Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-02-19
The Discomfort of English Cold
Weather


smallsy's Letter to the New York Tribune.
You cannot judge of the distress by
the state Of the thermometer, if you take
New York as standard. Everything
is relative. Freezing point here is al
most as trying as zero with you. We
are not used to cold. There is no prepar-
alton for 1t, and the want of preparation
is what occasions so much suffering.
Few houses in London can be thoroughly
warmed in winter There are no furna-
ces, few stoves, and steam is not availa-
Bile. 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 stair-cases are without the
least heating contrivance, and that is
where most of the infiuenzas, and the
far more dangerous bronchial affections
come from. / was staying, some three
months ago, in country house-long
before there was any 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 going from room to room it was no
protection. This, to be sure, was one of
those old houses built some three hun
dred years ago, and built to last. Its
architects were several of them,
for different parts of the house were built
at different periods-took account of ev-
erything 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 ex-
cluding cold from the drawing-rooms
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 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 paralyze it. don't know
whether we ever have six inches at
once, but when that comes, it is pitiable
to see the horses and carriages founder
ing 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 clear it off the great
thoroughfares. The sidewalks are scarce
ly 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. 1t is certain that three inches
of snow here create far greater OBJ
struetion to street locomotion than three
feet do in Boston. If we had three feet
here as often as the New England capi-
tai has, we should not manage as well as
Boston--that would be too much to ex-
pect-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 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. Englishmen who
come back from Calcutta tell you that
they never suffered from heat in India
as on sweltering July day in London,
and am certain that the occasional
moderate cold here in December is hard
er to bear than the regular extreme cold
of Boston.