﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  87 
  

  

  further 
  rough 
  guide 
  it 
  remains 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  in 
  case 
  a 
  given 
  

   record 
  does 
  not 
  conform 
  substantially 
  to 
  the 
  foregoing 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   assumed 
  that 
  either 
  the 
  minimum 
  or 
  the 
  maximum, 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  

   may 
  be, 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  occur. 
  Near 
  the 
  seacoast, 
  where 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  

   moisture 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  more 
  nearly 
  constant, 
  there 
  is 
  less 
  variation 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  interior, 
  and 
  the 
  rule 
  that 
  the 
  maximum 
  is 
  double 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  is 
  more 
  generally 
  true. 
  This 
  proposition 
  is 
  also 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  true 
  as 
  regards 
  English 
  meteorology. 
  

  

  Is 
  rainfall 
  increasing 
  f 
  This 
  question 
  has 
  been 
  discussed 
  by 
  

   Prof. 
  Mark 
  W. 
  Harrington, 
  1 
  who, 
  however, 
  reached 
  no 
  very 
  defi- 
  

   nite 
  conclusion, 
  although 
  he 
  is 
  disposed 
  to 
  answer 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  

   negative. 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  discussion 
  followed 
  was 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  

   annual 
  rainfalls 
  to 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  means 
  of 
  each 
  five 
  years. 
  These 
  

   means 
  were 
  entered 
  on 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  maps, 
  .five 
  years 
  apart 
  in 
  

   time, 
  and 
  on 
  these 
  maps 
  were 
  drawn 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  40 
  inches 
  of 
  

   annual 
  rainfall. 
  The 
  question 
  to 
  be 
  determined 
  is, 
  as 
  we 
  draw 
  

   this 
  line 
  for 
  each 
  five-year 
  mean, 
  does 
  it 
  change 
  its 
  position 
  in 
  

   any 
  regular 
  and 
  systematic 
  way? 
  

  

  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  detail 
  shows 
  that 
  while 
  these 
  lines 
  are 
  

   subject 
  to 
  limited 
  fluctuations, 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  uniform 
  or 
  systematic 
  

   fluctuations. 
  The 
  line 
  of 
  equal 
  rainfall 
  for 
  1861-1865 
  occupied 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  same 
  position 
  as 
  the 
  line 
  for 
  1886-1890. 
  The 
  varia- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  sometimes 
  extensive, 
  but 
  without 
  systematic 
  progress. 
  

   Professor 
  Harrington 
  therefore 
  concludes 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  data 
  at 
  

   hand 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  evidence 
  of 
  systematic 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  

   the 
  rainfall. 
  

  

  Relation 
  of 
  rainfall 
  to 
  altitude. 
  This 
  matter 
  has 
  been 
  referred 
  

   to 
  in 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  Mr 
  Noble's 
  paper, 
  Gagings 
  of 
  Cedar 
  River, 
  

   Washington, 
  2 
  where 
  the 
  statement 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  rainfall 
  records 
  show 
  both 
  increase 
  and 
  

   diminution 
  of 
  precipitation 
  with 
  increase 
  of 
  altitude. 
  The 
  

   Hudson 
  river 
  catchment 
  area 
  shows 
  a 
  higher 
  precipitation 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  than 
  it 
  does 
  at 
  its 
  source 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  

  

  1 
  Rainfall 
  and 
  Snow 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Compiled 
  to 
  the 
  End 
  of 
  1891; 
  

   with 
  Annual, 
  Seasonal, 
  Monthly, 
  and 
  other 
  Charts, 
  by 
  Mark 
  W. 
  Harring- 
  

   ton: 
  Bulletin 
  C, 
  Weather 
  Bureau, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

  2 
  Trans, 
  Am. 
  Soc. 
  Civil 
  Eng., 
  Vol. 
  XLI, 
  pp. 
  1-2G. 
  

  

  