THE RAIN | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 3, 1881

THE RAIN.

THE rain-storm, which set in January 28, has been the topic of general remark and newspaper comment during the past week. It is many years since so heavy a rain-fall, extending over so much territory, occurred in California. The most telling effects have been along the Sacramento river and its principal tributaries, the lower San Joaquin, and in the Russian River and Napa valleys; as also down the coast in Santa Cruz county. At Marysville, the water was a foot higher than ever before known. At Placerville, seven and a half inches of rain fell in twenty-four hours. At Napa, also, the river is reported higher than ever before, and much damage occurred to streets, roads, stores, houses, etc. The breaking of levees, destruction of bridges, and washouts on the railroads, are reported from all the places where such disasters generally occur. Trains on the North Pacific railroad, and all its branches, were stopped. Overland trains are again running on the old Livermore route, via Stockton, on account of a slide near Martinez, and track washings north of the river. The Southern Pacific road is the only road not reported as more or less damaged. Santa Cruz county has suffered heavy losses. The Howe Truss railroad bridge was washed into the bay, and the narrow-gauge railroad through the mountains has been greatly damaged by land slides. One locomotive was completely covered by a slide. The casualties are too numerous to mention. At Nevada City, four inches of rain fell in eighteen hours, and twelve inches during the storm, which makes 42.48 inches for the season thus far.

The rain extends high up in the mountains, and much damage to mining interests is the result. In San Francisco, the heavy strain of water in the sewers caused them to give way in many places. The storm gradually decreased toward the southern part of the State, till at San Diego the report stated that it only "threatened" rain. This visitation has been heavy enough and extensive enough, to mark another epoch from which to reckon in gauging future wet spells, and will secure crops in many notably dry localities.