Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1892-03-17
LISTEN TO MYTALE OF WOE. "
A Michigan Journalists State
ments About the Weather
in North Dakota.
EChoing an Old Maids Tale of
W0e-The Usual Blizzard
Lie Nailed.
Why Farmers Leave Michigan
BY the Thousands. Why
More Will Follow.


Under tho title or .An African Green
land" the Detroit Mich. Journal dlspla, 8
Its own ignorance of the facts, and at
tempts to impose upon the credulity Of
its readers by making the following
editorial attack on the climate ana
weather OF North Dakota:
A few ears ago the Dakota fever ragged
in Michigan as we'll as ln other agrlcul.
tural states. IL WAS noJ as violent here a. IN
some other communities, but 1t carried
of some who thought Michigan was noI
good enough tor them. The reports OF
drOughts aud tlizzards from that region
cooled the temperature of others who
were touched by it and the epidemic died
out.
A writer in the Atlantic Monthly un
burdens her mind about the climate IN
that region. 1t is al excellent tonic for
anyone about whom the fever still llngers.
The writer has lived there parts OF two
winters and one summer. During four
teen months, the only thing said about
the climate was to tell some new horror
of it. She readily believes the story tina,
the Indians went to Dakota as their last
ditch, their final stronghold, because
they did not believe any wnlte man
would follow them. The winters are
bitter cold, the summers torrid IN their
heat. From her description one might
easily think that the equator and tie
north pole changed places every six
months.
The wind never ceases, summer or win
ter. In winter it is So fierce that when
the thermometer is 40 degrees below zero
it will take ali the heat out of the body
in few moments. No amount of cloth
ing prevents people from feeling as if
they were naked. On the prairies when
the wind is blowing people sit up all
night, keeping close to red hot stove.
Even then Que side of then is cold. Tie
thermometer near the stove will be lis
degrees above zero; eight feet off it
marks q, difference of 95 degrees. Eggs,
kerosene oil, cabbages, turnips, cannot
be kept from freezing except by putting
live Goals in the hole in the ground under
the house. People take things to bed
with them 10 order to save them, for the.
would starve If supplies ran out. They
cannot be brought across the freezing
prairies. Two weeks supply OF wood is
piled up IN the house under the beds, as
1t ia often impossible to go outside long
enough to bring in a supply of fuel. If
one wir ks out Of doors the eyelash is
frozen to the cheek.
This is the common weather and is
broken only by the blizzards. The wind
is constantly moaning, waliing, bowling,
swlshng, slashing, rushing, roaring.
surging, until it becomes maddening.
The prevalent insanity among Dakota
women is attributed to the perpetual
beating Of the wind upon the brain. It
depresses the spirits of other animals.
Dogs do not bark, cocks do not crow, nor
hens cackle. in Dakota.
Terrible as is the winter, the summer
ls worse. The suns rays on the wide ex-
psnse of prairie heat the air like fur.
mace. When the air is set in motion 1t
feels like flames. Strangers think the
house is on fire. People close windows
and doors to keep it out. but it will find
its way under the house and burst up
through the floor just like fire. The
earth cracks in lorg riffs. Frequent
hailstorms, the stones as large as apples.
annihllate fruit and garden crops. The
stones will be driven through wooden
door and kill calves six months old at a
blow. It is admitted that the crops are
splendid; "beets as large as hams and
sweet az sugar, pumpkins, watermelons
the hughest and finest OF their kind
But they will all be wrecked by one OF
those storms which, like billiards in the
winter. come without warning from Ii
clear sky. 1t is impossible to stir or
open door against these winds. The
thunder storms are as appalling as those
OF the tropics. The lightning 0lazes on
every side at once, and the thunder is
awful. Dust storms come at all seasons
of the year. binding and smotherlng the
people. and destroying furniture, cloth
ing and housekeepers' tempers.
On the other hard, malaria and rats are
unknown in Dakota.
Those residents of Michigan who are
still restless. and fancy that some other
state offers large advantages they cannot
get here, ought to learn that they will
have tc pay for the privilege Of sitting on
the top Of the north pole, and. while thei'
eyelashes are frozen have their fee: catch
fire. as would almost seem to be the case
in the climate Of Dakota.
To people living IN North Dakota the
untruthful, not to say ridiculous, state
ments above made need no refutation. The
writer is said to be q woman, living in
one Of the isolated forts Of the far north
west, and from the spiteful way in which
she delivers herself, it is apparent that
she has been crossed IN love or is suffer
ing from some lncurable female com
plant.
It is expected that Michigan papers
will resort to any means in their power
to prevent good citizens from leaving
that state. In the past Michigan hat
suffered heavily on that account NJ
eastern state, perhaps, has lost as many
Of it's active, intelligent residents al
Michigan. They have been drawn to tht
northwest and west by the many oppor