The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-03
OUR PACIFIC EMPIRE.
Geographical Features or the Nort.>vestern
Territories-The Northern Route for Lhe Pm
cific Railroad-.s the Climate too Gotta.

LECTURE OF THE HON. ISAAC J. STEVENS BEFORE
THE NEW YORK BIOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL
SOCIETY.
One of the most interesting, instructive and va'nabo
lectures which has been given ibis city lie.
lvercd last evening before the Geographical and Stat
cal Society the lecture hail OF the Historical Society.
The weather very unfavorable, and the audience,
therefore, not as large it otherwise would have
been but may be gratifying TO those who desire to hear
Mr. Stevens know that he has consented deliver il
again at some future day, at the request OF the Society
The Rev. DR.. Hawks presided Before the lecture the
ordinary business of the Society was transacted The
pert OF the Treasurer stated that the receipts during the
last twelve months amounted to 81 FOG 93 and the dis
bursemens 81 665 os leaving balance the treasury
Of Sal 85,
The following officers elected the ensuing year
President, Rev. Francis L. Hawks, ID, LID Vice Pre-
sdents, Henry Grinne Esq, Archibald Russell, ESQ.,
Rev j. r. Thompson, DID, Foreign Corresponding Secre
tary John jay Domestic Corresponding Secretary Mar
shall leerts; Recording Secretary, James W eekman
Treasurer Frederick A. Conkng; Librarian, Egbert H.
Vele; Council, Henry f. Pierrepont Henry v Poor Hi
Barney George Folsom, Charles p. DAILY Frederic
Prime, Daniel Noyes, Joseph Varnum, Jr, Robert b.
Minturp, Jr,
When the business of the meeting had been transacted
the President introduced the lecturer TO tho audience
After referring to the wonderful progress OF the great North
west during the last tvc years and to the early expora
ons which had been made that part of country he
entered in detail INTO Iteration of the geographical
coast we have SAID he the most extraordinary series Of
harbors and oadeads in the world while the forests
have an inc ezbausble supply Of lumber and spars The
coast fisheries Of cod and haba stretch from the mouth
of the Columbia to Vancouvers Island. There coal TO
be found along Puget Sound, and men who have prac
cal knowledge Of it will do for river navigation
and Of the opinion that will be found suitable for
steamers. In regard 10 the spars may add that
we have sent three large vessels loaded with them for the
French and English naves and their inspectors pro-
nounced them the best and the soundes spars they
The climate Of the country along Puget Sound
and Columbia river is mild that there ice in the
winter the people have TO send to Ska the Russian
possessions for their supply The farmer has from Septe
Der to March to SOW his wheat and the poor man who
goes out there will have with six months Of seed time
large harvest The summer is without rain that the
grain never mildews rusts. East of the Cascade
Mountains have vast pastoral and agricultural
try which only requires the simple labor Of TO pro-
duce in the greatest abundance. Father DE Sno the
Jesuit missionary--a man whose name is a tower OF
strength and fath-has stated emphaticay that that
whole country rs rich IN mineral wealth You familiar
with the fact that the jesuit missionaries Of great
mteligence-men Of high scientific a'iainments. They
have great practical knowledge of the country and In
that region most admirable farmers II is rather De
Smct and the other good fathers who have labored
hard among the Indians, and who have endured
cold and hunger and contumey, that they might do
Christian work among those savages. They are the
witnesses who give evidence IN regard 10 the mineral
wealth of this country and s agricultural capacity II Is
grateful duty for TO perform in this presence
my humble testimony to their services. (Applause)
The lecturer here went into consideration OF the subject
Of the Pacific Railroad and the character OF the climate
along the route whh be proposed The great objection
winter, objection which he conended not based
facts He then proceeded TO prove by observations made
different points, that the winter much milder than
supposed and than has been stated
The mean winter temperature at Fort Benton, said he,
IN ls53-4 was Is deg 3s min above zero The average
al Montreal, the Grand Trunk Railroad for the
year, 10 der. y min, and for OF years II
deg 80 min. above Al Quebec in SO and 81
II deg o3 above zcro and for a of years
i3 deg 80 min above zero ON the great Russian rail
read trom St Petersburg TO Moscow, the comparison
very similar The mean winter temperature for a series
u > mt and
at st Petersburg for mean OF twenty i've years ls deg
10 min. ahov, zero
from 81. Paul 10 Pcmbna and from st. Paul 20 Breckn-
ridge, actually process OF construction, the
winter temperature of 1853 and 1854 III deg ~ mn
and the OF thirty hvc winters 10 deg 10 above
Thus IN the winter of 1s53'5t, unusually cold
IA deg warner than Quebec Il deg warmer than Fort
smelling 10 deg. warmer than Moscow, and deg
than 81 Petersburg Looking 70 the Bitter Root Valley
end average temperature the winter OF 1883 "a
"a deg 90 mn and 10 1s5455 10 deg 30 min above zero
making for the two winters respectively 10 degrees and
15 deg than Moscow and degrees and deg
than at 81 Petersburg, IL degrees than
at Montreal aud IL degrees than Quebec. But
will no, content myself with giving you the average
winter temperatures Let consider the greatest cold
observed The greatest cold during the lsb3-64
Was 20 degrees below at Cantonment Stevens Al
Fort smelling 1t 36 degrees Montreal "a degrees,
aud al Quebec 20 degrees below zero from which YOU
will that this route the greatest cold IL not equal
10 the greatest cold on the route a the Grand Trunk
railroad Of Canada Tho act is unqucstonaby true
of the great artery Of Russia from Moscow 10 81 Peters
burg but have no, been able 70 obtain the daily obser
vstions for purposes Of oomlsriscn We viii look at u
in another point Take the number Of cold days
whsn the average temperature was below The
temperature WAS below zero twelve days ~ Fort
Benton, ten days ~ Cantonment Stevens eighteen
Gays nj Fort smelling, eighteen days al Montreal.
and twenty three days at Quebec. 1hus yoa will
that there were more cold days On tho
line o. the Grand Trunk Railroad and the roads In
Minnesota than tbs Northern route Having compared
the average winter temperatures and The number Of cold
days let ook at the climate another POINT ~ view
take The number ~ days when The average tempe
nature above resyng point, and find that the thcr
momcer at Fort Ecnton forty three out ~ ninety
days and at Canonmen, stevens thirty Of ninety
days above the free ng point against only six days out
ninety a ,o,, an sseilas, , n ne & days & o.. q nnsy 1
teen days out of ninety at Albany all the winter q 1889
| and 1854
ton and Cantonmcn Stevens ~ not the measure, Of the
temperature q the intermediate rocky range through
which the passes and which must be much lower
fortunately the party o iAeu Grover, which has been
already referred 90 in connection with the depth Of snew
made observations o temperature on The route and has
been found by careful comparison That the party made
| the passage during The extreme cold weather Of
that winter, and the temperatures observed there
fore, inGicaie the extemest cold Of the pass
| and not the usual cold A very intelligent young
man who accompanied Iieut. Grover from fort Ben
ton 20 Fort Oven returned Immediately, and found the
weather very mild and pleasant the pass correspond
ng to Nc observed temperatures AZ Fort Benton and Can
.onment stevens Tho mean temperature IN the pass
from January ~ TO January 23twcivc ds 10 10
degrees below ycro; ~ cantnnment Stevens the
temperature So below st Fort Benton 10
Ihe gfsafFf cold ~ observed
10 the pass ~ degrees against "a degrees Fort Shell
irg, and eth lower 1gure ~ Pcmbino. The fact
| that the winter o. e3-54 unusually cold in tho
mountain regon Of the northern route shown the
fact thai the Bitter Root Valley the thermometer
went done 70 N the winter Of s. IS, while Zen
low 30 degrees below 10 the winter &C 90 Sd
The average temperature of this valley the winter
q bS % was sssO, whereas IN - % a 30.30 The
same general result, determined by observation, AZ re-
CARDS the temperature Of the pass would be arrived at
w using the formula that every 600 feet in altitude
would dcpress the temperature three degrees Nov
nvc milcs q the pass than nvc thousand feet
above The the greatest altitude being but 6044 feet
and tho height of the but about four thou
sand feet. The cold Of the pass-consdernC sim
ply les miles Of the distance where the altitude
exceeds three thousand fect-will bc only from
and ha degrees colder than tina Fort Benton
Gentcmcn-Continued the iectnTcr--it does
that these facts drawn from official records every ~
them entirely reliable. ought settle FOR ever this
question whch has been raised pfeludCal 10 this
route that IL will be obstructed by snow ia cold
weather. wby, sir, successful has been Tho great
railroad from Moscow 20 St Petersburg. that they
pushing railroads u all directions running
them regions truly siberian. crossing tracks where
for three mcnths the thermometer never rises above