National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-10
A CENTURY ago.
The Fine Cool Weather Enjoyed by Our
Great Grandf:afIIers in I779'SO.

The Fine Cool Weather Enjoyed by Our
Greaf-GrandfatIIersi in I779'SO.
The winter of 1779-SO began ss the present one
did, and before the slight moderation in the atmos-
phere Sunday many of the older residents, whose
fathers and mothers had told them many tales of
that terrible winter were specializing as to whether
the present one would resemble it in other re-
spects In 1779S the cold 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
Oh the ground nor to affect in the least the letters
OF ice that bound the creeks ponds and rivers. One
snOw-Storm followed 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
al convenient points was used by men and teams
and animals in place Of roads. The cold winds
were 50 piercing that wild turkeys were found
frozen to death in the forests and domestic fowls
iel frozen from their rooStS The deer and buffalo
sought shelter from the blasts around the cabins
ofthe settlers, and all kinds of wild animals per-
lshed in the forests for want Of food, which was
buried beneath the snow. The fierce wolf and
panther which usually skuIked about the bound
Siles ofthe settlements only by night, now came
Rear IN broad daylight in search of the bones and
Ola! thrown from the cabins of the settlers No
nam lell, and the pioneers were compelled TO OBJ
tam water for drinking, cooking, &c, by melting
ice and snow. The Northern and Western rivers
were tiShty bound by frost and even as far south
as Nashville the Cumberland was frozen over with
ice thick enough for the safe passage of emigrant
Trans. The Delaware at Philadelphia had ice
.hIee ieet in thickness, and Chesapeake Bay and
long Island Sound were frozen over.
ANOTHER SIMILARITY
between the present winter and that of 1880 was
e,le mud autumn weather that preceded it. When
me cold began in November, I779, the leaves had
n'lu!y fallen from the forest trees and many of
sAe Trees and shrubs were putting forth new
e.o"'h The same condition of things was wit
- last fall The winters of 1888, 17S4, 17S5
t'o' L'92, 1886, and 1893 are all reported to have
D1eN very severe. 1t is stated in Hildreth's Pic
leeL History that On the Goth of December, 1TS8,
o-s DeiaWaTe and Ohio Rivers were both frozen
WI wv, ana navigation was suspended upon them
III me 18th of the following March. In 1892
-Sl the soldiers were sent TO the disastrous bat
.sIO o. General ST. Clair to bury the dead, they
- IIped where Cincinnati now stands. January
- me snow was reported two feet deep upon
SOUND, ana the Ohio was so strongly frozen
~ 1'-I-SlS rode their horses across from Ken
t,1 - ol inc ICE The 9TH of February, 1907, was
-, 80 Io' years as Cold Friday, and was the
iIo'DI-"ork Tor many a grandfather's tale On
eiIliig OF the 9th the weather was mild, and
-. 'es an TO fall night set in In a few hours
"a" changed TO snow, which fell to the depth
S.. 1'ciieS, after which a hurricane began to
a.t sp over the land. It grew colder and colder
r., -'SHI progressed and the next morning the
ofg, my forests were cracking like the reports
Ice III AZ" everything was bound in letters of
Cod r-.. Ie was no thermometer 10 register the |
din - SIiG S Gay comes down in history and ira
OOiu fIiday.-AibaRy a. y Argus.