In Southwestern Assam. It is the wettest place in the world. 905 inches. In 1861 the rainfall there reached Greatest Altitude in Each State. FROM THE RECORDS OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. The lowest point of dry land in the United States is in Death Valley, Cal., 276 feet below sea level. NOTE-The above table was prepared for THE WORLD ALMANAC by the Topographic branch of the United States Geological Survey. It should be stated in connection with this table that it presents only points whose heights are matters of record, and that in several cases in the high mountain region of the far West and the Pacific Slope it is well known that there are higher points within the State or Territory whose heights are not yet known with accuracy, and consequently cannot be given. This table was revised by the United States Geological Survey to September 1, 1912. 72 The Ancient and Modern Year. Weather Flags OF THE WEATHER BUREAU, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THE Weather Bureau furnishes, when practicable, for the benefit of all interests dependent upon weather conditions, the "Forecasts' which are prepared daily at the Central Office in Washington, D. C., and certain designated stations. These forecasts are telegraphed to stations of the Weather Bureau, railway officials, postmasters, and many others, to be communicated to the public by telegraph, telephone and mail or by means of flags or steam whistles. The flags adopted for this purpose are five in number, and of the fowns and colors indicated below: No. 1. White Flag. EXPLANATION OF WEATHER FLAGS. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. Blue Flag. White and Blue Flag. Black Triangular Flag. White Flag with black square in Fair weather. Rain or snow. Local rain or snow. Temperature. centre. Cold wave. When number 4 is placed above number 1, 2, or 3, it indicates warmer; when below, colder; when not displayed, the temperature is expected to remain about stationary. During the late Spring and early Fall the cold-wave flag is also used to indicate anticipated frosts. WHISTLE SIGNALS. A warning blast of from fifteen to twenty seconds' duration is sounded to attract attention. After this warning the longer blasts (of from four to six seconds duration) refer to weather, and shorter blasts (of from one to three seconds duration) refer to temperature; those for weather are sounded first. By repeating each combination a few times, with intervals of ten seconds, liability to error in reading the signals may be avoided. As far as practicable the forecast messages are telegraphed at the expense of the Weather Bureau; but if this is impracticable, they are furnished at the regular commercial rates and sent "collect.'' In no case are the forecasts sent to a second address in any place, except at the expense of the applicant. Persons desiring to display the flags or sound the whistle signals for the benefit of the public should communicate with the Weather Bureau officials in charge of the central stations of their respective States, which are as follows: The Ancient and Modern Year. THE Athenians began the year in June, the Macedonians in September, the Romans first in March and afterward in January, the Persians on August 11, the ancient Mexicans on February 23, the Mohammedans in July. The Chinese year, which begins early in February, is similar to the Mohammedan in having 12 months of 29 and 30 days alternately; but in every nineteen years there are seven years which have 13 months. This is not quite correct, and the Chinese have therefore formed a cycle of 60 years, in which period 22 intercalary months occur. Small Craft, Storm and Hurricane Warnings OF THE WEATHER BUREAU, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. All square flags shown here are red with black centre when displayed as warnings. Small craft, Storm. Hurricane. Small Craft Warning-A red pennant indicates that moderately strong winds are expected. Storm Warning-A red flag with a black centre indicates that a storm of marked violence is expected. The pennants displayed with the flags indicate the direction of the wind; white, westerly; red, easterly. The pennant above the flag indicates that the wind is expected to blow from the. northerly quadrants; below, from the southerly quadrants. By night a red light indicates easterly winds, and a white light below a red light westerly winds. Hurricane Warning-Two red flags with black centres, displayed one above the other, indicate the expected approach of a tropical hurricane, and also one of those extremely severe and dangerous storms which occasionally move across the Lakes and Northern Atlantic coast, Neither small eraft nor hurricane warnings are displayed at night. Velocity of Winds in the United States. AVERAGE hourly velocity of the wind at selected stations of the United States Weather Bureau, also the highest velocity ever reported for a period of five minutes. (Prepared by W. L. Moore, Chief of the U. S. Weather Bureau, and revised to January 1, 1912, for THE WORLD ALMANAC.) STATIONS. Fourly Velocity, Highest Anemometer blew away,at a velocity of 84 miles per hour, September,1900. †Stations discontinued. STANDARD TABLE SHOWING VELOCITY AND FORCE OF WINDS. 60 50 75 54 75 66 83 Average 69966666 Hourly 66 68 88 Velocity. Highest Ever Reported. ΜΙ 69 60 8 60 Loss by Lightning in the United States. THE Weather Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture in October, 1900, issued a bulletin giving these facts: In 1899 the total number of strokes of lightning which caused damage was 5.527; number of buildings injured, 6,256; value of property lost, $3,016,520; number of deaths by lightning during the year. 563; number of persons injured, 820; number of live stock killed in the fields, 4,251; value, $129,955. These are the latest available statistics. The Chronicle Fire Tables record 3,012 fires caused by lightning in the United States in 1902, the property loss occasioned thereby being $3,396,810. These are the latest reported statistics on the subject. High-Tide Tables FOR GOVERNOR'S ISLAND (NEW YORK HARBOR). [(Specially prepared from the Tide-Tables of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for THE WORLD ALMANAC.) HIGH-TIDE TABLES-Continued. TIME OF HIGH WATER AT POINTS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST. The local time of high water at the following places may be found approximately for each day by adding to or subtracting from the time of high water at Governor's Island, N. Y., the hours and minutes annexed, EXAMPLE-To find the approximate time of high tide at Atlantic city, N. J., on any day, find first the time of high water at New York under the desired date, and then subtract 20 minutes, as in the above table; the result is the time of high water required. United States Steamboat Enspection Service. THE Steamboat Inspection Service, by act of Congress approved February 14, 1903, was transferred from the Treasury Department to the Department of Commerce and Labor. The transfer went into effect July 1, 1903. The Supervising Inspector-General of the Steamboat Inspection Service, George Uhler, reported to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1912: Number of annual certificates of inspection issued to domestic steam, motor, sail vessels, and barges, 7,398; number of certificates issued to foreign steamers, 438; total number of annual certificates of inspection issued to domestic and foreign, 7,836. Decrease in number of certificates to domestic vessels from previous year, 469; decrease in number of certificates to foreign vessels from previous year, 30, decrease in number of certificates of all kinds of vessels from previous year, 499. Gross tonnage of domestic vessels, all kinds, inspected, 5,370,375; gross tonnage of foreign steamers inspected, 3.384,905. Increase in gross tonnage of foreign steam vessels inspected over previous year. 54,638. Increase in tonnage of all kinds domestic vessels inspected over previous year. 205,656. Number of officers' licenses issued, 14.030. Increase in number of officers' licenses issued over previous year, 24. Number of new life-preservers inspected, 244, 565, of which number 2,750 were rejected. Increase in number of new life-preservers inspected over previous year, 34, 306. Increase in number of life-preservers rejected over previous year, 2,020. Number of marine boiler plates inspected at the mills by assistant inspectors, 3.786, being a decrease in number inspected from previous year of 130. Number of applicants examined for color blindness, 7,616, of which number 206 were found color-blind and rejected and 7,410 were passed. Increase in number of applicants examined over previous year, 6,299. Increase in number of applicants passed over previous year, 6,123. Decrease in number of accidents from previous year, 9, Decrease in number of lives lost from previous year, 128, |