The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-02-11

/ uiouuediuo pdCh tutO tHc pdIh. LII COuSe-
quence, the climate of the region is excep-
tional, the amount of SNOW and rainfall
being higher and the mean annual temper
ature lower than over the adjacent country
Unlike the greater part of the Rocky
Mountains, heavy rains occur frequently
through the summer, and snow-storms are
of common occurrence any time between
September and May, the SHOWS lying upon
the ground well into midsummer. The
region is one of the nationss grandest res
ervoirs, sending its waters thousands of
miles to both oceans. A closer examina-
tion of this water supply shows its preser-
vation to be a question of vast economic
interest. Two rivers, the Yellowstone and
Snake, carry off the greater part of these
waters; the former draining more than one
half the area of the Park, and the latter the
entire western side of the divide.
Yellowstone Lake, the great reservoir for
the river which gives its name to the Park,
is a body Of water Of great beauty, measur-
ing twenty miles in length, with breadth
across its greatest expanse of fifteen miles.
1t has very irregular outline, with an in
dented shore of nearly one hundred miles,
and an area of one hundred and twenty-one
square miles Not only is the Yellowstone
by many times the largest lake in North
America at so high an elevation above sea
level (7,74l faet), hut it ranks among the
first in the world at high attitudes. Upon
the western side of the divide, less than six
miles from the Yellowstone, and separated
from it by ridge not more than two hun
dred feet in height, lie Shoshone and Lewis
Lakes; the former with an area of twelve
square miles, and the latter four and one
half square miles. Heart Lake, at the
eastern base of Mt Sheridan, measures
three square miles. These reservoirs pour
their waters into the Snake, which also
finds its source near the southeast corner OF
the park
In the autumn of 1886, with view Of
obtaining some data upon the amount of
discharge, the largest bodies of water were
accurately measured. Not only was the
time selected the dryest period Of the year,
but all lakes and streams stood at a lower
level than at any time during the previous
five years. Yellowstone Lake stood twenty
inches below the high-water mark of early
summer The measurements may be said,
therefore, to have been taken at the mini
mum discharge Measured just below the
outlet of the lake, the discharge of the Yel-
lowstone river was found to be l,52a cubic
feet per second, or, In other words, "a, ,00O,-
900 imperial gallons per hour. The out
flows from Shoshone, Lewis, and Heart
Lakes combined yielded 104 cubic feet per
second. The Lamar, Firehole, Gibbon,
and Madison Rivers we're gauged, and care.
full estimates made Of the Gallatin and
Falls Rivers, based upon the size and flow
of the streams and the area Of the country
drained. According to estimates of DR..
William Hallock of the United States Ge-
illogical Survey, who kindly undertook the
gauging of the streams, was found that the
minimum discharge was equal to one cubic
foot per second per square mile over an
area somewhat more than 1000 square
miles, and that the amount of water runn-
ing into the Park and leaving it through
the FIVE main drainage channels would
make a river five feet deep and enc hun
dred and ninety feet wide, with a current of
three miles per hour. While this may not
indicate large supply as compared with
certain highly favored areas, yet it is for
the arid region of the West an exceptional
and excessive amount.
In an arid and sparsely timbered country
and one of unequally distributed rainfall,
forests and moisture maintain reciprocal
relations. Experience has shown in Europe
and unfortunately already in America, the
injurious effect of disafforesting country
near the head-waters of large rivers. One
instance will suffice to illustrate this pro,
tecting influence of tho forest, The report
Of the recent Forestry Commission of the
State of New York says, speaking of the
sources of the Hudson River, ''that the
summer flow of the Adirondack rivers has
decreased within the memory of men now
living from 80 to so per cent. Many of
the small streams which quarter of a cen
tury ago were abundantly supplied with
water during the entire summer are now
dry during many months.
Remove the forests from the sources of
the Yellowstone and Snake, apd the region
would become barren waste. Thesnows,
under tho scorcbing rays of the sun, would
rapidly disappear, and early spring freshets
aud floods, carrying devastation before them
would strip the rocks bare of the meagre
soil with which they are now covered.
Under the influence of the forests the soil
and vegetation are protected, which in turn
,lat ttnos fha Anxu nd
slowly supplying the springs and streams.
The climatic benefits derived from this for
cst-protected region can scarcely be overes-
timated. From the cool, wet surface of
this broad storehouse of water, the dry
winds coming from the West absorb i'm
mense quantities of moisture, which is again
precipitated over the agricultural and graz
ing lands to the eastward. Not only should
the present reservation be carefully guard
ed, but the area of the Park should be en-
larged to the east and south, so as to take
in a dense forest.region useless for agricul-
tural purposes and destitute of mining re-
sources 1t embraces rough and noun
famous country abounding in streams, the
real sources and feeders of Snake River,
Yellowstone River and Lake.
The proposed increase extends the boun-
daries twenty-five miles to the eastward
and nine miles to the soutward of the pres
ent ill-defned limits, which were establish.
ed at time when the region had been but
little explored. By this enlargement, not
only the entire western slope of the Absa-
roka Range, with its mountain torrents
flowing into the Park, but the timber-lands
near the heads of streams which run east
ward (the waters of which drain into the
Big Horn, an affiuent to the YELLOWSTONE,
will fall within the protected area. To the
southward, on the opposite side of the
Continental divide, the country, although
less rugged, is equally well supplied with
streams, springs, and lakes, whose waters
uniting make broad deep river of the
Snake before it fairly leaves the mountains
for the plain below,
A proposition looking to the enlarge
ment of the National Park has already
been brought before the present Congress
by Senator Vest of Missouri. No obsta-
alo- 1x-;.t - 1oxr ce-as,,et g., r.,ox ,otts,,o.