Identifier: handymanualofuse01conk (find matches)
Title: Handy manual of useful information and world's atlas, for mechanics, merchants, editors, lawyers ... and all classes of workers in every department of human effort; also a compilation of facts for ready reference on 2,000 subjects, being an epitome of matters historical, statistical, biographical, political, geographical, and of general interest. A universal hand-book for ready reference
Year: 1888 (1880s)
Authors: Conklin, George W., comp
Subjects: Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Publisher: Chicago, Laird & Lee
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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able for numerous indentations and goodharbors, while the western coast has but few. The western part of the continent is a high plateau, on whichare many nearly parallel ranges of mountains. The direction ofthese ranges is from north-west to south-east. They constitutethe Rocky Mountain system, and form the main axis of the con-tinent. Ihe culminating ranges of this system inclose a large,oval-shaped plateau, called the Great Basin. The Appalachian system, in the eastern part, is composed ofseveral parallel ranges, extending from north-east to south-west.Their average height is about 3,000 feet, or about one-third thatof the Western Highlands, Volcanoes are numerous in the Western Highlands, and severalof them are constantly active. The highest peak of the Rocky Mountain system is Mt. St. Eliao,19,500 feet; and of the Appalachian system, Mt. Mitchell, 6,707feet. The great centriil plain, extending from Hudson Bay to the Gulfof Mexico, lies between the two mountain systems. The Height
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330 of Land, an almost imperceptible divide, crosses the plain, sep-arating the Arctic Slope from the Gulf Slope. . The lakes of North America are remarkable for their numberand size. If a straight line were drawn from Chesapeake Bay tothe mouth of the Mackenzie River, it would pass through nearlyevery large lake in North America. The great lakes contain about one-half the fresh water on theglobe. Lake Superior, the largest, however, is exceeded in sizeby Lake Victoria, in Africa. Salt and alkaline lakes are numerous in the Pacific highlands.Great Salt Lake, iii Utah, has an area twice that of Rhode Island.With the exception of the Caspian Sea, it is the largest salt lakeon the globe. The Mississippi basin is the largest basin In the world, except-ing that of the Amazon river. Its chief stream, the Mississippiand Missouri, exceeds every other river in length. The Yukon river, second in size, is, in many respects, unlikeany other river on the continent. Its upper course is remarkablefo

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