Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-01-08
Cold winters.
THE WINTER OF 1879 80-THE COLD
FRIDAY OF FEBRUARY 7, 1897

MIA Of EDO n III - lCVtt
From the Albany Argus.
The winter Of 1880 began as
the present one did, and before
the slight moderation iD the
atmosphere, Sunday, many OF the
older residents, whose fathers and
mothers had told them many tales
of that terrible winter, were spec
ulatiDg as to whether the present
one would resem ble it in other
respects. In 1879 50 the cold
weather set in about the middle
Of November, and continued until
the middle of February During
that long period there Was not
enough warmth in the suns rays
to melt the snow on the ground,
nor to effect in the least the letters
of ice that bound the creeks, ponds
and rivers. One snow storm fol-
lowed another until finally the
ground was so covered that it was
difficult to go from place to place,
and the ice upon the rivers at all
convenient points was used by
men and teams and animals in
place of roads. The cold winds
were so piercing that wild turkeys
were found frozen to death in the
forests, and domestic fowls fell
frozen from their roosts. i he deer
and buffalo sought shelter from
the blasts around the cabins of the
settlers, and all kinds Of wild ami
mails persisted in the forest for
want of food, which was buried
beneath the snow. The fierce wolf
and panther, which usually skull
ked about the boundaries of the
settlements only by night, now
came near in broad daylight III
search of the bones and Offal
thrown from the cabin of the set
tiers. No rain fell, and the pioneers
were compelled to obtain water
for drinking, cooking, &C., by
melting ice and snow. The North
ern and Western rivers were tight
ly bound by frost, and even as far
South as Nashville the Cum Der
land was frozen over with ice
thick enough for the safe passage
of emigrant trains. The Delaware,
at Philadelphia, had ice three feet
in thickness, and Chesapeake Bay
and Long Island Sound were fro
zen over.
Another similarity between the
present winter, and that of 1779 so
was the mild autumn weather that
preceded it. When the cold be-
gan, in November, 177S, the leaves
had hardly fallen from the forest
trees, and many of the trees and
shrubs were putting forth new
growth. The same condition of
things was witnessed last fall
The winters of 1888, 1884, 1885,
1888, 1886 and 1899 are all reported
as having been very severe.
1t is stated in "Hildredth's Pho
neer History" that on the Goth of
December, 1887, the Delaware and
Ohio rivers were both frozen over,
and navigation was suspended
upon them until the 18th of the
following March.
In 1882, when soldiers were sent
to the disastrous battle field of
General st. Clair. 10 bury the dead,
they encamped where Cincinnati
now stands, January %. The
snow was reported two feet deep
upon the ground, and the Ohio
was so strongly frozen that the
soldiers rode their horses across
from Kentucky on the ice.
The 9TH of February, 1907, was
known for years as Cold Friday,
and was the groundwork for many
a grandfather's tae. Ga the even
ing of the 9th the weather was
mild and rain began to fall as
night set in. In u few hours the
rain changed to snow, which fell
to the depth OF six inches, after
which hurricane began to sweep
over the land. 1t grew colder as
the night progressed, and the next
morning the trees in the forests
were cracking like the reports of
guns, and everything was bound
in letters of ice. There was no
thermometer to register the cold,
but the day comes down in histo-
ry and tradition as Cold Friday.