Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-08-20
The ctNTlR OF TRE tARTH.


"NANH appeared lu iNN Ifluunn or July
sst is reproduced In the News" It's
author Is Mr. Gllpn. coiorado'a first
governor;
GREAT BASIN OF THE MISSISSIPPI
The most obviously remarkable ply.
s.cal feature Of America and OF the In.
habliod globe II the basin " the Mis.
alssIppi A. yet the popular mind does
not clearly comprehend l,8 dimensions.
and the understanding or i,s physical
characteristics ore indIstinct and
vague. 10 Or bisocird through be- can-
Ger By "a supreme artery. which above
g. Louis has received .he name N the
Missouri. aud below. the Mississippi
! rvOE
This ls 5000 miles in lone.h aud he
| surface ls 70 continuous Inclined plane.
| al nffug seven Inches Iu ihr mile.
/ INTO ihlH central arr by. u4 into i CONF
| mon trough. descend Inuum .fubir rive
crH coming from the Hoaj mountains
! VI ODE continent.
! All 0f ihH lmmcnHo area thus drained
] forms single basin. uf which the cir.
cumierCnt mountains form che rim. II
may also hc called nu luuhIthctter.
| embracing i.i2lio1 square miles ~ SUR
I
] diluFilu ages. the bed OF grrtt ocean.
such nH Dr. now. the gulf of Mexico ur
| Tho MOiltcrraican, above The surface
| OF WhIoh the mountains proiruded
themselves or islands
! Gradually nllod up by the filtration
| u The waters during countless nrvs. 10
has reached ~ present altitude above
| the other basins. over which tho oceans
| now Hiill roll and Into which the Wa.
| tDfa have retired.
The basin u the Mississippi o.. then.
! Y pavement 81 cnlclr0uuH rock many
/ thousand foet In depth, formed hy tho
/ sediment of the superintendent water.
/ deposited stratum upon stratum come
| pressed ny ita weight ana cryatnllizHd
into rock by its chemical fermentation
/ and pressure.
10 o. therefore n homogeneous an.
| dulntlnF plain ~ the secondary Ca fcdl-
I mCntary formation. Hurm0uutad by "a
I covering % r1ll from which springs
I vegetation, aH hair from the external
I skin of an animal Through this coat
Ing of soil. ana into she H1f. surface
] strata of rock the descending fvrh wac
I iHrH furrow their channels. r1nyrrrlng
/ everywhere from the circumf0ront rim
/ loo the lowest level ana pass out % the
| .0n.
| In this system. which n tho same a.
l iff circulation of thc blood In animal
] DO. the Missouri river and the mlnu.
! tUHt rim has each iiH specific ana com
] 'r.Uuuus place. Hence the correspond
IHs order In the uniulationn. the va
ri.iy. and completely 1f contour In the
surface and In rs yegeiniion'
Such r. this vast basin. whose trans
vcrro diameter d. 900 miles. and rn
simple homoE n-ous and clear n this
! system 10 itF zoology and It's waters.
| Tho vegetation ard climate have like
| consistent order 20 arrangement, ANA
are more varied. These vary with the
latitude. the distance from the oceans.
and with the altitude.
Tho iusuiar si.e " New York City n
! upon the hank " the sea, II sixty feet
! elevated above thH sea, and IN cone
| SANITY Irrigated BY the evaporation
coming from che a0a: It II IN latitude
On degrees 90 minutes north.
The plniu OF the South Pass IN 1000
miles from the seas o. elevated 800 fcei
above tho seas hoe no vappr from the
fen; but an atmosphere rnlnlcaa ana
| without dow; % b. In latitude a. de-
| grcca 30 minutes north.
such are the contrasts In tho clc-
monts affecting climate and ycrctatlen.
Through tho Interval between thssc
two extreme nature champs, from
/ one 20 the other hy a graduation 30
| delicate and uniform "a 20 be scarcely
/ senflbl- 10 a traveller who goes less
than the whole distance. Yet. 20 one
| who does 30. these changes arr as PAL
p1ble upon the face NJ the nature rs arc
| the dlumai alterations OF light ana
darkness. The timber, the fiora aud
| tho grasses indicate the presence ANA
absence OF atmospheric litlfalioh' ~
palpably az the sun Indicates 'he Jay
and the stars The "'shI
An that portion OF the Mississippi
basin lyng between the MISSISSIPPI
| rlver and the Atlantic, 4 densely tim
| hrrsd, excepting Huy a portion or IN
diana, Illinois aul Wlseonalni - also
are the states ~ l.'ulslaha' AtkAhsiA
aud south Missouri. An irregular line
| nom inc head lf Lake Erie, running
| t5,y1rd The suuIh lud west Into TeNaa,
| defines the cfaHIiIHn OF the timber, he
tween thla line and tho sea eNlaa a
continuous fIr.H. rHglon, perpo,ullly
m1lBirnr1 hy shIWrra from tho ocean.
beyond thIs 'uu ana deeper into thc
/ continent. the upland ceases 90 nuurlsh
| timber. which Is placed By luNurlani
| annual grassas. .hIugh narrow lines NJ
| forest cuntInu. uuIn the saturated
| b,ttlms OF ths rivers and Ia the
| Islands. Tails Ora tl' prairie region ~
luxurIant annual Eraaaes' ana aofi
! arabic SOIL
marked by au Irregular line parallel 90
me nrst. where ,h" rains cease and inc
| Timber entirely l| ippeara u IL about
go miles ln WIl.h. anu within d ar
tnciil Irrigation iH not practlccd, nor
| necessary. % h".1s everywhere SOFT,
arabic. and f.rHlH
10 this succeeds 'he immense rain
| less region onward 20 che mountains
| exclusively pastoral ~ a compact Hlil,
| coated with thH dwarf bunalo grass,
without trees, Bgl The abode of ihc
aboriginal cati., hnlwn "a the plains,
That no desert lI or can exist With
IN this basin H manifest from The
abundance ana magnitude ~ the rlv-
ora; the uniform 'il'Arelus formation;
rs longitudinal pl. ZION across she tenn
perate zone; and 90 greatness and at
tltude OF the mountains On rs western
rim.
The river sys,gm Of the Mississippi
basin resemble ran 81 palmleaL The
stem In she state 10. l'oulslaha rests 10
the Gulf. above ih' aHluent uv,ra
converge On 10 irm an points ot the
compass. From lh' east come IN ihe
Homochltto, tho AI4lo' the ono, me
Illinois anu th upper Missiaslppi
From the yves. the Red river the
Washltl, the Arkansas, me White, the
81. Francis and OsIHe Rivera, the kan |
sas, ,he triple Flir' the LEau Qul
Cones and the Yellowstone, nearly AN
navlgAhle rivers a, great length ana |
Importance,
lF,ils channel lf 30 500 miles, having |
~ 80 ,..ff.. .f sH .n# "A IA Httnf 40 NAY.