Bismarck weekly tribune., 1884-09-19

-
range is much about the same altitude
with the two general ranges Of mountains ain
some elevated above the general level.
In the winter, when the whole country
is at it's coldest, when the temperature
between the ocean and Cascade range is
just cold enough to coadense and preclp-
itate most of the vapor contained in the
completely satuated atmosphere, the
rainy season sets in here and in Oregon,
similarity situated, and leaves compare
lively little Of the vapor to be precipi-
tated on the prairie regions between the
Cascades and Rockies or still further on
eastward; but when the spring and sum
mer comes on the cold in this timbered
and elevated region ceases and stops the
precipitation. The vapor passes on and
as the air containing it passes over the
broad, naked plains of eastern Washing
ton and Idaho with all their peculiar
adaptation to the ABSORPTION of heat
which it imparts to the atmosphere and
thereby increases it's power of holding
vapor so that the additional elevation is
counterbalanced by the increased heat
and the precipitation does not take place,
but the vapor is elevated with the air and
carried over the mountains, which in this
latitude are very low as compared with
ranges further south, while the extent of
the entire range is altogether inconsider-
able. Thus the air on it's great east
bound circuit passes over the great
watershed dividing the Pacific from the
Atlantic without leaving much of it's well
satuated vapor. After it's descent to the
plains below it's density and temperature
are immensely increased, and with it, it's
ability for the ABSORPTION and holding
additional moisture in the state of vapor,
is increased. The supply for this in
creased adaptation is furnished by the
various mountain streams, lakes, and
rivers which permeate the country be-
tween the mountains and Dakota.
This exuberancy of vapor, when arriv-
ing in Dakota or further north in Mani
toba, comes in contact and commingles
with the cold under currents from Hud-
sons bay or other borean regions and
precipitates the vapor IN the shape of
copious and general rainfalls for the
growth of our marvellous agricultural
productions.
But how do we obtain our heat or
genial warmth, which we have been
| pleased to call Chinook winds ? I will
tell you; but you must have little pa
tience. You must let me say the air is
composed of infnetesimally small globu-
lar particles of matter, composed of
combination of oxygen and nitrogen
gasses in unequal quantities. AS it Or
dinarily exists there are many foreign
substances, as watery vapor, carbonic
acid, dust, animalcul@ and various other
Still the particles of pure air, as gen.
eral thing, are predominant. These par
ticles are matter. having dimension,
weight ana temperature, as much as the
rocks in the hills. These particles Of air,
in passing over the heated water of the
Japan currents in the Pacific ocean, be-
come heated to degree equal to that of
the water over which they pass. They
are subject to the same laws of radiation
of heat or of cooling as other particles
of matter, with this important exception,
hat these particles are all of the same
electric or magnetic status, never attract
ing, ever reslstin5 and never touching
each other, so that the process of cooling
by the simple process of radiation from
each particle, resisted by that Of every
other particle, renders the process very
slow one, and the great ocean composed
of these particles may be forced over
thousands of miles with but very little
diminution in temperature. The parti-
cles of air differ from those of water in
another particular. The latter attract
each other while the former resist each
| OtIlcIs n GuluuU1cl I'LL VI WdGOI WILL uCtcI
occupy, while in state of water, but a
very little more space than that occupied
by the thimble. But a thimblefull of air
will expand and distribute itself so as to
occupy any space not otherw Sc occu-
pied, from the size of n thimble to the
largest cathedral. But the sensitive ef-
feet of these particles, so far as tempera-
ture is concerned, and so far as it's effects
on the bulb of thermometer is con.
cerned, depends entirely on the number
of the particles which are brought into
contact with definite portion of sur
face traversed with sensitive organs or
with the surface of the mercury in the
bulb of the thermometer. in other
words the density of the particles of the
atmosphere regulates the general tenn
perature much more than the isolated
temperature of each particle. Thus a
thousand particles of a given tempera-
ture brought into contact with square
inch of nervous distribution or the bulb