The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-01-15
RICH BIZ N u. VA:
Thur.day MORNING, Jannarr rs, 1852
THE WEATHER.

nus Tar, tnis mas been the coidest WINTER,
in Virginia, Of which we have any recollection.
We have already had two spells, unaccompa-
MED by snow, in both of which the river, below
Rockets, froze across in a single night. We
doubt very much whether such an occurrence
ever took place before, within the memory of
any man now living. We have heard that. in
1894, the river froze across in single night,
and remained frozen for weeks, so hard that
wagons passed regularly, every day. across
it. But that was the effect OF one continuous,
unrelaxed spell Of cold weather, the winter
never letting go its hold for single moment.
Ga the present occasion, however, we have
had two seperate, cold, dry, hard spells, each
of which has been sufficient to freeze James
river across in single night
The prese spell has come at a most mop
perfume season. The Christmas holydays, by
stopping the operations of the colliers. always
produce scarcity of coal about the first Of
the year. 1t has been greater this year than
we he'd ever known it, or there has been grea-
ter demand for coaland it has thereby been
made to appear scarcer, whether it be really so
or not 1t is difficult, nay, almost impossible, to
obtain good lump coal. at any price, and the
article which is in market is, in general, about
as coarse as the coarsest gunPowder, and is
half dirt at that. We wonder that some en-
terprising person has not thought Of having
coal here at all housekeeping up a coutiu-
ual supply, so that it can always be had A
depot of that kind, we should think, would
always be profitable. We suspect the poor
have suffered very much during the spell.
The folly Of u child is sometimes better than
the wisdom OF the wsest man. We certainly
do not lay claim TO any very great share of sa-
gacity yet, having often heard old farmers soy
that u heavy crop of persimmons was always
indicative of hard winter, We veutured, in our
folly, to say as much, in another paper. There
are certain men so very wise, that they know,
or fancy they know, the causes Of all things.
Some OF these deIidcd US for expressing be-
lief in the truth of this sign. The counexion
between cause and effect had escaped their on.-
nscience, and the thing, of course, could not
be. Well! Ask any farmer who comes from
the county, if he has ever seen larger crop
OF persimmons than the present. Ii he shall
say he has, then we will admit that we had no
ground for the conclusion to which we were
led ON former occasion.
As this editorial is written pretty much at
random, upon matters connected with cold
weather in general, We propose giving the
Drummond Lights another opportunity to show
their smartness at our expense. We delight
above all things to be the cause Of wit in 9TH
ers, especially in a class of men who do not
often commit the sin of excess in that particu-
La. What do these most potent, grave aud re-
erend gentlemen think of the goose bone p
We have known old lady to foretel the
character of five winters by it, and each prog
Iostcaton came true to the letter. Now, if any
of hem wish to know what manner 81 " inter that
of 1928 will be, we engage 10 give them u
true description Of it by the first day of Oct0-
Der next and we will consult no other oracle
than person of our acquaintance, who shall
judge by that touchstone alone. We do not
pretend TO assign the re8son--that were as
hard as it were to tell why it has pleased Pro-
vidence 10 make our Drummond Lights so
much wiser than other people-we only offer
to ioTetell what manner OF wiater it will be.
The belief in the goose-b0Ie as prognos-
ticator OF the winter, is far more extensive than
many Of our readers, perhaps, suspect. II was
first brought to Virginia, as far we able
TO learn, by the late Peter Baker, of Gooch.
land. This gentleman was born, we believe,
in Pennsylvania, and enigrated TO Virginia
shortly after the revolutionary war. He was
man Of strong practical sense, close obser-
walton, and was one Of the most successful
farmers OF his day. When lie first came TO
the neighborhood, in which he afterwards re-
sided, the inhabitants laughed at his Supersti-
tioa as they called his belief in the nfaliibiliy
OF the goose-bone. But before he was done,
he made so many predictions which turned out
10 he true, that he turned the laugh completely
against them. Many of them became converts,
and remained in that belief 10 the end OF their
lives. The winter Of 1886, was one of the
warmest on record, there having been scarce
ly freeze during the season. During the fall
OF 1905, Mir. Baker, who was in feeble health,
attended a SALE where he found several of his
neighbors eagerly bidding against each other,
for straw and forage, OF which there was re-
mafkable scarcity al that time. To one of
them he said, that his anxiety TO buy these ar
ticles and his disappointment in getting them,
were matters of no moment; ''ior" said he,
"though in all probability shall not live to see
il, you will end the coming winter the midest
YOU have ever known II turned out pre-
cisely as he had loretold Dir. B., who GER
tainly was no quack, did not pretend to have
made this discovery himself. 1t had been es-
tablshed by the observations Of many sue
ceeding generations of men, before it came into
his possession. Having never known il TO fail,
he could not but believe if, though neither he
nor any other man was ever able to assign u
reason fer il.
We have heard much said, by the old
people in our younger days, about the wiz
ter of 1894, and still more about tina, of
1880. We are very much disposeJ 10 doubt
uho.ber a;ther of Them yrns kayc.n ,,ror IL =