Connecticut western news., 1892-03-03
UEn HON1xK1 LETTER.
Editor of Ne,cs ::


 come frozen mp or that their writer has, for it seems to be common belief among Easterners that Montana Is m very close com mmunication with the North Pole and Is given over to bliz- zards with nine mouths of winter and three m Jnths of very late in the fall. out of every year. Bnt such an impression ia very far from the actual state of af- fairs. While Great Falls is shout four hundred miles north of Canaan. being still farther north than Qnebec, we do not have as severe winters as you do in Connecticut. This seems incredible but it ia a fact When 1 went east last Decem ber actually felt chillier and colder crossing the ferry from Jersey City to New York, with my heavy over coat closely bnttoned to the chin, than | did here when the mercury dropped to 20 degrees below gro, aad there il could not have been colder than 20 de- grees above The reason is easily giv- on. There you are nearly. if not qnite, at sea level and the air is damp, and the wind ohills one to the marrow. Here we are at an elevation of 3 SIP feet above the sea; the air is dry, and when it gets below zero we seldom have any wind, never when it gets very cold. There one would either freezs to death or become SO stiff with rheumatism that he could not move if he should sleep out doors on the ground in winter. Here, or under the same conditions in other parts of the west, have spent two or three entire winters iu tents, sleeping on the ground in my blankets, and often out in the snow without any tent, simply blankets and canvas wag- on cover over me; and still think am very mnch alive, and know I have never felt trace of rheumatic pain.
 The latter part of January and the first of February we had the most de- lightful weather imaginable; clear, bright, and just cold enough to be in- . svigoratiug. The whole of that time we had no snow aud the mercury vibrated between the freezing point and 70 de- grees above, without much variation day after day. Now we are getting g little winter with two inches of snow, which will go off in an hour when 8 'schlnook" wind strikes it. But the old timers say tLat the last of February and one week in March is always the worst part of the winter here. generally giv ing us from three to four weeks of real winter weather. instead of the nine months which we are supposed to have. It also seems incredible to Fasteners that stock here is mere,. sheltered dur ing any portion of the year, except of course horses which are kept up to use, and these are never blanketed. don't remember having ever seen a horse blanketed in Montana except one that had been clipped or had to be kept standing regularly in shady, windy place, like the places where some of the expressmen have their stands. Stock is very seldom fed on the range except when Q eevere storm comes with sleet, making crust which cannot be broken through This winter no range stock has had mouthfnl of cut hay to eat and you could hardly believe your eyes to see the good condition they are in. I was driving recently with an Eastern man and we came to bunch of range cattle. He thought they were stall fed and only let out for exercise and air. But their owner happened. to be with us and he declared that not ono of them had ever seen the inside of abarn or had pound of feed given it, and they had only come as near to it e to be corralled at the, time of the '.round up" for branding.
 But to come from the country into town. Since my last letter the aspect of the town has changed good deal The new Great Northern Ky. shops have been pnt up, tho largest and most completely equipped between St Paul and the coast. The Opera House has opened with it's first weeks receipts of $6, 10000 and that in view of the fact that the project was started too late in the season to get very many goods plays here. as most of the best companies had already made their winters engage ments. But that was not such a bad record for town of this size. The big Boston X Montana smelters are about ready to begin turning out copper, but have been held back somewhat by labor troubles at Butte interfering with the necessary preparations there to enlarge the capacity of the mines to meet the demands of the smelters for ore Among the new buildings going up this spring are the Butte X Boston smelter, 10 cost about $1 ,0OO, 900; the Boston x Mon. tana electrolitic plant for refining cop. per, to cost abont $500, 900; new hos. pital by tLe Catholics, $4O,O0O. There is a good deal of strong talk of hnil.ling awool securing mill, anu also d mlll tc manufacture woolen goods. This Is the great wool center of the northwest and there are annually tributary to tbi. town about 7.OOO,OOO lbs. of wool Clark Bros, of Choteau, secured the first prize for the best wool at Bostor last fall among about fifty competitor, from all over the country. They bring their wool here and clip abont 3O,OOt head of sheep.
 We havo had four and one half (4t