Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-24
A WARNING
To Those Contemplating a Westward
Move This Spring.

Cincinnati Enquirer,l
An awful trap is being set for credu-
lous emigrants. Thousands of these
emigrants are settling west of the rain
belt, and they don't know it. oThey
are going out too far on the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe, the Kansas
Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the
Northern Paeifee railroads.
Where is the drought line ?" asks
the reader.
Draw a line from Austin. Texas.
to Bismarck, ID. T., on the Northern
Pacific, and all west of that line is
the drought country. Five years out Of
eight, crops will entirely fail west OF
this line. Last year was an exception
to the rule; and this is why so many
emigrants are venturing too far west
this year, The landmarks are de-
ceiving them, and are pushing a vast
army Of ~emigrants into a famine re
gion.
What makes this region west Of
the hundredth parallel a desert-re-
gion ?"
Because it rains just as much wa
ter as there is water e~vaporated each
year. If it rained more water than is
e%vaporated, it would u down into
the ocean, and the land would soon be
covered with water. Rains run to the
ocean in rivers, and the air eyaporates
the water of the ocean and carries il
inland. Clouds form rainfalls, and
back goes the water on to the earth,
then into the ocean again. Now, be-
fore the air from the gulf or ocean
reaches Bismarck, or the middle Of
Nebraska or Kansas, this wet all
which started from the ocean becomes
dry. There is no water in it the
water has all fallen out of it in rain.
and it has run back to the sea"
But why is San Antonio subject to
drought when it is so close to the
gulf?"
Because the air of San Antonio.
on the Staked Plains in Texas and in
Arizona, comes up through Mexico.
1t is dry before it starts. 1t does not
come from the gulf. Mexico is hot.
A perpetual current Of hot, dry ali
blows over Mexico, and fans Arizona,
New Mexico, Utah and Colorado with
atmosphere as dry as wind from the
Desert of Sahara. This dry air-cur
rent, blowing up from Mexico and
Arizona strikes the high mountains
in Colorado. Here, in the center
of the continent, within seventy
five miles of Pixies Peak, are
the source of the Red, Col
.orado, Rio Grande, Arkansas
and Missouri rivers. This is
the backbone Of North America. The
high, cold peaks condense any moist
ure that there might be in the air
coming up from the south, and makes
it into snow. Then this cold, dry all
PASSES on up the center of the CONT
nent, making a perpetual desert. 1t
prevents any damp air from coming
east of the one hundredth parallel,
When we reach the Northern Pacific
and Manitoba, another current Of
wind-a damp current-blows from
the Pacific ocean. There is no desert
there, where the Pacific wind heads
off the wind from Mexico.
"Now, | say, thousands of innocent
emigrants have taken up farms during
the last year west Of the rain parallel
Of course they will be ruined, and
you will see them coming back broken.
hearted and discouraged"
Will it always be a desert west Of
the one hundredth parallel
Yes, until the Almighty changes
the course of the winds, takes dowr
the mountain peaks, and stops tbt
clouds from raining all their water GU
in the East before they get out to the
desert" ELI PERKINS.