Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-04
AUSTRALIA.
THE FIRST SNOW EVER SEEN IN MELBOURNE
"A SUDDEN SURPRISE.

THE FIRST SNOW EVER SEEN In MELbOUhNE
"A SUDDEN SURPRISE.
The Melbourne Argus says that on
Wednesday, July 18th, a spectacle OF de-
| cidedly novel and, as far as is officially
| known. unprecedented character was OBJ
| served by the citizens of Melbourne and sub
| urbs, namely, genuine snow fall. II is true
| that a number of colonists aver that snow
| fell on more than one occasion in Melbourne
| during the first decade of Victorian history,
| but our meteorological records are silent on
the point; and Mr.. Ellery, the government
astronomer, whose recollection extends back
to 1851, declares that the snowfall was the
| first in his Victorian experience. Altogether,
| Wednesday, July 26, 1882, was a most ex-
ceptional day in several respects. Its aver
| age temperature was the lowest on record,
| the Thermometer never having risen above
400, while for the greater part OF the day it
was as low as $50. A lower temperature
| than the latter has been registered at the
observatory, but only for very brief
period.
The popularity about the day consisted
| in the uniformly low temperature that pre-
vailed in Australia. 1t had been raining
slightly during the previous night, and
Wednesday morning opened with evident
| signs of a continuance of similar weather.
But few in Melbourne were prepared for
what took place shortly after o'clock, when
scend, reviving ld-world memories, and &C.
casioning general expressions of surprise.
| To young Australians the spectacle OF fall
| ing snowfakes filling the air was indeed a
new experience, and they were enabled to
| compare the actual reality with the concep-
lions formed by reading the descriptions of
similar scenes on the other side OF the
equator.
At about $50 o'clock a much heavier fall
oil hal
thicker, and in some places temporarily
whitening pretty large area. The fall
lasted for about half an hour, during which
time large numbers OF people In all paris
of the city and suburbs watched the unusu al
sjght with keen and evident interest. The
fail was by no means confined to the vicinity
of the Victorian capital, for 1t extended over
the whole southern portion OF Australia,
and also embraced the elevated districts of
this colony, where "heavy snow" was re-
ported from Mount Victoria, Csrcoar, Wal
cha, Bendameer, Orange, Armidale and Khan
dra. At the last mentioned township, which
is situated nesr the headwaters of the Snowy
river the ground was covered with twenty
inches Of snow.
In Victoria the snowfall at Mount Mace
don was continuous, and Mount Buninyopg
capped with three feet OF snow, the roofs OF
the houses in this elevated locality being
likewise covered. Ice three inches thick was
also reported from Mount BuniDyong. The
fall at Lancefeld lasted for two hours, and
at Beaufort the ground was covered to
depth of more than two inches. The noun
tains surrounding Ararat were wrapped in
fleecy mantle, and at Smythesdale snow
balling was the popular amusement during
the greater portion of the day. On Mount
Cole two feet of snow was lying, and the saw
mills were compelled to suspend in conse.
quence. The ranges in the neighborhood OF
Talbot and Stawell were likewise snow-clsd
during part of the day.