Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-01-29
From the Bellows Falls Times.
COLD FRIDAY OF 1910.


ing account of that terrible day. 1t was
furnished us by Mr.. William Stone, If
this village, who cut it from paper and
has preserved the slip for more than for.
tv years He does not remember what
paper he took it from, but from the read.
ing of it, it must have been printed at
Concord, N. H. Mr.. Stone well remem.
bers the day, being about sixteen Years
old, and attending school at Claremont
at that time. 1t was so cold that hardly
anything was done by the teacher and
scholars except to keep warm, Or rather
from actually freezing:
The 10Th of January, 1910, was dav
the intense GOODNESS of which will lone
be remembered by those who experienced
its rigor. Those who were not out doors.
but had reached an age rendering them
capable of retaining impressions then re-
ceived have doubtless a recollection of oc.
currences taking place around them. The
evening previous was as mild as those we
hove been favored with in such numbers
this winter; hut in the night the wind
changed, the air suddenly became cold,
and the mercury in less than l6 hours de.
scended to Is degrees below zero. A bois.
ferrous wind prevailed, by which trees and
in some cases, houses were blown down,
and the day became memorable in New
England as the Gold Friday" Here in
Concord, so near as our recollection serves
there was very little going from place to
place. Farmers piled on the wood, and
attended to their cattle, and that was
about all 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
were fortunate if they returned with no
flesh frozen by the intensity of the frost.
From VOL V, Of the New Hampshire
Historical Society Collections, the follow
ing account is taken of an occurrence on
that day in the town of Sanbornton:
"On Friday morning the 10Th of Jan
uary, Mr. jeremiah Ellsworth, of San.
bornton, finding the cold very severe. rose
about an hour before sunrise. 1t was but
short time before some part of his house
was burst in by the wind. Being appre-
hensive that the whole house would soon
be demolished, and that the lives of the
family were in great jeopardy, Mrs. Ellis
worth, with her youngest child, whom
she had dressed, went into the cellar,
leaving the two other children in bed.
Her husband undertook to 90 to the near
est neighbor, which was in north direc-
for assistance, but the wind was so strong
against him that he found it impractibe
He then set out for Mr.. David Browns,
the nearest house in another direction at
the distance of quarter of mile. He
reached there about sunrise, his feet being
considerably frozen, and he so overcome
by the cold that both he and Mr.. Brown,
thought it too hazardous for him to re-
turn; but Mr.. Brown went with his horse
and sleigh with all possible speed to save
the woman and her children from impend-
ing destruction.
When he arrived at the house he found
Mrs. Ellsworth and one child in the cellar
f.. and the other children in bed, their clothe:
having been blown away by the wind, SC
that they could not be dressed. Mr.. B
put bed into the sleigh, and placed tn,
three children upon it, and covered then
with the bed-clothes Mrs. Z. also go
into the sleigh They had proceeded only
six or eight rods before the sleigh wa'
blown over, and the children, bed auc
covering were scattered by the wind Mrs
Ellsworth held the horse while Mr.. Brown
collected the children and bed and placed
them in the sleigh again. She then con
Guided to walk, but before she reached Mr.
Browns house, she was so benumbed by
the cold that she sunk down to the grounC
finding it impossible to walk any further
At first she concluded she must perish, bu
stimulated by hope of escape she made
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