Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-03-23
APPRECIATED SYMPATHY.

The promptness with which Dakota
reciprocated to the needs of the blizzard
sufferers of the east moves that great
metropolitan newspaper, the New York
Tribune, to devote fully a half column
of it's editorial space on Thursday last
to Ga graceful acknowledgment of Da-
kotas sympathy and frank admission
of prejudicial opinions regarding this
territory existing in the east. Under the
head of Helping Hand from Dakota
the Tribune says: ..
New York City is not without friends in
her extremity. NJ. H. Jewell of the Cham
ber of Commerce OF Bismarck. Dak., tele-
graphed as follows to Mayor Hewitt: "Bis-
marck stands ready to give substantial aid
to blizzard sufferers Of New York. Let
hearted citizen asks. if we want food or
clothes, or both.
Dakota is entitled to shy stone at us in
friendly way. For New York and the
east generally have been shying stones at
Dakota for long time. We have been so
much in the habit of thinking of that great
he cold snap that we have not realized that
these were the frigid exceptions that proved
the rule of her equally salubrious
and impartial climate. New York
ers would probably be surprised to be told
that large part of the east had worse
climate than Dakota, but an official publi-
cation recently compiled by the commls-
| sioner of immigration there demonstrates
it by the remOrseless statistics of the sig
nal service. He admits that during the
winter months the thermometer sometimes
registers considerable coldness,'' but
aside from this he makes no concessions.
The isothermal line of 400-5Oa mean an
nual temperature, which scoffers have
represented as running in the most oblig-
ing manner through any region where
there is good deal OF land to sell, passes
through the wheat countries of Russia,
Austria and France, and in the United
States goes westward through Harrisburg
ST. Paul, and then passes westward even
north of the northern boundary line of Da-
llota and Montana. The air is so dry that
it is claimed, it never chills as the damp
atmosphere OF the Atlantic states does,
and, taking the average, the range is not
SO low as is commonly supposed: The
mean annual temperature in Dakota. de-
rived from observations during fifteen
years, was 41.5o; in Minnesota during one
year it was 1872 and in New Hampshire
26.5o. In Dakota the mean average for the
three winter months during long period
OL years was ll.So. Inc average tempera-
ture for the six months beginning with Oc-
tober and ending with March, during fif-
| teen years past has been 2l.8o. Much less
| snow falls III Dakota, on the average, than
! in New York. Last winter there was little
more than half as much as in Vermont,
| and there seems to be some disposition to
complain that there is hardly enough for
| sleigh-riding. In 1886 Dakota had
62 cloudy days to 153 in this state,
| 1876 clear days to Is that we enjoyed, and
175 fair days to 1876 for us. The average
annual death rate is only in 166, while
| the average for the whole United States is
nearly three times as great.
| All this being true, we must admit we
have grossly misconceived the climate OF
Dakota Our time has come to be humble
With all the business of this great city
paralyzed, cut off for time from all COM
munication with the rest of the country,
and threatened with famine, New York
is in no position to throw any more stones
at Dakota because some hundred people
perished on the prairies in storm of the
sort which most of us prudently preferred
to watch from inside brownstOne fronts.
If Dakota will send along her provisions
and old clothes, we will accept them, and
meekly put them where they will do the
most good.