with fond remembrance, and especially when winter lays its icy hands upon them in their Eastern homes. But a good many such visitors, unable to resist the seductions of this climate, have remained here and become permanent residents of the Territory. For several years Phoenix has been attracting more and more attention from people in search of an equable climate, and it is now generally understood that such conditions as are most desired are to be found here. It is not only people in ill health who seek our genial climate, but many sojourn here during the fall, winter, and spring for the pleasure incident to an unrestricted out-of-door life. It is this class of people who have made southern California what it now is. Phoenix now derives not less than $2,000,000 a year from people who are attracted by our climatic conditions. This source alone will, in the course of time, give us a population many times greater than we have at present. Florida and the erstwhile popular winter resorts of the South can not compare with beautiful and healthy Phoenix. PHOENIX CLIMATE. The climatological data for Phoenix for the year ending 1898, just issued from the weather bureau, contains some very interesting information about the wonderful climate of Phoenix and the Salt River Valley. It shows that the mean temperature for the year was 70. The mean for the winter months of January, February, and December was 47°, 59°, and 49°, respectively. The coldest temperature recorded for these months was 23°, 36°, and 28°, not cold as compared with the East. The relative humidity for the same months was 56, 41, and 51 points respectively. For the spring months of March, April, and May the mean temperature was 57°, 72°, and 73. The hot summer months of which Eastern visitors hear so much-July, August, and September-show a mean temperature of 92°, 90°, and 84°, respectively, but the relative humidity for these months was only 37°, 44°, and 32°. The maximum temperature recorded on any date in these months was 111°, 109°, and 106. But this temperature is that registered by the dry-bulb thermometer. While to the Easterner it seems enormously high, it is not as severe or oppressive a heat as is experienced every summer in New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati, Washington, and other Eastern cities. As an illustration may be cited one of the hottest days of last July, when the dry-bulb thermometer registered 102° at 8 o'clock at night. The wet bulb showed at the same hour but 72, it registering the appreciable heat as one would experience a hot, stifling night in the East; and 72° there is not considered bad. In all the year there was not a day when the mean temperature for the day fell below 32, and but 11 days when it fell below 41°. On 319 days the mean temperature was above 50, and on 249 above 59. The total rainfall for the year was 5.95 inches, of which 1.63 inches fell in January, 0.18 inch in April, 0.08 in June, 0.24 in July, 1.03 in August, 1.01 in November, and 1.70 in December, the remaining 0.08 falling in March, May, and September. But it is in the amount of its sunshine that Phoenix and Arizona particularly excel, and it is a fact that there is not another habitable spot on the globe that shows such constant sunshine. Of the 365 days of the year there are but 35 set down as cloudy, and 71 as partly cloudy, giving 259 absolutely clear days. The percentage of possible sunshine for the months of December and January-the months of most cloudy days-was 62 and 73, while for the months of February, March, April, and May the percentage of sunshine was 88, 82, 86, and 90, respectively, and for the fall months of October and November 95 and 92 per cent. For the mouth of September the percentage of sunshine reached the high figure of 98, there being but one partly cloudy day in the month. The director of the weather bureau states that for periods of ten days to two weeks at a time here there will not appear a single cloud in the sky during the entire day, not even the cloud" no bigger than a man's hand." Such a climate affords the ideal place for invalids and health seekers. Nor are high winds encountered here. The average hourly velocity for the year was but 4.3 miles, and the highest for any month was 4.9 miles in March and April, and the lowest 3.3 miles for the month of February. It will be remembered that February, 1899, was an exceptionally cold month in all parts of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. The minimum records were broken at nearly every weather bureau between the 11th and 14th during the progress of the severe cold wave of that period, and many of the minimum temperatures occurring on these dates were from 10 to 26° below any previously recorded. It is difficult of belief that during this exceptionally cold period in the East the temperature in Phoenix was slightly above the normal. The actual figures for the period under notice are: The plans for the new capitol, the construction of which has made rapid progress during the present year, call for a structure four stories in height and 184 by 84 feet in size. The first story is to be of granite from the granite quarries near Phoenix, and the superstructure of tufa stone from Kirkland, Skull Valley. The style of architecture is classic, but not severely so, and the building on completion will present a handsome and imposing appearance. The rotunda is 44 feet in diameter, and extends from the ground floor through all the stories of the building to a height of 78 feet, being surmounted by a dome, which is crowned by a statue of Liberty 16 feet in height. The dimensions of the halls provided for the legislative bodies are 38 by 36 feet, and special attention has been given to the acoustic properties of these halls and their efficient ventilation. The gallery space in each hall has a seating capacity of between 200 and 300, and surrounding the halls will be the committee and other rooms required for the accommodation of the legislators. Special offices are also provided for the governor and other Territorial and Federal officials. The capitol grounds, 10 acres in extent, were donated to the city some ten years ago, and were laid out at the expense of the Territory nine years ago. The design on the east side of the grounds is geometrical in style. The lawns on the west half of the grounds have not yet been completed. The principal deciduous trees with which the capitol site is ornamented are the Arizona ash, the Russian mulberry, the umbrella, the Mexican chinos, the eucalyptus, and a few elms. Among the palms are the California fan and date palms, the blue and Japanese fans, and a large variety of yuccas. The shrubs comprise specimens of Australian, Chinese, Japanese, European, and native varieties, and there is a nice collection of cacti and a fair one of roses. When the work in contemplation has been carried out the capitol grounds will form an admirable setting for the new building. THE TOWN OF MESA. Twenty-two years ago a caravan of Mormon people from Utah settled on the land which is now covered by the lively little town of Mesa. The name was derived from the topography of the country, the Spanish word mesa meaning table. The country surrounding Mesa is high, flat, and nearly level. The town is 8 miles east of Tempe, and 17 miles east of Phoenix. It is 100 feet higher than Tempe and 180 feet higher than Phoenix. The Maricopa and Phoenix and Salt River Valley Railroad enters the place and runs two trains to Phoenix daily. The town is situated in the center of a thickly settled country of small farms, on the outskirts of which district are large grain and cattle ranches. The mesa country is thrusting itself forward as a fruit section. There are more large and small orchards, vineyards, and nut groves on the mesa than anywhere else in the Territory. The Mormon is a small farmer and the highest state of cultivation is reached under his care, as can be readily seen by a passing visitor. The soil on the mesa can not be surpassed, and the water supply is second only to Tempe, while the canal system is nearly perfect. The town of Mesa is 1 mile square. The blocks are twice the size of the ordinary block, and the streets are as wide as boulevards. There are many beautiful residences and grounds, and the business blocks are for the most part substantial bricks. The hotel accommodations are ample and first-class; the water pure and the atmosphere healthy, and the people and conditions make the city an ideal place for a home. The place is thoroughly lighted by electricity. There are 900 progressive, energetic people in the city. |