The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-03-25
Winter along the pacllc Rail Road.

UluttT uiOuS Duit hsVeNN'
Mr.. w. Milnor Roberts, Chief Engineer
of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in letter
dated February 81, 1878, makes the fol-
lowing authentic statement
On the finished lines across Minnesota,
from Duluth to Fargo, the Road has been
run all winter with remarkable regularity
and freedom from snow difficulties. There
has been less necessary delay on the North
ern Pacific Road this winter than upon the
roads east of it to Chicago and New York.
Considerable snow has fallen in eastern
Minnesota this winter, but there has not
been an unusual amount in the western
part of the State and across Dakota. The
occasional snow fences opposite the excava-
tions have served their purpose we'll
In common with the rest of the country
and with Europe, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa, and the entire Northwest have had
most unusual winter season. There have
been some days of very severe weather, but
it was quite as cold about the same period
in some of the Eastern States.
In January, at Duluth, the thermometer
ranged as follows during the middle of the
day 12o above zero; lowest on the 9th
when it was 50 below zero the highest
22e above, on the Goth. Absolute lowest,
early in the morning of the 2Sth, ,259 below
zero. AT Duluth, in February, to the 10th,
average, 200 above lowest, 16 below
highest, 81 > above zero; absolute lowest
early in the morning of the Cd, 179 below.
AT Fargo, on the western border Of Min
nesota, in the open prairie of Red River
Valley, the range of the thermometer in
January was as follows average g.
above lowest, ice below; highest, 81 .
above zero; absolute lowest, early in the
morning of the 9th, 800 below zero. At
Fargo, in February to the 18th, the av-
highest, 339 above absolute lowest, on the
1st 10o below zero iai
In the Rocky Mountains, east of the
main divide, at Bozeman, near the highest
elevation of the Northern Pacific route,
from the 9th to the 25th of January inclu-
sive, the average temperature was 35o
above zero; lowest, 22e above; highest,
440 above absolute lowest, early in the
morning of the 29d, 169 above zero 1t is
noticeable how much milder the weather
has been at Bozeman, near Fort Ellis, and
and about 5000 feet above the sea, than in
Minnesota and Wisconsin, near the level of
the lakes. The farmers of western Mon
tana began their spring ploughing in the
latter part of January, the winter in that
section being considered over, and the
roads were dry and dusty.
On the western slope of the Rocky Noun
tains, in eastern Washington Territory, the
local papers state that the farmers of Walla
Walla valley were ploughing their fields on
the 28th of January, though the early part
of the winter had been, as elsewhere, un.
usually cold for the region. l.,
The winter climate along the Pacific Di.
vision Of our road, between the Columbia
River and Puget Sound, which is in regular
daily operation, may be inferred from the
fact that at Portland, Oregon, the averag,
temperature of January was 45 above zero
the highest was 5Se and the lowest "a
above. Snow fell on one day, the 2nd, t,
the depth of two and half inches. Gras
has been green throughout the winte
about Puget Sound, and several varieties o
flowers were in bloom out of doors in Jan
uary and February.
Our experience on the finished line, AM
authentic reports from the remainder o
the route, satisfy me that the Norther
Pacific Road, if completed from Lake Su
perior to Puget Sound would have bee
kept in regular operation the entire dis
tance the last winter without difficulty.