18 



have been accompani'^d with rain ar3 the north'r'ast, the east, and thi' southeast. 

 We have, besides this, had very little rain, not more than one-third as much as 

 commonly falls during; the growing season. 



" Since the year 1854 vre have had four dry seasons, including tlie present, 

 the effect of which has been very deleterious to the forest trees; oaks especially 

 have suffered much. A piece of sound oak timber of recent growth can now 

 scarcely be found at one of our saw-mills. Tlie growing trees die at the top, 

 and the decay gradually extends downwards." 



Colonel W. O. Collins, in command of the United States forces in Nebraska 

 and Idaho, informs us that on his march from Leavenworth to Fort Laramie, 

 in September, "the greatest trouble was lack of water, especially upon the 

 main Platte, being, as it was, entirely dry from near the junction of the north 

 and south forks, for perhaps one hundred and fifty miles. With four hundred 

 and fifty men, and nearly seven hundred horses and mules, it was a serious 

 matter, as we had no other means of getting water but digging holes in the bed 

 of the river, and inserting boxes and barrels to keep out the quicksand. The 

 water was generally found very near the surface, and was abundant and good. 

 This entire drying up of the Platte is said by some never to have occurred 

 before, though some mountaineers claim that it was equally dry about twenty 

 years since. It is a peculiarity of all mountain streams in this section that 

 they run strongly near their sources, and diminish across the plain. The causes 

 are evaporation, sinking in the sand, and receiving no help from rains or tribu- 

 taries." 



During October the mean height of the barometer at Providence, 11. I., was 

 nearly tu-o-tentha of an inch higher than the average of sixteen Octobers ; 

 maximum, 30.6-50 on the 29th ; minimum, 29.864 on the 3d ; range, 0.786. 



The mean temperature of the month was 51^.4, or eight-tenths of a degree 

 above the average of thirty-two Octobers ; maximum, 72*^ on the 1st and 15th ; 

 minimum, 29^ on the 27th and 29th; range, 43^. The Avarmest October in 

 thirty-two years was that of 1838 — mean, 54^^.5 ; the coldest that of 1836 — 

 mean, 48^.4. 



Rain fell on eight days, viz., 3d, 4th, 7th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 19th, and 24th; 

 total, 2.97 inches, or 0.37 of an inch below the average for thirty-two years. 



The average fall of rain from the 1st of January to the 1st of November, for 

 a period of thirty-two years, is 34.46 inches ; this year the quantity is 41.05 

 inches, which is 6.59 inches above the average for this period. 



The prevailing winds came from some point between the north and east 

 seven days ; between the east and south eleven ; between the south and west 

 nine ; between the west and north four. 



The relative humidity was 80.9, (the complete saturation of the atmosphere 

 being represented by 100,) which is exactly the same as last October. 



On the 26th there was a Mack frost, the first of the season to injure delicate 

 plants on College Hill. In shallow vessels ice was formed the thickness of 

 window glass. 



At Newark, New Jersey, the month was colder than usual, only three Octo- 

 bers of the last twenty years having a lower mean temperature. The amount 

 of rain was about equal to the average for a series of years. 



The observer at Lyons, loAva, says it has been a cold, stormy, wet October, 

 with few ])leasant days. There has been a frost on the ground nearly every 

 morning of the month, with some hard freezes. 



SNOW. 



On Sunday night, October 18, there was a smart shower of hail in the valley, 

 and at daylight on Monday the mountains east and west wore a good sprinkling 

 jf snoAV, the first of the season. — Deseret News, October 21, 1863. 



