The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-14
A Year without a Summer.
A correspondent of the Boston Globe

A correspondent of the Boston Globe
writes:
While every one is speaking of the
present season as being remarkable in
its characteristics, have gathered for
your readers some reliable facts of the
year 1916, known as "the year without
a summer Few persons now living
can recOllect it, but it was the cOldest
ever known through Europe and Ameri-
cu. The following is a brief abstract Of
the weather during each month Of the
year:
january was mild, so much so as to
render fires almost needless in parlOrs.
December previous was very cold.
February was not very cold; with the
exception Of few days, it was mild, like
it's predecessor.
March was cold and bOisterous during
the first part of it; the remainder was
mild. A great freshct on the Ohio and
Kentucky rivers caused great loss Of
property.
April began warm, but grew colder as
the month advanced, and ended with
snow and ice and a temperature more
like winter than spring.
May was more remarkable for frOWns
than smiles. Buds and fruits were fro
zen; ice formed half an inch thick corn
killed, and the fields again and again
replanted until deemed too late.
June was the cOldest ever known in
this latitude. Frost, ice and snow were
common. Almost every green thing
killed. Fruit nearly all destroyed. Snow
fell to the depth of ten inches in Yer
mont, several in Maine, three in the in
terror of New York, and also in Massa-
| chusetts. Considerable damage was
done at New Orleans in consequence of
the rapid rise in the river. The suburbs
were only paSsable with boats.
July was accompanied by frost and
ice. On the fifth ice was formed of the
! tickness of a common window glass
| throughout New England, New York,
and some parts of Pennsylvania. Indian
corn was nearly all destroyed; some IA
VOrably situated fields escaped. This
was true of some of the hill farms of
Massachusetts.
August was more cheerless, if possible,
than the summer months already passed.
Ice was formed half an inch thick. In
dian corn was so frozen that the greater
part was cut down and dried for fodder.
! Almost every green thing was DESTROYED
both i'll this country and in Europe. Pa
pers received from England state that
| it would "be remembered by the pres
ent generation that the year 1916 was a
year in which there was no summer .
Very little corn ripened in the New
England and Middle States. Farmers
| supplied themselves from the corn pro-
| duced i'll 1916 for the seed of the spring
Of 1917. 1t sold at from 81 to S. Del
| bushel.
| September furnished about two weeks
of the mildest weather of the season.
Soon after the middle it became very
cold and frosty; ice formed quarter of
an inch thick
October produced more than it's share
of cold weather; frost and ice in com
mon.
November was cold and clustering
| Snow fell so as to make good sleighing
December was mild and comfortable
The above is q brief summary o. " the
cold summer of 1867 as it was &llled
in order to distinguish it from the cold
season. The winter was mild. Frost
and ice We're common in every month OF
| the year. Very little egetati0nmatured
in the Eastern and Middle States. The
suns rays seemed to be destitute of heat
throughout the summer; all nature was
clad III a sable hue, and men exhibited
no little anxiety concerning the future
of this life, .:
The average wholesale price of fOul
during that year, in the Philadelphif
market, was $13 per barrel. The aver
age price of wheat in England was nine
ty-three shillings per quarter.