The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1875-03-05
The Discomfort of English Cold Weather

smalleY's Letter to the n. Y Tribune.
You cannot judge of the distress by the
state Of the thermometer, if you take New
York as standard. Everything is srelative.
Freezing point here IS almost as trying as
zero with you. We are not used to cold.
There is no preparation for it, and the want
of preparation is what occasions so much
suffering. Few houses in London can be
thoroughly warmed in winter. There are
no furnaces, few stoves, and steam is not
available. Open CRATES are the rule, and
very good rule they are for single rooms, if
the rooms are not too large. But the halls
and staircases are without the least heating
contrivance, and there is where most of the
infuenzas, and far more dangerous bron-
chial affections come FROM | was staying,
some three months ago, in country house
long before there was any really cold
weather-and even then it was impossible
TO keep warm. Extra clothing would not
do. In the rooms you did not need it, and
in gang from room to room it was no pro-
lection. This, to be sure, was one of the
old houses, built some three hundred years
ago, and built to last. It's architects-there
were several of them, for different parts of
the house were built at different periods
took account of everything but cold and
damp. The walls of the most ancient part
are nine feet thick. The halls and floors
are of solid granite. There were double
doors and portieres and every expedient
for excluding cold from the drawing-ro9ms
and bedrooms, and huge fires all day and
night, even in October, but from one room
to another, it was northwest passage.
So it is in London, but in less degree.
Nor does London street.-The show any more
rational expectation of winter. An inch of
snow is enough to impede the whole traffic
of the city seriously. Six inches would
have six inches at once, but when that
comes it is pitiable to see the horses and
carriages tloundering along. If it freezes,
the horses are not shod for frozen roads
If it melts, there are not enough of them
to draw heavy vehicles through the ''slush. =
No effort is made to clean off the great
thoroughfares. The sidewalks are scarcely
! swept. The greatest possible benefit to
London would be an increase of cold and
snow. THEREAFTER century or so-some
| arrangements would be made for them.
It is certain that three inches Of snow here
create far greater obstruction to street
| locomotion than three feet do in Boston.
| IF we had three feet here as often as the
New England capital has, we should not
manage as well as Boston-that would be
| too much to expect-but we should manage
| better than we do now. Old travellers
know that to see cold country at its best
| you should go in winter and in summer to
a hot country. St. Petersburg is delightful
in January, and Naples in July. They
know how to provide for cold in the one,
and heat in the other. Englishrnen who
come back from Calcutta tell yon that they
never suffered from heat in India as on a
sweltering day in London, and am certain
that the occasional moderate cold here in
1 December is harder to bear than the regular
/ extreme cold i'll Boston.