Evening star., 1923-10-04
SOME FIND RICHES
IN RAIN OR SHINE
Sunbeam ''Center," Yuma,
Ariz., Collects Thousands
of Dollars From Tourists.

"The recent payment of an insur-
snce claim because clouds kept a
group of scientists, from taking pic
lures of an eclipse of the sun brings
up questions of sunshine and cloudi-
ness In various parts of the United
States which may run into dollars
and cents at other times than during
occasional eclipses," says a bulletin
from the Washington. D. @, head
quarters of the. National Geographic
Society.
Just as there is population CEN
ter, a wealth center and geo
graphical center OF the United States,
go there is sunshine center and a
cloud CENTER" continues the bull
1etin.
Most of the familiar .centers' lie
cast of the Mississippi river. but the
Country's sunshine center breaks
this precedent and Is situated in the
extreme southwest. near the mouth
of the Colorado river. Yuma, Ariz..
furnishes the dot on the map on
which to place compass and draw
the circle into WI ich the sunbeams
pour almost ceaselessly during day
light hours. Only eighteen, days in
the average year can be called cloudy
In Yuma, and in a roughly circular
area about 100 miles from the city in
every direction
Considering the length of the days.
as Wen as their number. the region
around Yuma and embracing the
southwestern third of Arizona gets IS
per cent Of all the sunbeams aimed at
II during the year, while 80 per cent
of all the sunshine that could be re-
ceiVed hits the mark in the southeast
crn end of California. practically the
whole of Arizona southwestern New
Mexico and the little sharp western
most point of Texas around Ell Paso
Sunshine runs into dollars and
cents in this region. because the line
OF so per cent sunshine or perhaps
may be said to inclose the section of
the United States which sells it's eli
mate on a year-around basis to thou
sands of tourists. outdoor enthusiasts
and health seekers.
For Cloudy Regions.
Mature has given compensation"
for a lack OF sunshine. AS the pe~
centage of fair days grows less an'
less outward from the sunshine cen
ter the rainfall grows greater an
greater, so that agriculture ma
flourish without irrigation. But aft.
the mouth of the Mississippi has be-
passed. the sunshine lines douol,
northward, putting southern Florida
practical into the 75 per cent sun
shine area Here again sunshine
means dollars and cents for Miami
and Palm Beach and their fellow re-
sorts
The cloud center of the United
Sta tes is in little region in western
Washington near the southernmos
indentation of Puget sound. Half the
days there are cloudy and an addi-
tional 80 per cent are partly cloudy.
About the little center is large area
OF only slightly less marked cloudi-
ness.
In the region around the coun-
try's cloud center there is another
sort of dollars and cents compensa-
tion. The cloudiness in this case is
accompa anied by heavy rain and snow
fall. and these, with the high noun
tains of the region, furnish the in
gradients which give the state Of
Washington a greater potential water
mower than that of any other state in
the Union.
There are two secondary cloud
centers' in the east. On the south
eastern shore of Lake Ontario and
in the upper peninsula of Michigan
between Lakes Superior and Michigan
three e-quarters of the days in a year
are either cloudy or partly cloudy"