Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-05-27


try. Rainfall, except in the rainy sea-
sons Of the winter, and in July and Au-
gust, rarely troubles you. But when it
does come 1t falls In sheets, flooding the
whole land. The wind often impedes
railroad travel, but the greatest delays
occur in the necessity Of keeping the
tracks clear of the drifting sand. Each
railway train carries q complement of
shovels with which the railroad en-
ployes can keep the track clear.
ArizoHs, in its larger features, con-
sists of a series of plateaus varying from
a few hundred to several thousand feet
in height. 1t has one great river, mark
ing its Western line, which, in its
course of 500 miles, presents some of
the most
Marvellous Phys Features
that the world contains. The canyon
system OF the Colorado presents to the
traveller, artist, engineer and scientist
most wonderful and even startling for
nations. The greater portion Of the
canyon system Is within the southern
portion of the region traversed by its
Colorado. That other great feature of
physical geography known as the Colo
RADIO plateau, is almost wholly within
this Territory. 1t occupies the entire
northern half of the great region, and
penetrates the Southern portion, from
which write. The region have trav-
ersed is in the main plateau between
the Sierra Madre proper of Mexico and
that of the Rocky and Sierra Nevada
ranges.
For at least 80 of the 400 miles be-
tween the Fast and the West lines
these open plateaus are from 5000 to
1900 feet high. Through it, east and
west, passes the CHA river until il
reaches the Colorado at Yuma, the ex.
treme western outpost Of the Territory
and the point where you enter Califor-
MIA. The railroad passes south Of the
ella through this open plateau, where
there only few small and narrow
streams. There are, however, great eX-
panses Of mountain intervals or plains.
These are grassy areas on which water
can be obtained at short distances be-
low the surface. Looking south in the
wonderful clearness of the atmosphere
one can from almost any point see the
outlines of mountains 100 miles away
in Mexico. The eye at the same time
takes inthe great gray, grassy plains
that stretch away in every direction,
looking like desert upon which hui
man or animal life could not exist
That they are not such arid plains as
they seem would appear from the fact
that there are thousands of cattle graz.
ing in many places directly south Of
the railroad.
The country does not materially
change in this general complexion I'M
iii you pass west ofIucSOn. 1t presents
the same level, ARID complexion, with
bold, isolated mountain peaks rising
here and therein all directions. They
are all rich in mineral wealth, and
some of them, as about Tombstone,
have developed riches to a surprising
extent. Everything points, in n min.
Ing sense, to the truth of HumbOldt's
dIctum, that Northern Mexico, 0fwhich
this was part at the time he wrote, is
the richest portion Of the earth's sur
face, so far as the precious metals are
concerned.
There is also stretching across this
Territory the largest and richest copper
belt known TO man, except that of the
Michigan Peninsula. At LOrdsburg,
a little settlement Of n couple dozen
frame houses, saw them building n
railroad off across the desert. \ man
" ho got on at the station told me that
il was reaching out to a large copper
mine at Clifton, eighty miles distant,
where an English company was oper-
ating a mine, with a capital Of S3,0OO,-
OOO, and had so long hauled their product
over that distance that they had con-
cluded to build railroad.
The Universal Want of Water.
Agriculture is not one of the great in
dustries of Arizona, and is not likely to
be. Some scientists claim that one.
tenth can be cultivated. 1fthis be true
il is wonderful statement, for you
would not think in viewing the coun.
try, that hundredth part would yield
anything. None Of it can be cultivated
without irrigation, and an Eastern
husbandman would not give one acre Of
the rich soil of the Eastern States for a
farm anywhere here. Yet, wherever
there is u spring, pool or q small
stream, so that water can be found for
irrigation, the land proves fertile he.
yond a dream. To the south, the noun.
tains contain many living springs; to
the north they are barren, harsh and
dry. Everywhere you see the want Of
water. The rich green tints Of nature
in our Northern and Eastern country
are entirely absent here, and the APP
pearance of the whole country is dis
appointing as far as vegetation y con-
cerned. People will not come to Ari-
IONA for farms. Its rich mineral de-
posts will, however, attract capital and
the class of labor that will depend upon
its profits for a living. +. u.