Wichita eagle., 1890-01-22

1 IN the southwest corner of the state
This favored spot Is blest with climat
that is exceptionally fine. While muci
may truthfully be said favorablv of the
climate of the entire gulf coast. it j:
nevertheless true, that this favored spo
surpasses all other portions of the south
and I verify believe any other part O
America in the delightfulness of its eli
mate. Having resided here nearly two
years, and having diligently inquired o.
the oldest inhabitants, think l am pre-
pared to discuss this subject intelligently
And first l ask why is this particular
| one hundred miles square more foyored
| than any other section of equal extent il
| the same latitude? I will give you some
of the physical causes that, in my Judg
ment, produce this result. 1st. The
Gulf of Mexico reaches its northermost
latitude west Of the Mississippi river on
the coast of southwest Louisiana. I'd.
The inner gulf stream, q stream with q
current Of two to three miles
an hour, flowing parallel with
the coast, makes its nearest ap-
proach to the land at the mouth of Cal
casieu pass. This brings the warm wa
ter Of the south to our shores, tempering
the atmosphere as it comes in contact
with it. Sd. Large bodies of water in
the form of lakes are distributed along
the coast from five to forty miles inland.
These bodies of water, connected with
the gulf, as they are, tend to modify the
atmosphere, cooling it in summer and
warming it in winter. And as the sun
heats and rarifies the air on land the air
that has become cooled by contact with
tho inland tn fill tho
vacuum, thus producing a constant sue
cession of delightful breezes, which
reach inland about one hundred miles.
Then north of this region, which is most
ly prairie, stretches vast forest of state
ly pine, magnificent oak, beautifulpecan
and tall hickory, with many shrubs and
smaller trees in the intermediate spaces.
This forest reaches up through this state
and Arkansas to the Missouri line, where
it has in its front as a line of breast
works against the northern billiards., the
Ozark mountains.
Whoever has tried the experiment of
getting behind barn for shelter from
the cutting wind on cold morning in
the north. and has then stepped out
from behind the barn and felt the keen
wind strike him with its biting breath,
can understand our situation while
sheltered behind the great natur-
al barrier composed of the great
forests and mountains: and can under
stand how it is that we enjoy better
climate than our neighbors who are
from behind the shelter When the
blizzard from Minnesota or Dakota starts
southwark, it meets an obstruction in
the Ozark mountains that divides its
main force, while the portion that sue
ceeds in passing the mountains is still
further INSTRUCTED and modified by the
forest, SO that by the time it reaches
southwest Louisiana it is but a cool
wave, producing rainfall, but rarely any
frost
The main body of the blizzard being
divided, one wing sweeps down through
Indian territory and Texas, and is called
a ''norther," and is much dreaded even
in southern Texas. The other wing
sweeps down the Mississippi valley, as
through tunnel, producing prOdigi-
Gus rainfall. Statistics show that while
New Orleans has rainfall of seventy
five inches per annum, Lake Charles,
the chief city of southwest louisiana, has
a rainfall of fifty inches.
4AC ICil pCistttiS VI tIAio 1CE,iOh 10 llioiO
even than it Is either east or west of US.
During the blizzard of January, 1887,
the lowest temperature reached in Lake
Charles was % degrees above zero. At
the same time in Houston, Tex, due
west of here, the thermometer reached
IS degrees above zero, while one hundred
miles west of Houston it reached II de-
grees above. At the same time directly
east of us one hundred miles and up
wards, the thermometer marked 90 de-
grees, 10 degrees and IS degrees above
zero. The higest temperature reached
in Lake Charles since l came here is 50
degrees above zero, and the lowest 80 de-
grees above. The difference in temper
allure from one month to another is
rarely more than degrees to 8 degrees,
and the difference from noon to midnight
not more than degrees to 10 degrees.
This makes it very pleasant and health
full. The climate is specially beneficial
to those troubled with lung, nasal and
throat diseases. The summers are not
SO hot and sultry as they are in the
states, but are much
longer. The delightful gulf breezes
make it pleasant even in the middle of
the summer, except during the middle of
the day-from 10 o'clock a. m. to
o'clock p. m.-and even then it is pleas
ant in the shade. The waters are de-
lightful. Although there is a greater
rainfall in winter than in summer, and
it is sometimes chilly, damp and dis
agreeable for from one to three days at
a time, it soon changes when the wind
changes to the south, and is SO warm
and pleasant that for weeks at time we
do not light fires in our sitting rooms or
parlors, and men work in the open air in
their shirt sleeves.
We, therefore, claim with confidence
that Southwest Louisiana possesses a
superior to any other portion of
the gulf coast, and of California, in these
First, more even temper
allure; second, greater freedom from
wind storms; third, a more even distri-
button of rainfall: fourth, cooler in sum-
mer and warmer in winter; fifth, health
ier Take it all the year round, be-
lieye our climate is unsurpassed on this
green earth. w. II. CLINE.
BACKED BY THE FARMERS.