﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  91 
  

  

  altitude 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  universal. 
  The 
  writer 
  can 
  not 
  say 
  posi- 
  

   tively, 
  because 
  he 
  has 
  not 
  examined 
  the 
  vast 
  number 
  of 
  records 
  

   with 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  point, 
  but 
  he 
  thinks 
  it 
  quite 
  possible 
  that 
  

   the 
  reverse 
  is 
  more 
  nearly 
  true. 
  That 
  is, 
  owing 
  to 
  distance 
  from 
  

   the 
  ocean, 
  prevailing 
  direction 
  of 
  wind, 
  and 
  other 
  causes, 
  it 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  country 
  precipitation 
  decreases 
  with 
  

   higher 
  altitude 
  rather 
  than 
  increases. 
  

  

  The 
  decision 
  of 
  this 
  question 
  will 
  depend 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  upon 
  

   steepness 
  of 
  ascent. 
  Thus 
  on 
  Mount 
  Washington, 
  which 
  is 
  

   projected 
  into 
  the 
  air 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  surrounding 
  mountains, 
  the 
  

   rainfall 
  is 
  about 
  83 
  inches. 
  In 
  other 
  cases, 
  where 
  the 
  ascent 
  is 
  

   gradual, 
  no 
  increase 
  is 
  apparent. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  also 
  frequently 
  

   true 
  of 
  sharp 
  ascents. 
  On 
  Longs 
  Peak, 
  in 
  Colorado 
  (elevation 
  

   14,271 
  feet,) 
  the 
  rainfall 
  in 
  1899 
  was 
  16.7 
  inches. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  mostly 
  avoided 
  comparatively 
  small 
  

   differences 
  in 
  rainfall 
  — 
  those 
  not 
  exceeding 
  2 
  to 
  2.5 
  inches. 
  In 
  

   such 
  cases 
  the 
  difference 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  be 
  any 
  certain 
  guide. 
  

   Specially 
  is 
  this 
  true 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  plateau, 
  where 
  

   there 
  is 
  still 
  a 
  great 
  lack 
  of 
  stations. 
  The 
  differences 
  between 
  

   high 
  altitudes 
  and 
  low 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  inches. 
  Again, 
  

   whether 
  the 
  excess 
  rainfall 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  or 
  summer 
  

   months 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  account. 
  If 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  summer, 
  

   even 
  3 
  inches 
  of 
  rainfall 
  may 
  not 
  make 
  more 
  than 
  0.1 
  or 
  0.2 
  inch 
  

   in 
  the 
  stream. 
  Rainfall 
  and 
  runoff 
  observations 
  are 
  not 
  yet, 
  nor 
  

   are 
  they 
  likely 
  to 
  ever 
  be, 
  definite 
  enough 
  to 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  

   an 
  annual 
  difference 
  of 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  about 
  1 
  to 
  1.5 
  inches. 
  

   Again, 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  ceased 
  to 
  be 
  excessively 
  particular 
  about 
  

   the 
  total 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  rainfall. 
  Assuming 
  some 
  considerable 
  

   length 
  of 
  record, 
  small 
  errors 
  have 
  relatively 
  slight 
  effect. 
  This 
  

   matter 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  here 
  because 
  nearly 
  all 
  rainfall 
  records 
  — 
  

   at 
  any 
  rate 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  — 
  have 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  error 
  in 
  them, 
  

   and 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  have 
  records 
  as 
  reliable 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   a 
  few 
  errors 
  do 
  not 
  affect 
  a 
  record 
  very 
  seriously. 
  It 
  is 
  neverthe- 
  

   less 
  very 
  desirable 
  to 
  know 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  record 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   insure 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  confidence 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  