Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1855-07-19
From the New York Atlas.
SKATING ON THE KENNEBEC.
BY FRED. PEvERLY.

In the sweltering heat of this summer, when
the thermometer indicates nnety-two degrees
below zero in the shade, it is delightful to
think of the rigors of the irigid zone. 1t seems
almost impossible to imagine that there is such
thing in the world as cold weather. In fact,
| do believe, although a native, and 'to the
manor born,' that this is about the most infer.
nal climate in creation. You may talk about
the West or East Indies, or the tropical heats
of Africa or Central America-there is no
place on this blessed earth where the sun is
so hot during the summer months, as in New
York, (unless, perhaps, we except Boston,
and the sunny side of country meeting house)
Boston in particular, which is always three
degrees hotter, in the hottest days, than New
York.
If we're now about to get up an expedi-
tion to the Arctic regions, in search of DIR.
Kane, Qhe fate of poor Franklin is too well
known this is the season of the year ln'which
| would like to enlist my men-everybody is
willing to go to the North Pole now. 1t is
impossible to imagine anything like cold
weather here. will just ask any sensible,
well-informed man, if he would not like, at
this very moment, to be transported to the
Arctic Ocean, and be placed a straddle of an
iceberg, with segar and hot whiskey
punch. No one cares about friends on such
an occasion-one's own company is so much
better than any enc else's. There is nothing
like absolute solitude in this world, for then
you are sure not TO be importuned by friends,
nor bored to death by talking, meddlesome
women. (May the dear sex forgive me)-
there are angels among them, and there are
5 too. (There is nothing in Gods blessed
world so bad as bad ,woman-there is MOTH
ing so lovely as pure and true-hearted one.)
An intelligent parenthesis, that.
1t is just about this season of the year, now,
when the heat is intense, and the sun is glar-
ing right down upon you through clear,
transparent atmosphere, hotter than black
smiths forge at white heat, that my memory
fondly travels back to the days of my juvenli-
ty, (that is not more than hundred and fifty
years agone,) when | wallowed in the SHOWS
of New Hampshire and Maine, (not naked
in December's snowy and chopped wood and
felled trees during the entire winter, standing
in the snow up to my waist, and with cew-
hide boots on that used TO freeze to my feet.
But all this matter of preface has nothing. to
do with skating on the Kennebec; SO let us at
once proceed to our original intention to tell
something which may not be interesting to
anybody.
With the thermometer as it is at present in
New York, it is pleasant and refreshing to
write about a winter in the State of Maine
such winter as we have seen, when the ther-
mometer positively ranged but ten degrees
less than it does at the coldest point OF the
Arctic winter for DIR. Kane has himself said
that the coolest weather he ever experienced
in the Northern Ocean, was during the month
of March, 1851, when his spirit thermometer,
placed on hammock of ice, away from the
influence of the ship, indicated fifty three de-
grees below zero. The Doctor considers this
the average coolest point ever known in the
Arctic regions.
shall never forget that winters night 1928
| g, when the snow lay, with deathly cold
/ and white, to the depth of four feet, and the
moon, full-orbed and brilliant, cleaned down