The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1871-09-28
The Climate Of the Lake Region.

bodies OF salt water, like the Atlantic
and Pacific Ocean, have long been un
derstood. The effect of small inland
bodies Of fresh water in ayerting early
auiumual frosts has also been generally
remarked. But, as before intimated,
meteorologists do not seem to have
observed, till recently, that great lakes,
like Michigan and Lake Superior, exert
au Influence in DETECTING The isothermal
lines which is quite comparable with
that exerted by the great oceans them
selves.
These lakes. in truth, are no incou.
siderable representatives of the ocean.
Lake Superior is 460 miles long aud
l60 broad, with depth of 988 feet.
IL has superficial area of $4,000
square miles. ] he State of Massachu
sets might stretch herself out at full
length aud bathe 10 its waters. Even
then there would be room enough for
lthcde Island at her feet aud Conaecti
cut at her head, with Vermont stretched
along her right aud New Hampshire on
her left. You may take oil New Eng
land, excepting Maine, aud hide it
bodily beneath the waters Of this siugle
lake. Lake Michigan is $50 miles long
aud l08 broad, with mean depth Of
900 feet and d. a.superfcial area Of 0,000
square miles. You could sink in this
lake the three States Of New Jersey,
Delaware aud Maryland Lake Huron,
with length OF 270 miles, aud
breadth equal to that OF Lake Superior,
has a mean depth Of 800 feet, a super
fetal extent equal to that of Lake Mich.
igan and would swallow up the whole
kingdom OF Denmark, including the
duches.
You embark upon a seaworthy steam
er at Chicago and travel for 80 hours
without a sight of land and after hav
ing passed the Straits of Maekinaw,
and entered Luke Superior, you may
steam for two days more without reach
ing Superior City or Duluth. The
voyage around the lakes from Buffalo
to Chicago is 1000 miles; and from
Buffalo to Duluth it is LOO miles, or
three.ffths the distance from Newfouud
land to Ireland.
The majesty of the tempest is little
less on the lakes than on the Atlantic,
and the low perpetual moan of the
breaking waves along the beach trans
ports the imaginative listener to Long
Branch or Nahaut. During the sum
nler day they breathe, like the ocean, a
cooling atmosphere on every shore,
while at night the direction of the
breeze is frequently reversed. These
are our interior land aud sea breezes.
To complete tho analogy, our great
inland seas exhibit the fluctuations Of
diminutive but genuine lunar tide.
1t is impossible that such enormous
masses Of water should be materially
elevated above the mean temperature
Of the year by three months of summer
weather, or depressed materially below
it by three months of winter. The
land surface in the same ATTITUDES at.
taius far greater extremes Of cold aud
heat than the lakes. Two reasons exist
for this !: First, watery surfaces absorb
aud radiate more slowly; aud, secondly,
the continued stirring Of the waters by
the winds mixes the surface tempera.
ture through depth OF several hun.
dred feet, while, on the land, the entire
effect is confined to superficial zone Of
about 40 to 80 feet. The normal mean
annual temperature Of the land 10 the
neighborhood Of Milwaukee is 44o, and
this should be about the mean temper
aturc of the water of Lake Michigan.
In summer tho Milwaukee mean rises
to 670, while in winter il sinks to 22o.
The water Of the lake, meanwhile, rises
in summer only to 46o, and sinks 10
winter only to 400. Winds from the
lake, therefore, partaking largely Of the
temperature of the water, must exert a
material influence in equaliziug the land
temperature OF sumner and winter.
still more, in cases of extreme weather.
when the land temperature rises to $50
or sinks to 30o below zero, must the
ameliorating influence Of such vast
body of water, holding itself steadily at
somewhat Uniform temperature, be
" experienced.
lhere is one cause OF the mild TEN
pc,s'ure Oh deep iaAe waters during the
co'a @ season, s:.i wn,cn P'opao,y mas peen
very ,i''ic oonsiuereu' i'aSe niichigan
anu Superior are hea,'y l'ooo ieet 10
aep.n aey 'eaon aoNn toward Tue
'uss.ua, - u.es instance wnlcn, ~
moasu.eu as - .htoas" s"e sol'u crust Of
sI'ta' "a, aou'u c..us IL ssry eoas'uera,
.h J,s ;us,sase ;.a =. ~ssn'a ,:.. op'n tue land
| the iunuence OF climatic exchanges does