Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-02-21
LETTER FORM MINNESOTA

Il
very pleasant one in Minnesota. There
was very little cloudy or windy weather
and uol much severe cold. The coolest
wOs only % degrees below zero. The day,
we're mostly bright and beautiful beycut
description. Add to this, the luxury Of
breathing this invigorating, exhilarating
-Aisaa@ Asrs, aaa-it is a. wonder that wat
charmed with the climate But this Win.
ter We see, or rather feel, very different
picture. The oldest inhabitant does not
remember colder or sevcror season. II
equals in severity the Winter in which
Minnehaha died. | believe the thcrmomo.
ter has scarcely been up 90 the freezing
point q should rather say ha,ciag point, ]
since Thanksgiving. On tho 18th and
18th Of January, tho mercury sunk TO
40 degrees below, and frose, while spirit
Thermometers indicated tho astonishing
coldness Of 46 degrees below zcrol Think
of that, you who cannot 20 TO church
and can hardly 60 out to feed your cattle,
when the temperature is ten below. Yoi
on one Of those days Sabbath, 18th Jan. }
| rode Ii miles, aud preached at two places
seven miles apart in tho country, to
large congregations. And l did not
suffer seriously from the cold Women
were nj meeting who had walked, some
Of them, nearly mile. Tho next morning
(Monday,) the temperature still forty.
live or six below, our 250 school children
and young folks were in their places, al
most without an exception. Little girls
who live some distance from the school
came with the down on their cheeks white
with frost.
Last Sabbath had a hard day. One
Of my appointments was ID miles distant,
making rs miles for the trip. / set out
Just after sunrise. the mercury % degrees
below zero, and n sharp wind in my face.
The day was clear, the sun shone brightly,
but the wind prevailed, and the tcmpera-
lure scarcely moderated all day. When
had travelled a few miles, Gin a sleigh, Of
course my horse was white with frost,
icicles four or five inches long were hang
ing to his nose, aud my own beard was al
most a solid mass Of ice CONCEALED from
my breath. "And did you liye?" o yes;
esmc,svt unscathed, untouched by frost,
except my nose and one ear slightly; that
much might have happened further
South.
TO day is perfect Greenlander. Mer-
curry several degrees below zero all day,
considerable snow falling, and old Boreas
bowling like the furies. Snow has fallen
at different times in great abundance; aud
whcnit once falls ii never melts until the
next Spring. We have now about two to two
and half ieet-entirely too much for con.
venient getting about. And then it SO
badly drilled; il lies in heap, four, six,
or even eight feet deep in places. Roads
are frequently filled up, aud new track
must be broken through the fields. Many
miles of our roads herea bouts will be used
no more till April suns shall melt the
snow. Our railroad is sometimes blocka-
ded for days together. The last time
saw tho train, the snow was thrown up
ward and right and left like an avalanche.
by a huge snow-plow, which was affection
aIely urged forward by three engines
steaming and smoking unitedly like a
moving volcano with three craters, the
rear of the imposing procession closed by
one lonely passenger car.
! You talk about sleighing in Indiana.
Why we never think Of seeing wheels for
three or four months together. We travel
on runners, We visit on runners, we so to
church on runners, we passenger on
runners, we freight on runners, we ship
on runnors---everythin on runners except
steam, and | hope somebody will yet in
vent steam sleigh. Then 'wo shall not
be bothered with the railroads il Winter.