The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-23

THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER.

The Story of the Phenomenal Weather
that Followed Cold Spring in 1916
New York Sun.
During a cold spring, like that which is Just
now drawing to an end. people generally con-
Will eventually get the victory, and that sum-
mer will certainly come at last, though it's COM
ing may be delayed, Uncertain as the weather
Is the general features of the season recuI with
a regularity which warrants the confidence thus
reposed In the annual return Of seed time and
harvest; but there are instances on record IN
which even the seasons seem to have lost their
characteristic features. as II the ordinary laws
OF metoorelogy had been temporarily suspended.
remarkable case Of this kind, and one which
the lOngcontinued cold weather of this spring
makes particularly Interesting Just now, is that
of the year 1916. which has been called "the
year without summer" communication
printed In the Congregati0naist gives the fol
lowing summary Of the weather of this remark
BILE year:
January and February were mild; March was
cold; April began warm, but ended in snow and
ice. Ice formed an inch thick IN May, and fields
were planted over and over again till it was too
late to replant. June the coolest even
known IN this iatItudes frost and ice COM
mon. Almost every green thing was killed;
fruit nearly all destroyed. snow fel TO the
depth OF ten inches in Vermont, seven IN Maine,
three In the interior OF New York, and also in
Massachusetts. There we're few warm days.
IL was called a dry season. But little rain fell.
The wind blew steadily from the north, cold
tens for tneir children In the spring. and wood
piles that usually disappeared during the warm
spell, IN 'front.' OF the houses were steadily built
up again. Planting and shiveriug were done TO-
gether, and the farmers who worked out their
taxes on the country roads wore Overcoats and
mittens. In a town in Vermont a flock of
sheep belonging TO a farmer had been sent
usual to their pasture. On the 18th of June q
heavy snow storm fell in New England. The
cold was intense.
A farmer who had large Held of corn In
TewksDury built fires around 1t at night to ward
off the frost. Many an evening he and his neigh
bors took turns watching them He was reward
ed with the only crop of corn in the neighbor-
hood. Considerable damage was done in New
Mississippi river. Fears entertained that
the was cooling OF, and throughout New
England all pionics were strictly prohibited.
July was accompanied with frost and ice In
dian corn was nearly all destr Syot; come favor
ably situated fields escaped. Aucust more
oheerless, Ii possible, than the ssmmer months
which preceded 1t. Ice was formed half an inch
in thickness. Indian corn was so frozen that the
greater part was cut down ana dried fer fodder.
Almost every green thing was destroyed in this
country and i'll Europe. On the 30th snow fell at
Barnet, forty miles from London. Very little
corn rpened in New England and the Made
States Farmers supplied themselves from corn
produced in 1915 for seed in the spring OF 1917,
1t sold at from 81 TO So per bushel.
September furnished about two weeks OF the
pleasantest weather OF the season. but in the
latter part of the month ice formed an inch
thick. October had more than Its share of cold
weather November was cold and snowy. De.
ing mild. Very little vegetation was ma
tured in the Eastern and Middle States. The
suns rays seemed to be destitute of heat during
the summer; ali nature was clad In a sable hue,
and men OK hlbited no little anxiety concerning
the future OF this life.
The average price OF -four during the year in
the New York market was S13 per barrel. The
average price of wheat In England was ninety
seven shiltiEgs per quarter. Bread riots oc-
Cured throughout Great Britain in 1917, IN con-
sequence of the high price of the staff of life.