Thermometer Tower
It is ironic that the new thermometer tower in Baker (Dec. 2) was blown down only a few days before its scheduled dedication. Its 134-foot height was symbolic of the record high temperature of 134 degrees in Death Valley on July 10, 1913.
Exhaustive research has shown that the extremely high maximum temperatures reported in Death Valley in July, 1913, are very untrustworthy. This is based primarily on temperature comparisons with surrounding weather stations and from Death Valley’s own record. Since 1913 its highest reliable temperature reading is only 128 degrees (in July, 1972).
If that isn’t the reason why Mother Nature toppled the tower, then perhaps it is because she prefers the Celsius scale.
WILLIAM T. REID, Woodland Hills
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