, 1884-02-16
A Record OF Cold Winters.

Record OF Cold Winters.
The Syracuse CN Y. y Journal, says:
An unuSllly cold spell fora month has
marked this winter season. Since
Christmas, there has been little let.up
in the extreme temperature. OC-
casional colder days than any Of this
season are experienced in this lati-
tude. but seldom a month OF such
severe weather CONTINUOUSLY. Tne
greatest cold on record has been "a
degrees bclOwZern in France, 8 below
in England, II below in Holland and
Belgium, 10 below in Spain and
Portugal, zero in Italy, - below in
Germany, I6 in Russia, 81 below in
Denmark, Norway and Sweden, ~
below in British North America
(FCrt RelianceD and G6 below at
Semipatinsk. Quicksilver freezes
at 45 below, and this low degree has
been experienced in Minnesota.
Compared with the extreme of
heat-lC5 degrees upon the surface
Of the soil in Africa-it is seen that
the extremes Of temperature upon
the globe may attain a scale Of nearly
24O degrees. We think it severe
change when the mercury drops
forty 10 fifty degrees within twenty
four hours, as it sometimes does in
this part of the world.
The records Show that the hardest
winters Of past centuries were those
of 1914, 1908 and 1903. The winter. of
l776 comes next in severity. The
winter Of 1859 was very severe
throughout Europe, streams that
seldom frOZe at all were thigk with
ice, and in Paris the snuwfcll to the
unprecedented depth Of twCnty-siX
inches, Two months COptinuOuS
freezing weather was very fatal to
men and animals and to vegetation.
January %, 1876, was the coolest
day ever known in Paris-lO.5 below
zero. Scotland was the scene of II
terrible snow storm, the most extra
ordinary one OF which there is any
record. In a single night snow fell
to the depth of eight to ten feet, and
in some places the tallest trees were
entirely covered. By this nights
storm many shepherds lost their lives
and thousands Of sheep perishCd.
In lSl2-l3, the severe winter was
attended with the terrible disasters
to the French army in its retreat from
Moscow. In lSl9-2O, i'm lS29-3O, in
1904, in 1881, in IS57-S, in 1915,
and in lS7O-7l, there occurred winters
Of the severest type. In the last
period, at the close Of the Franco
German war, the influence Of the
cold was widely fatal to human life.
LIS ohsaENad that tina saverest
winters occur uJ0ut evry forty. y-elII-.i.
A collection Ofstatistics OfeXtreme-
ly cold periods presents the following
facts of interest:-In the year sol,
the cold was so intense in Europe
that the Black Sea was frozen entire
ly OVER. In 40l, the Pontus Sea and
the sea between ConstantinOple and
ScutariO in Turkey were entirely
frozen over. The Danube was frozen
over in 4j2, so that whole army
crossed on the ice. Thc~Dhck Sea
was again frozen over in 7G5 and
the snow driited to depth of fifty
feet. Carriages crossed the AdTiatic
Sea, or gulf Of Venice, in $50, and
in $50 the cold was so intense that
cattle froZe to death in their stalls.
The Mediterranean sea was so
thickly frozen over that it was
passable for carriages and horses,
,Spd merch lndise was transported
Across it on the ice.
In 1872 the river PO, in Italy, was
frozen from CremOna to the sea;
wine hurst in the casks containing
it, and the trees split with loud
report. In 1915 the river PO was
frozen to the depth Of sixteen feet.
In 1874 the Mediterranean was
again frozen over; and whole pine
forest was killed by the cold. In
1882, the snow was 50 deep in
Austria that the houses were entire
ly buried beneath it, and many
persons persisted. In 1903, the
Rhine was frozen over, and the snow
is represented ms being Of "enOrmOus
depth" In 1923, the Baltic sea was
frozen over, so as to be passahle for
six weeks. In 1874, all the rivers in
Italy were frozen over. In 1910,
1892 and nos, the Baltic sea was
frozen in each year. In 1884, the
Rhine and Gulf OF Venice We're
frozen over. In 1923, 1926 and 1859,
each year the travelling from Lubec
to Prussia was performed on the ice.
In 1920, the sea between Con-
stantinople and.IksOdar was passable
on the ice. 1870, the cold was intense
throught Europe. In 1881, the cold
was 50 severe as to split whole forests
Of oak trees. In 1850, Scotland was
visited with an awful snow storm,
which lasted thirteen days and
nights, during which time nine
tenths Of the sheep were frozen to
death, and many shepherds lost
their lives. In 1892, wolves came
into Vienna, ard attacked men and
women owing to the intense cold and
their hunger. In 1729 and 1880,
S otland WIS visited by another
snow storm, in which about 10000
sheep and many shepherds were
lost-"hy single days snow" In
l776, the Danube was frozen over
FIVE feet thick below Vienna. This
long record antedates the more
recent accounts of severe winters,
which comes 10 us more in detail
and with many incidents showing
the Intensity Of the cold at times