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British Rainfall 1895 page 15
Jubilee of Seathwaite
Rainfall Station
SEATHWAITE'S JUBILEE, 1845-94.
This event ought properly to have been announced in our last
volume, but it was impossible to prepare the tables in time.
In British Rainfall, 1867, I wrote an article of nine
pages (with a map) on the "Origin, progress, and present
state of our knowledge of the rainfall in the Lake
District." That article need not be reprinted, but, as those
early volumes are scarce, will be quoted from rather than
referred to.
Another preliminary remark: Seathwaite was but one of Dr.
Miller's stations; in considering the rainfall at
Seathwaite, we are naturally tempted to refer to that at
surrounding stations; but to discuss all the Lake District
observations would be a heavy task, and therefore this
year's notice will be limited to the record of what has been
done in the little hamlet of Seathwaite.
HISTORY OF THE STATION.
It is not now possible to ascertain the whole details with
precision.
Dr. J. Fletcher Miller, F.R.S. resided at Whitehaven, and in
1833 began to keep a meteorological register. Ten years
later he became specially interested in the distribution of
rainfall; in November, 1843, he started a gauge in
Ennerdale. It broke down, and in June of the following year
he renewed it, and established six other stations; and in
January of 1845 we have the first return for Seathwaite,
commencing the record which is now in its 52nd year.
Most probably the reason for the starting of this record,
was the residence there of Mr. John Dixon, who was the agent
for the Borrowdale Plumbago Mine, and in the garden of whose
cottage the gauge remained the whole time.
Dr. Miller's mountain gauges were abandoned in 1853, he
himself died in 1856, and at that time few took any interest
in the rainfall of the district except Mr. Dixon, who went
on with the Seathwaite record until a revival took place
about 1863; and to the time of his death in 1866 rainfall
owes much to the interest taken in it by Mr. Dixon. Since
about 1863, there have been several observers, and small
payments have been made in consideration of extra
observations and of additional work.
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