The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-03-02
COLD WINTERS.
vhs Wiater ar I7;9.s0-Ihe Geld Friday of
Fsbruary Z, 1897.

FsbrVAFy d lSUs.
The winter Of 1779-S0, says the Al.
hanv .1yg,ls, began rs the winter OF
1Ss6-Sl did. The cold weather sOt in
about the middle of November, and
continued until about 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 affect in the least the fet-
tiers Of ice that bound the creeks, ponds,
and rivers. One snow storm followed
another until finally the ground was so
covered that it was ditiicGlt 10 60 from
place to place, and the ice upon ths
rivers at all convenient points was used
by men and teams and animals in place
OF roads. The cold winds were SO pierc.
ing that wild turkeys We're found frozen
to death in the forests and domestic fowls
fell frozen from their roosts The deer
and buffalo sought shelter from the
cabins Of the settlers, and all kinds Of
wild animals persisted i'll the forests for
want OF food, which was buried beneath
the snow. The fierce wolf and panther,
Which usually skulked about the bound,
aries Of the settlements only by night,
NOW came near in broad daylight in
search Of the bones aud otfal thrown
from the cabins Of the settlers. No rain
fell. the pioneers were compelled to Oh
tam water for drinking, cooking, etc, by
melting ice and SNOW. The Northern
and Western rivers were tightly bound
by frost, and sven as tsr south as Nash
vile the Cumberland was frozen over
with ice thick enough for the safe pas
sage Of emigrant trains. The Delaware.
vt Philadelphia, had ice three feet in
thickness, and Chesapeake Bay and
Long Island Sound were frozen over.
Another similarity between the winter
of l8SO-8l and that of l779-S0 was the
mild autumn that preceded it. When
the cold began, in November, 1919, the
leaves had hardly fallen from the trees
and shrubs wore putting forth new
groTth. The same condition Of things
was Witnessed last fall. The winters Of
Of 1888, 1884, 1885, 1883, 1892, 1876,
and 1899 arc all reported as having been
very severe.
1t is stated in "Hildredth's Pioneer
History" that on tile 10Th OF December,
1888, the Delaware and Ohio rivers We're
both frozen over, and navigation was
suspended upon them until the 18th Of
the following March.
In 1852, when soldiers were sent to
the disastrous battle field OF General st.
Clair, 20 bury the bead, they encamped
where Cincinnati now stands. January
70. The snow was reported two feet
deep on the ground, and the Ohio River
was 30 strongly frozen that the soldier,
rode their horses across from Kentucky
on the lee
Tho 7th Of February, 1907, was known
for Years as cold Friday, and was the
groundwork for many grandfathers
tale. On the evening Of the 9Th the
weather was mild aud rain began to fall
a. night set in. In a few hours the rain
changed to snow, which fell to the depth
Of six inches, after which a hurricane
began to sweep over the land. 1t grew
colder and colder as the night pro
gressed, aud the next morning the tree, /
in the forests were cracking like the re
ports OF guns, and everything was bound /
in fetters Of ice. There was no ther.
mometer TO register the cold, but the day
comes down in history and trslItion os
cold Friday