Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-01-28
COLD SNAPS.
SOME ACCOUNT OF SEVERE WINTERS IN
EuRoPE--INrEREsTING DATA OF
FIFTEEN CENTURIES.


What passes in England and CONT
mental Europe for "a severe Winter"
would bo regarded In tho Northern
States and Canada as Il comparatively
mild and open season. "Forty-six
degrees Of FROST" as the London papers
shivcringly puts IL when recalling the
hard Winter Of 1860, lose much Of their
Importance when translated into our
equivalent Of fourteen below Zero"
and since the invention of the ther-
mometer il is doubtful if the mercury
has gone down in England below 200.
Memorable severe Winters there have
been in Europe, not few of which
have had their importance as well as
their interest In history
In A. d. I01 the Black Sea is said
to have been frozen over for twenty
days, and between October, 763, and
February, 764, such a frost prevailed
at Constantinople that the seas are
spoken OF as frozen for hundred miles
from shore.
1t is certain that two centuries be-
fore, in 500, Zabergan, King of the
Huns, crossed the Danube on the ice,
and routing the troops OF Justinian
spread over Thrace to the very walls
of Constantinople, this being the first
incurson OF the Bulgarians who are
now TO choose a Prince and recover
their autonomy. In 1922 ice covered
the Hellespont, In 1904 the Cattegat
was frozen over in 1928 the Baltic
was passable to travellers for six weeks
again in 1402 it was frozen from Pom
erania to Denmark, and twenty.four
Winters after its surface would bear
rider from Lubec to the shore of Prus-
sia. In 1860 horsemen rode from Den
mark to Sweden, and in 1913 sledges
drawn by oxen travelled on the sea
from Rostock to Denmark. In 1908
Charles X, with his army-horse and
ioot-and bis artillery trains and bag
gage, crossed the Little Belt from Hol.
stein to Denmark, to lay seige to Co.
penhagen.
The German chronicles contain MS
many records OF severe seasons. In
1888 the large fowls Of the air sought
shelter in the towns Of Germany in
l46S and again in 1914 wine merchants
in Flanders cut their wines--cham.
pagne frappe with vengeance, only
champagne was still thing corked up
and wired in the bottle of the future
with hatohets and sold them in Jumps.
In 1865 the lazy Scheldt was frozen so
hard that il sustained the weight Of
loaded wagons again, in 1864, it and
the Rhine were frozen over. In the
great cold of 1922 the Zuyder Zee was
ice. bound, and in 1861 the Winter
brought the wolves into the streets Of
Vienna, where they attacked horses
and even men.
The cold seasons Of modern England
have been most carefully noted, with
an abundance Of interesting details.
One midsummer day, 1925, it is said
the rosts destroyed all tie nuits Of
the Garth in l076-7-after period Of
iorty-one years that the writer in the
Gardeners Chronicle has been figuring
out-there were dreadful frosts from
November to April, and in 14O7 all the
small birds perished. The Thames
was frozen from London bridge TO
Gravesend from November "a, 1434,
Till February 10, 1435, and in 15l5-
after the long cycle of eighty years
had been fulflled-it was again crossed
by vehicles between Lambeth and
Westminster In 1864 and 1907 the
river was the scene Of bonfres and di-
versions elaborately described on later
occasions by writer's whose passages
are as familiar to English readers OF
this day as the great plague and great
fire. Some Shakespearean commen-
tators think that they have found in
this unwonted sight Of fire upon ice the
source of the inspiration of some of the
Bard Of Avon's images, and would use
this as evidence TO settle the date of
the composition of play.
The Winter of 1884 was terribly
cold. "The frost trees and oven the
oaks split by the frost most of the
lbollies were killed the Thames was
covered with ice eleven inches thick.
and nearly all the birds perished."
"Tbc frost" according TO citizens
diary ubegan in the beginning of De.
cember Inc neople kent trades on
the Thames "A on dry land. Bought
This bool, AT n sbon unon the ice in the
middle of tho Tbamosn In the Winter
| ~ 170o there wasa three months, frost
with heavy snow and in ZIG a fair
was held on the Thames and oxen
were roastnd whole nnon the ice
aCoacbes nlied from Westminster 10
| the Temnle and from other stairs 10
and fro rs in tho streets 40 that II
seemed to mo a BaccbanaIian triumnh
or carnival on The water while il was
a severe Indictment on the landn
Again in ihe lannon's hard Winter nj
| 1,10 there was another frost fair on
,ho Tbamos which los,ed for p;no
weeks durinr which neriod coaches
nl;ed regnlarIv nm the frozen snrface
and Tho nsnal ampscments were ON.
loved II waa in tbis Winter that Tho
famous ice nalace with ali the furni.
tnro q, na,nro,s crvstaI was bu;lt on
the ice at 81. Petersburg. In I766
there was season of intense cold. last.
inc from Cbristmas dav 10 the 22nd of
/ January and ton vears later Gilbert
White Of Solborpe recorded tho oply
severe Winter that he seems TO have
encountered in his tbirty.eipht years
residence January 7tb. Stbe snow
was driving all the dav.d and ON the
10Th. "a prodieious mass overwhelmed
ali The works of men drifting over The