has borne the brunt of the worst drought
in the history of the country.
What was the of this devastating
drought?" the one man in Washington who
probably knows most about the why's and
wherefores of weather all over the world was
asked. DR.. w. J. Humphreys, meteorologist
physicist of the United States Weather Bureau,
smiled and gave the typical cautious answer OF
the scientist.
There wasn't any one cause" he said. II
can give you some causes and the causes of
those causes, but finally we win reach point
where there will be cause that We can't ex
plain.
.Bot you know, of course, that rain falls be-
at frof1 inf no air as rp-
suit OF evaporation over both the land and the
ocean Water is evaporated from rivers and
streams from plants and from everything on
til earth When water vapor isn't in the air,