Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-09-06
The Year Without n Summer.

The Year Without n Summer.
From the Boston Transcript.
The year 1916 was known throughout the
! United states and Europe as the coolest ever
experienced by any person then living. Very
rev persons DOW living can recollect it. June
was the coolest ever known in this latitude
| frost and ice were common. Almost every
green thing was killed: fruit nearly all destroyed.
Snow fell TO the depth Of ten inches in Vermont.
seven III Maine. three in the interior OF New
YORK and also in Ma aclusetts There were q
few warm days All classes looked for them III
that memorable cold summer siytt-eigil: years;
ago it was called dry season. But little rain
Tell. The wind blew steadily from the no. iii
cold and fierce Mothers knit extra socks and
mttens for their children in the spring. and
wood piles that usually disappeared during fhc
warm spell III front of the houses were speedily
built up again Planting ana shivering Were
/ done together. and the farmers who worked out
tler taxes on the country roads Wore cyercOats
and BitteDs. In town in Vermont q flock Cf
sheep belonging to Il farmer had been sent as
usual. to their pasture On the nth Of June q
neaYy snow fell: the cold vas intense. AID the
! owner started away at noon to look tor his sheep.
Better start the gil bors soon, Wife, lie said in
Jest Before .eaving bring in the middle Of
/ June may get lost in the snow, Ni@ht came,
! the storm Increased and he did rot return The
next morning tire family sent out lcr help and
started in search. Cre after another OF the
ne@h5ors turned out % look for the missing
!naa. The snow had covered up all tracts. and
not until the end OF the third day did they finii
him on tie side OF h,il. with both feet frozen,
unable to move \ farmer who had lare field
of corn IN TaWksbury built tiree around it to
! ward OF the frost: many al evening he and his
men took turns watching it. He was rewarded
with the only crop Of corn III the neighborhood
Considerable damage was done in New Orleans in
"A
river: the suburbs were covered with water and
the roads we're passabe only in boats. Fears that
the sun was cooling off ahounde,t. and through
cut New England all picnics We're strictly pro-
hibted.
July was accompanied w'th fros. and ice. On
the 5th ice was formed If the thickness of COM
nGD window glass throughout New England
New l Gih, and some parts Of Penn 5yiyania.
Indian corn Was nearly iii destroyed: some favo-
rably situated fields escaped This was true OF
some Of the hill farms OF Massachusetts August
was more cherries. il possible. than the sum
lner months which preceded it. Ice was formed
half all inch In thickness. Indian corn was so
frozen that the greater part was cut down and
dried for fodder Almost every green thing
was destroyed in this country and in Europe
! On the 3oth snow fell at Barnet forty miles
! from London. Papers received from England
stated that it would be remembered by the
present generation that the year 1916 was wear
in which there was nc summer Very little
t
states farmers supplied themselves from corn
produced in 1915 tor seed i'll the spring of 1917
1t sold at from a TO % per bushel.
September furnished about two weeks Of the
mdest weather of the season. Soon after the
middle it became cold and frosty: ice formed a
quarter of ali inch in thickness. October pro-
duced more than its share of cold weather: frost
and ice were common. The summer and autumn
OF 1916. cold rainy. and ungenial throughout
Europe were peculiarly so in France Constant
fhln hu Of ,,I,, Il
september But for an abundant potato CROP
famine. with all its horrors. would have been her
lot. The Minister of tine Interior established
granaries throughout the Kingdom VI here corn
was sold to the destitute at a reduced price
/ PriceS rose, however, to more than double and
| hundreds persisted OF actual want. November
was cold and clustering: snow fell so as to make
good sleighing. December was mild and CONF
Portable.
Spontaneous Barn Burning.
From the scientitic American
1t is noticeable that larger number Of the
burnngs of barns is mentioned by the periodical
press In the summer than at any other time
Some of the fires are undoubtedly caused by
lightning, the moist vapor from the uncured hay
making a favorable conductor for the electric
fluid But there are barn fires which cannot be
attributed to lightning to lighting of matches.
to light from lanterns nor to the invasions of
careless tramps. 1t may be that the spontaneous
combustion OF hay is as possible as the spon-
taneous firing OF cotton waste All fbrous
material when moist and compressed and
defended from the cooling influences of the out
ward air. is subjected to heating similar to
that OF fermentation: and in some instances the
degree OF heat is sufficient to cause actual
visible combustion. In the case of recently
cured hay this danger Is as great rs in similar
circumstances. other materials may be. Ere
quenty the grass is cut in the early morning
while wet with dew; Is turned twice during the
day, and gathered and packed in the NOW or
the bay before nl-GhtfaH with perhaps sparse
sprInkllng OF salt Such compressed mass Of
! fibrous. moist matter will heat How far the
heat will 20 toward generating combustion
may be inferred from a foolish trick which the
writer witnessed several years ago.
A large meadow of hay had been cut. cured
and cooked. previous to removal. shower
| threatening. the cocks were covered with caps
! OF canvas and left for the night. While getting
the hay in the next day, one of the workmen
dropped an uDhGhted match from his pocket
! Into cock OF hay. and in a few minutes it was
ablaZe. 1t afterward was aScertainpd that ne
lad spoken of the warmth of the hay as he
lifted 1t on his fork. when companion remarked
That 1t might be hot enough to light match
on which he put match into a rick and be-
fore they had passed Oh five minutes the rick
was on fire
Everybody convergant with farm life. where
nay is a permanent and an important crop.
Knows that for weeks after getting in the hay
the barn is warm when the doors are opened in
the morning. There is an amount OF heat that
Is absolutely unpleasant when the thermometer
outside registers CO., but which is quite well
! come with the outside temperature at 40o This
! barn heat is undoubtedly from the moist hay
compacted and nclosed The cure for the pos
sible danger of possible spontaneous barn burn
Ing would seem to be the thorough curing
drying-of the hay before it is housed. We dry
all our herbs and some of our vegetables with
out I'M turing their peculiar and individual quail
ties There is no reason why hay or other tod
der material stored in large masses should not
be rendered equally innoxious to the influences
Of heat by thorough drying,
New NOFh's Esad Young Man.
Letter to San Francisco Ar9oraut
Another man who is often met is the Younger
son Of a wealthy widow or a careless father.
who is allowed $4,000 or $4,000 for pin
money. besides the debts which ne manages to
contract with his tailor and florist This speci-
men very often gets into the papers, has num-
erous intrigues with actresses. considers him
self frlghtlully wicked specimen Of humanity
When he succeeds in Juggling some woman OF
the stage of to supper. and cultvates round
shoulders and wearpd, exhausted and diss-
pated expression. Hedrinks absinthe cocktails
talks continually about women and passes with
. the Younger members of his Spy as an :,wfuIly