The Truth About America Part 7

Colorado Springs is upon the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, which follows the course of the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, sending branches westward through the mountains in all directions and eastward connecting with nearly all the trans-continental routes, being seventy-five miles south of Denver, where it joins the Union Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and forty miles north of Pueblo, where it connects with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. It is less than four days' journey to either the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, while Europe can be reached in fourteen days. For invalids it is wiser, however, to prolong these periods by frequent stoppages. Access is easy from this point to other desirable places of about the same elevation, so that the invalid can keep up the benefit that alt.i.tude affords and enjoy the pleasure and advantage of a change."

Of the climate at Colorado Springs, Mrs. Dunbar writes:--

"It is not the purpose of this article to encroach upon the subject-matter properly belonging to a physician, but a few general remarks concerning the climate and its effects upon lung diseases will not be out of place.

"The marked features of this climate are the dry atmosphere and clear sunlight for more than 300 days in the year.

"This year, in February and March for seven successive weeks, there were but five cloudy days, and during each of those five days the sun shone at times.

"Most of our cloudy weather, with threatening snow or rain, is in April and May; the most disagreeable element of the climate is the wind-storms in spring and fall, mostly in April and November. These dry storms of wind and dust, though unpleasant, are of short duration and not injurious to health.

"Statistics might be given concerning the state of the weather from day to day throughout the year, but it is unnecessary here, for they will be found in the weather reports accompanying this article.

"Generally speaking there is no rain from the 1st of September till the next May or June, and often not much till July. July and August are the rainy months, and during this time rain is liable to fall nearly every day. Very seldom is there a long rain-storm, but tempests and heavy showers for an hour or two each day and usually in the afternoon. In the mountains snows are frequent and heavy in the winter, and the higher ranges have snow upon them nearly every month in the year. But on the plains and in Colorado Springs and Manitou there is very little.

"In the early part of the winter, and usually in March and April, there are light snows which remain upon the ground only a short time, not longer than a day or two, and sometimes only a few hours. There is so little snow that cattle and sheep feed upon the plains through the winter with perhaps a few days' exception, on the short buffalo gra.s.s, which retains its nourishment in this dry climate like made hay, which it really is.

"The surface soil of Colorado Springs is a coa.r.s.e, sandy loam, into which the moisture sinks rapidly. It is never muddy here for more than a few hours, so that our streets and walks are practically hard and dry.

"The temperature of this dry country is marked by sudden changes and extremes in summer and in winter. A noticeable feature is the decided difference between day and night, and sunlight and shade.

Most of the days in winter one can sit out of doors in the sun, but even after our warmest days the nights are cold, especially towards morning, when the mercury will frequently drop below zero. Owing to the absence of moisture the cold is not more noticeable here with the mercury at zero than when 15 or 20 above in damp localities farther east.

"In summer when the sun s.h.i.+ning through the clear, dry atmosphere is so hot, the evenings and nights are always cool and comfortable; also in mid-day it is cool and agreeable in the shade. On account of the absence of moisture in the air we never have any sultry or foggy days. Through the day the mercury seldom rises higher than 90 in the shade. But the heat is not oppressive as it is at this temperature in lower alt.i.tudes and damp climates. Such a climate cannot but be favorable to throat and lung diseases."

On the same subject (climate), the following is by Dr. Solly, and indeed so are all the following extracts (regarding Colorado Springs from a medical point of view) from his pen.

"WEATHER.--WINTER.

"People (invalids) sit on porches without extra wraps; so powerful is the sun's heat in winter that sunshades are grateful, and mid-day picnics are taken with enjoyment and benefit. It is at this season that the greatest improvement is noticed in the consumptives. On turning to the tables at the end of this chapter it will be seen that though the nights are often intensely cold, the days are seldom so.

However, until we take thermometric observations, both in the sun and shade, and with continuous self-recording instruments, we cannot show what is the real temperature of the hours that especially concern the invalid. To a person unacquainted with physics or practically unversed in climates, the cold of the winter nights may seem a disadvantage; why this is but seldom the case is owing chiefly to the dryness. The proportion of suns.h.i.+ny days is more remarkable at this resort throughout the year, and especially during the fall and winter, than at any other from which reports could be obtained.

"Sleighing is seldom possible, and only for a few hours at a time in occasional winters.

"Skating, however, is good on most days through the middle of every winter. The frosts at night make the ice so thick and hard, that the hours of sunlight are not long enough to melt it to any appreciable extent, and the dry air absorbs the moisture from the melting ice so rapidly that a smooth hard surface is usually presented for the skaters' enjoyment.

"_Snowfall._--The total amount of snow that falls through the whole winter is so slight that there are very few days upon which it is seen at all. The snow when it falls rarely lies more than a day or two, for the reasons that the dry air produces rapid evaporation and the dry soil quick absorption, so that it disappears without evidence of melting, and there is not the danger to the invalid of wet ground with a bright sun overhead.

SPRING.

"The spring is undoubtedly here, as elsewhere, the least desirable season of the year, but it compares favourably with other climates, and there is no period of melting snow or special month to be shunned, and an invalid can on occasion change with advantage his location on the elevated ground of Colorado to New Mexico, for a few weeks, guided by the weather reports.

SUMMER.

"_Temperature by Day._--In the shade the heat is seldom over 82. The air being dry, the heat is much less felt than a lower temperature in damper climates. But there being no solar temperature observations, the fact of the intense heat of the direct rays of the sun is not apparent.

"_Evaporation._--This heat is, of course, to some delicate invalids, very trying, but sun-stroke is almost unknown, and if the head is protected harm is seldom done by exercising even during the hottest portions of the day.

"_The temperature by night_ is almost invariably cool, as seen by the temperature tables, and two blankets at least are grateful to sleep under; while the mornings and evenings being cool, without dew or dampness, give sufficient daylight hours for exercise for those who shun the mid-day heat.

"_The rainfall_, which, with the melted snow, averages only fifteen inches for the year, occurs almost entirely between the middle of April and the middle of October, and falls chiefly in the three summer months.

"_Thunderstorms_, or rather showers, occurring in the afternoons and lasting about twenty minutes or half an hour, when much rain will fall at that one time, are the usual form in which the bulk of the precipitation occurs. These storms arise rapidly, are seldom preceded by the warning sense of discomfort that is usually felt in lower regions, and disappear as quickly, leaving a sense of refreshment after the heat, with few and rapidly evaporating signs of moisture upon the soil.

AUTUMN.

"The autumn is perhaps the most enjoyable season of the year, it is very dry and warm without heat and with few storms. Although there is no reason why patients suited to the climate should not begin their sojourn in any season convenient to them, perhaps September or October are on the whole best, because they then approach the cold nights of winter gradually.

TABLE I.--MEAN TEMPERATURE.

+-----------+------------+------------+-----------+-----------+---------+ At 7 a.m. At 10 a.m. At 2 p.m. At 9 p.m. [A]Day. +-----------+------------+------------+-----------+-----------+---------+ January 17.8 27.3 36.0 20.9 24.4 February 21.3 36.3 42.0 27.1 29.4 March 31.4 46.6 52.4 37.4 36.6 April 38.9 50.8 54.7 42.2 43.9 May 50.2 57.9 62.9 51.7 49.9 June 61.5 66.1 72.6 60.2 65.9 July 66.2 75.2 77.6 65.0 69.7 August 64.9 74.3 76.9 63.6 68.1 September 50.1 60.4 68.8 54.2 57.2 October 37.9 52.0 60.6 42.7 47.8 November 27.9 43.9 48.2 31.3 35.5 December 20.2 22.8 38.2 23.2 27.6 Spring 40.2 51.8 56.7 43.8 42.8 Summer 64.2 71.9 75.7 62.9 67.9 Autumn 38.6 52.1 59.2 42.7 47.1 Winter 19.8 28.8 38.7 23.7 27.1 Year 40.7 51.1 57.6 43.3 46.4 +-----------+------------+------------+-----------+-----------+---------+

[A] The daily mean is one-fourth the sum of the readings at 7 a.m., at 2 p.m., and double the reading at 9 p.m.

TABLE II.--MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN WINTER AND SPRING.

PART I.--MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES.

1873-'74. 1874-'75. 1875-'76. 1877-'78.

A B A B A B A B December 65.0 44.1 59.0 41.7 67.0 51.6 69.0 -- January 63.0 46.6 60.0 35.1 62.0 45.5 59.5 -- February 59.0 40.2 58.0 40.8 64.0 51.6 61.5 47.1 _Winter_ 65.0 43.6 60.0 39.2 67.0 49.6 69.0 -- March 61.0 48.2 67.0 42.0 65.5 49.1 70.5 -- April 82.0 53.6 71.0 -- 79.0 60.8 72.0 60.4 May 92.0 74.7 84.0 70.3 84.0 67.6 80.0 65.1 _Spring_ -- 58.8 -- -- -- 59.2 -- -- June 101.0 85.6 91.0 82.2 93.0 77.2 84.0 71.5

1878-'79. 1879-'80. 1880-'81. 1882-'83.

A B A B A B A B December 59.5 31.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- January 68.0 37.6 62.5 46.4 63.0 40.5 55.5 36.8 February 68.5 47.1 61.0 39.1 60.0 47.6 62.0 -- _Winter_ 68.5 38.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- March 77.0 59.4 -- -- 70.0 51.3 67.5 54.9 April -- -- -- -- 73.5 -- 70.5 56.6 May -- -- -- -- -- -- 80.5 66.4 _Spring_ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 59.3 June -- -- -- -- -- -- 90.5 76.5

NOTE.--Column A contains the highest temperature of the month or season; column B the mean of the highest temperatures of the several days.

TABLE III.--MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN SUMMER AND AUTUMN.

1874. 1875.

A B C D A B C D June 101.0 85.6 39.0 50.7 91.0 82.2 32.0 49.7 July 98.0 89.5 48.0 55.5 90.0 76.4 47.0 53.1 August 92.5 85.5 52.0 55.4 93.0 79.7 42.0 51.6 _Summer_ 101.0 86.9 39.0 53.9 93.0 79.4 32.0 51.5 September 87.0 71.0 27.0 42.4 88.0 73.7 27.0 44.9 October 76.0 63.1 20.0 38.6 82.0 68.7 18.0 35.9 November 65.0 52.6 2.0 24.4 74.0 52.3 9.0 24.2 _Autumn_ -- 62.2 -- 35.1 -- 64.9 -- 35.0

1878.

A B C D June 84.0 71.5 42.0 49.0 July 90.0 83.2 48.5 57.0 August 92.0 81.5 50.0 58.3 _Summer_ 92.0 78.7 42.0 54.8 September 82.0 69.9 33.5 43.0 October 79.0 61.7 13.0 32.1 November 66.0 51.5 5.5 25.7 _Autumn_ -- 61.0 -- 33.6

NOTE.--Column A contains the highest, and column C the lowest, temperature of the month or season; column B contains the mean of the highest, and column D the mean of the lowest, temperatures of the several days.

PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OBSERVED AT COLORADO SPRINGS.