The Dickinson press., 1891-01-31
THE CHINOOK WIND.

THE CHINOOK WIND.
IN WINTER 1T MELTs THE SNOW AND
IN SUMNER RlPENs THE GRAIN.
Tho Standard Eastern idea OF North
Dakota's Climate 10 Completely Re-
futed by Omoial Weather Observations
Covering Period OF Fifteen Years.
The Dakotas are satisfied with, and
feel that they have fairly won, the title
of the grain field Of America, but the
testimony of their inhabitants and the
proof Of their weather observations (as
recorded by the United States signal
service bureau, army surgeons and vol.
untary observations, covering in all pc.
riod of fifteen years., completely refute
the standard Eastern idea of Dakota
climate.
The mean annual temperature of the
entire stretch of the two Dakotas ex.
tending north from the northern boun.
dairy line Of Nebraska-more than 400
miles-to the southern boundary Of
Manitoba, Is 4l.6 degrees, an average
higher than that of either the State Of
Vermont or New Hampshire. The cold.
est month of the year is January, the
thermometer indicating in that month
an average temperature covering the
whole area Of this vast country of 2
degrees above zero. The mean tempera.
ture for July, the warmest month, is n
degrees. The average temperature Of
the three winter months is 11.s degrees;
OF the spring, 41.1, and the summer,
69.l. The average temperature of the
fall, September, October and Novem.
ber) is AL degrees, or degrees higher
than during the three months of spring.
During the month Of January the ther.
mometer will sometimes register low
temperature, occasionally going 40 de-
grees or more below zero, and yet, con.
trary to the general opinion, these days
of extreme cold are not the most trying.
When it is the coldest the sky is cloud.
less and the sun shines with o midsum.
mer splendor, the atmosphere is at per.
feet rest. and the cracking of the frost.
the crunching Of the trodden snow, to.
gether with the Intoxicating effect Of
each breath of dry, frozen air, create an
exhilaration almost indescribable. An
actual inspection of the thermometer is
necessary to convince one that it is
really so cold. The winter atmosphere.
almost absolutely devoid of humidity.
never penetrates and chills with that
cold one feels in the damp saturated air
Of the ATLANTIC and Lake states. The
most disagreeable storms of winter occur
when the temperature is but few de.
grees below zero, and are accompanied
by strong winds, generally from the
northwest, which swirl the dry
powdered snow in whirlpools
through the air, bewildering
stock and binding the traveller. For
tunately storms Of much severity are
neither of long duration nor of frequent
occurrence. They come about as often
us earthquakes in New York or Canada.
The most disastrous one ON record was
the storm which swept over the terri
tory on the 18th Of January, 1888, and
the one concerning which the most
woeful exaggerations and distortions
were circulated abroad.
The depth of snow upon the ground is
light when compared with the snowfall
of the New England States, of Canada.
of New York, of Michigan, or Iowa, and
even though the season may he one Of
extraordinary severity, the total snow.
fall of o winter is less than four feet.
Travel, overland or by rail, is main.
tanned during the winter months with
but an occasional interruption from
drifts Of snow deposited by winds In the
depressions of the roads. The Great
Northern in North Dakota has never
suffered as much inconvenience or delay
as railways in iowa and Nebraska.
The summer days are warm. made
excessively 30 at times by the chinook
wind-that remnant of the Japan cur.
rent which, blowing through tho noun
tain passes of Montana, and distributed
by the great valley Of the Missouri over
the plains of the Dakotas, so materially
reduces the cold of winter, and adds to
the heat of July, But whatever the un.
usual heat of the day, the temperature
invariably falls at night to degree in.
surfing rest and refreshing slumber.
From the report Of the chief signal
officer for 1889 it is learned that in the
Dakotas about 800 days of the year are
classed as either fair or clear, leaving
an average Of only five cloudy or stormy
days to the month.
The warmth of summer fingers
through the months of September and
October, and it is not until late in De-
cember usually that winter assumes the
mastery.
For pulmonary or bronchial trouble
the rare, dry and pure air is especially
beneficial. No breath of miasma taints
the atmosphere, and fearful scourges of
depopulating epidemics are unknown.
ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST.
Wool from North Dakota sheep brings
better price than any other from the
West.
North Dakota has 1875 newspapers, or
more than Vermont and Delaware COM
bined.
No section of the country can boast
better dirt roads the year round than
North Dakota.