River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-01-14
FROM "OUT WEST. :"
Washington The Puget Sound
Region.


part of the Big Bend country the
Great Northern railroad follows the
Columbia for a distance of thirty
miles, leaving it at Wenatchee, then
traversing the Wenatchee valley to
the mountains. From the Columbia
river the rise is rapid. Wenatchee
is 631 feet above the sea while Cas-
cade Tunnel, the highest point to
which the grade attains in crossing
the Cascades, is 1875 feet, the dis
lance between the two places being
but SIS miles. Twenty miles above
Wenatchee snow appeared, with in
creasing depth to the Tunnel and
along the higher elevations snow
storm was raging as we crossed on
Dec. 10. Passing through the Tun-
mel which is two miles and a
quarter long-the storm, out of
which the train passed five minutes
before as a snow storm, was now
that of a gentle rain. From the
summit of the Cascades the train
drops rapidly to sea level at Ever
EFT, rs miles from the entrance to
the Tunnel.
In the Big Bend there was ice
sufficiently strong to permit of skat-
ing and the ground was frozen.
On the west side of the mountains
the grass was green, roses and Yio-
lets were in bloom out of doors and
in the orchards were yet consider
able fruit on the trees. Vegetables
potatoes, cabbages, beets, car
rots, and turnips-are left in the
garden as they grew and gathered
as needed for the table.
Washington is country of great
contrasts. Here is found the most
fertile soil and tracts where the
land is valueless. Parts of the
state have an excessive rainfall,
as along the coast from the mouth
of the Columbia to Cape Flattery
where the annual rainfall exceeds
100 inches, while in some places the
average annual precipitation is
about six inches. On Puget Sound
the average is about 40 inches
equal to that of Wisconsin. In the
Big Bend the rainfall is about Is to
% inches, while north of the Column
bia to the boundary the percipita-
ton increases according to the ele-
walton, reaching in the higher alti-
tudes 80 to IS inches. In the valley
of the Columbia and south of the
river in central Washington crops
will not mature without a resort to
| irrigation. West of the mountains
there is too much rain during the
winter months for the best conduct
of outdoor work. The rain is not
very disagreeable, as it comes very
gently-a mere heavy mist-but the
mud is a great hindrance to move
ment. leaning is done at great
disadvantage. In fact off the gray
eled or planked roads it is hardly
possible. Even in the cities where
the streets are not paved the mud
is very deep. The climate of the
different regions differ. Here on
the coast the change in temperature
throughout the year is slight.
Frost is infrequent here, snow sell
dom falls, and there is little wind
at any time. In central Washing
ton the summers are hot, the air is
dry, the wind is often high and the
air full of dust. The winters are
quite cold, as compared with the
coast region but mild as compared
with Wisconsin and Minnesota
while snow covers the ground for
several months. In the mountains,
as a matter of course, the winters
are more severe with a greater
depth of snow. There is a great
variety of soils here on the coast,
and it does not pay to clear only
the very best land. The timber is
very heavy and when logged off an
| immense amount of timber is left
on the ground, not in stumps alone
but in tops of trees, crooked timber
and much that is larger and straight
which had fallen before the lumber
men had commenced the logging.
Practically, the ground is covered
with this down timber. Among
this stand huge stumps, from three
to ten feet thick and eight to ten
and twelve feet high. Added to
this confusion of material is at no
long intervals mighty mounds, as
big as barns, where some of these
once towering monarch lie pros
trate, having in their fall turned up
a half acre of ground upon their
roots. It costs great deal to clear
the land of the tinbers and stumps
and to get it into possible shape for
tillage-all the way from $40 to