The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-02-08
FROM THE NORTHWEST.
Corrcspondence OF the Star. n

at present favored with; but at any rate
1 should like to try conclusions in that
regard with the condition Of things up
here some four hundred miles northwest
Of Chicago, and where we are generally
supposed by the outside world to some
how "exfst" in a steady atmosphere
represented by 80 deg. below, with snow
sundry feet deep on level.
But think OF the past week-like April
weather in the Valley OF the Ohio; our.
sIelghing all gone, so that wheeled We
hicle are seen everywhere; the roosters
out OF a morning growing like mad, and
to crown all, the farmers bringing in
their plows to get ready in time for pos :
sible turning over the soil early next
month. And along with all this, the
cEearest skies, the steadest, bright
weather for days past, carpenters on
all sides at work putting up new houses,
and literally, in such shot haste" to get
ahead, that the stone foundations of
house block or 80 off from where l am
writing were laid couple OF weeks ago
in mortar made with hot water IRON u
huge cauldron steaming away close by.
for you.
The truth is, there is no matter less
understood i'll this whole country than
this of our climate, away up here in the
| Northwest. When l came here, seven
years ago, must confess did 80 with
some awful mlsgivings as to what
Minnesota winter might do. l had seen
and shaken hands with some OF DR..
Kane's returned Arctic heroes, and on
my arrival here l looked with curiosity
and a marvellous degree OF respect on
every child l passed In the streets, as
they, having already spent winters here,
Icouiu only be 30 many infantile DR..
kane's impersonations of solid endur-
ance. "Could mine and myself stand
itr" that was the vital question
Well, winter came, but all the fall, l
had been trying to uevise some way OF
getting the well out in the yard under
cover; by some means to attach 1t by a
shed, or passage way to the house. l
thought that with the mercury at thirty
or tOrty ''below," it would be death
or nearly SO, to go tor bucket of water
The matter was neglected however,
Iweek by week, until winter was upon
us; and then finally at sunrise one
December morning, was out of doors
lor water.
forth, bucket in hand, cold, to be sure,
but 50 sill. The smoke was going up
straight into the air, for feather would
have fallen vertically to the ground, and
all over The city the smoke looking gold
en- in the bright sunlight was spreading
from each individual chimney, like the
TOP OF Italian pine trees, TO canopy the
place.
Wrapped In admiration at the beauty
of the scene, l stood at the well for a
minute or 80 bareheaded and bare
handed, wondering at the seeming soft
ness oil the air wnen In and about the well
were evidences Of plenty Of extreme
cold. Recurring to what l had been
told by old residents here of the decep-
live appearance of things in this far
away north, L stepped to where the
thermometer hung in the porch, and
there l learned to my amazement that 1T
was little more than 81 deg. below
zero; and let me add have not
DIRE AIDED Minnesota winter since.
The air here is commonly SO dry
and bracing, that, unless the WIND is
Dlowing--and here it is only in the year,
81 against 2.96 tor New YORK City.
263 t0r Maine, or 2.09 lor Kansas-the
air is absolutely soft 10 the skin; and on
the memorable morning l walked a
ungloved hands by way of fairly testing
the air l had formerly 80 much dreaded
i The iall of snow here this winter has
not been over three inches at any one
time, and The whole snow fall not over a
single foot, falling one or TWO Inches at
a Time, and in The outset on hard
smooth earth surface, we have never
had finer sleighiug here than this win
ter, up to WITHIN week just passed.
BY the way, this city mas It's regular
sleigh races in pleasant weather, and in
q manner to asLonish the newcomer.
Althou sh unusual speed on our streets
is barely wlnked at by municipal regu-
lations ana tolerance, after vain at
tempts OF the "slow coaches" amongst
our people to put it down as dang
lyet every tine afternoon when the
Isleighlng Is good sees Tenth street
and when that is worn out some Other
gay and crowded with expensive "rigs,"
Iaden with the fair o. the city and their
escorts, and such apparently mad rae
ing as goes ON from about 3 7. NJ. until
sunset, is sight worth witnessing,
tor the reason tnat most OF our horses
are impol ted into the State from below,
and tnat 1t costs as mucl to transport u
| ltilty-doIlar.nag as q hundred- Iol ar
three-minute-one, almost only superior
nOfSeS lOr uFlVluB on Lne roau are
brought here. Tue result is there are
more extra fast horses here than in any
city approximating its size ever knew,
and as no vehicle equals a sleigh for
| speed, ease and safety in quick work,
The impromplu selection every instant
of competitors, and flying from end to
end OF broad street hall mile long,
and dead level, the quick sleigh-loaus
IN wing up and down each margin to
leave the center free Tor the competing
nags, would make-could they see it
The eyes OF the racing fraternity OF Long
Branch or Saratoga, sparkle.
Talk about lie i'll lower iatitudes! No
one who has not seen it can imagine the
very live character of the peopie up here
where winter shows its activities at the
highest pressure; shown, too, in the
character of the iaborious occupations
on aft sides, five thousand men of this
one city representing the labor of the
Z lumbermen now up in tue ''Pineries"-
these men being engaged in cutting logs
and getting them ready for the mills here
at the spring treshets.
| And all tremendous activity and win
ter work goes forward because, III part,
snow is such an agency in making the
rough ways SMOOTH" and affording other