Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-02-24
!flisfcllaneous.
From the N. II. Statesman.
Cold E'riday--l3lO.

OS-A - Io" AS1Os
Intense culdness of which will be long remem
bere1 bv ,htse who experienced its rig,r Those
who were no. ont Of doors, bur had reached an
age rendering them capable OF retaining lmpres-
sons then received, have doubtless Il recoIec
tion OF occurrences taking place arpun then.
The evening previous WAS As mid as those we
winter; bnt in the night the wind ctinged, the
wind suddenly became cold, and the mercnry in
less than l6 hours descended to l3 degrees be
low zero. A holsterous wind prevailed, by which
trees. aud in some cases houses were blown
down, and the day became memorable in New
England as "rhe Cold Friday" Here in Con-
was very little going from place to place. Far
,ners p ed on the wood and attended to their cat
tie, and that was bout oil for the day. In this
village, such as went to the neighbors Or to a
store, upon errands which could not be deferred
sped over the ground like squirrels and we're mr-
tunate if they returned with no flesh frozen by
the intensity of the frost.
From Vol. V. of the New Hampshire Hstori
cal Soclely's Collections the following account
is taken of an occurrence that day in the town
of Sanborton
On Friday morning, the l9lb of January, Mr.
jeremiah Ellsworth, OF Slnbortnn, finding the
cold very severe, rose about an hour before sun-
rise. 1t was but short time before his house
was burst in by the wind. Being apprehensive
that the whole house would suon be demolished.
and that the lives of the family were in great
jeopardy, Mrs. Ellsworth, with her youngest
child, wRaG, lIuEaau ui;ssss f~sn !pto the eel
Dor, which was in a north dnecIion, for assis.
tance, but the wind was so strong against him
that lle found it inpractcable. He then set out
for Mr.. David Browns the nearest house in an
other direction, at the distance of quarter Of a
mile. He reached there about sunrise. his feet
being considerably frozen, and lie so overcome by
the cold, that both he and MIR. Brown thought il
too hazardous for him to return. But Mr. B.
went with his horse and sleigh with all possible
speed to save the woman and her children from
impending destrnc ion. When he arrived at the
house, he found Mrs. Ellsworth and one child in
the cellar, and the other children in bed, their
clothes having been blown away by the wind so
that they could not be dressed. Mr. Brown put
II bed into the sleigh, and placed the three chill
dren in it, and covered them with the clohes.-
Mrs. E. also got into the sleigh They had pro-
ceed.d only six or eight rods befure the sleigh
WAS blown over, and the children, bed and cover
ing, were scattered by the wind. Mrs E. held
the horse while Mr. b c1Ilecte the children and
bed and placed them in the sleigh again She
then concluded to walk but before she reached
Mr.. Br'wn's house. she was SO benumed by the
cold, that she sank down 10 h' ground, finding
It impossible to walk any further. AT first she
concluded that she must perish, but stimulated
by a hope of escape, she made another effort by
crawng on her hands and knees, IN which man.
ner she reached her husband but so altered in
her looks that he did not at first know her. His
anxiety for his children led him twice to con.
clude to 60 TO their assistance but the eanest
opportunities Of his wife, who supposed he would
perish, and that she should survive but short
time. prevented him Mr.. Brown having plac ed
the children IN the sleigh second time, had
proceeded but few rods when the sleigh was
blown over and torn to pieces, and the children
driven to some distance He hen collected
them once mure. laid them on the bed and cover
ed Them and then called for help. but to no pur.
pose. Knowing that the children must soon per-
sh in thar sltuatlon,and being pierced to the heart
by Their distressing shrieks, he wrapped them all
IN ceverel, and attempted to carry them on
shoulder, but was soon blown down, and the
children separated from him by the violence OF
the wind. Finding 1t Impossible to carry them
all, he lett The youngest, the one who happened
10 be dressed placing II BY the side of large
10y He then attempted to carry the other two,
but was soon stopped as before. He then took
them, one under each arm, with no olher cloth.
ing han their shirts, and in this way, though
blown down every few rods, he arrived at his
house. after being absent abou, two hours The
children, though frozen stiff were alive, but died
within a iew minutes. Mr.. Browns feet and
hands were badly lrnzeO and he was SO much
chilled and exhausted as to be unable to return
for the child Ie, behind
The wind continued its severity, and no neigh
bor called until the afternoon, when there W Is
every reason TO believe the child ief, was dead
Towards sunset physician and some other
neighbors having arrived, several of whom went
in search Of the Other child, which was found
aud brought in dead. The lives of the parents
!, were saved but they were left childess.
Mr.. Brown, we are informed by a gentleman
OF Sanhornlon lived until few years ago, bu,
never recovered from the efforts of that day. He