The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1884-02-14
DORA.
Kincaid's, Noxubee County, Miss.
Jan. 31st. 1884.

Jan. 31St, 1884.
DEAR HERALD.-The accounts
which we read in the Carolina papers
of the extreme severity of the cold
weather in that region seem, some OF
them at least, almost incredible, such
as coffee freezing as it was poured hot
out of the coffee pot and in the cup as
soon as it was filled, and both cup and
pot adhering by the frozen ligament
connecting the two vessels the frozen
stream from the one to the other so
that the cup could not be lifted from
the table, and lump OF ice found in
the center of pot of hominy after it
was taken from the fire. These in
stances or tales would do credit to
Baron Munchausen. or the Arctic re-
sions. Out here the cold has been
quite unusually cold but the last OF
Dec. 1880 (if remember right was as
cold or colder in So. Ca, than it has
been here this winter, and the cold
Saturday and Sunday of Feb. 1885, the
first Saturday and Sunday Of that
month were colder than any weather
since then. The writer ofthis was y
wears old then and took his first trip
to Charleston by railway from Aiken
where there were only q very few
houses then and one small hotel near
the inclined plane where now the eX-
tensive Highland Park hotel stands,
but the inclined plane is amongst the
things OF the past, as it was done away
with some years ago and a very deep
cut hundred yards on the other side
of the railroad has replaced it. The
cold of that day is remembered by
every one who was old enough to re-
member it if they were at all exposed
to it. did not feel it so much as old
er persons. though at that time there
were no stoves in the little square cars
which did not even have cushioned
seats, and the seats were only painted
boards around the sides and ends Of
the cars. Perhaps the excitement Of
nv first trip from home to the City,
and a warm cloak with the quick cir.
culation ofyouthful blood were a proof
against the cold but still knew it was
| the coolest dav I had ever seen at that
time nor have I ever seen as cold un'
less the next day Sunday was equal tc
| it. That was the day that the wine OF
a communion table froze, according tc
late account Of an octogenarian in {
late Charleston paper. The writer
| was more incommoded by the cold OF
that day than on the previous one, fol
not being accustomed to fires made o!
coal they gave him headache and he
had to 90 out of and into the sitting
room of the hotel, and was between
Scylla and Charybdis. That after
noon my father and myself started out
to see an old friend and acquaintance
who had lived in Newberry andpresid
ed over little Seminary ofle..rning il
the same place. but the cold was 81
intense and not finding the place o.
his residence so readily as we expected
we turned back to get out of the colo
though we had not far to go from the
| hotel to the house of our friend. That
spell of cold weather killed down al
the orange trees in Florida and all the
China trees in this State. Nothing o:
| that kind has ever occurred in thi:
| country since then. My visit tc
Charleston on that occasion was also
! memorable for another remarkable
event. the burning OF the oldest church
in the City, St. Philips, which was
over a hundred years old. From the
window of room in the fifth story Of
the old Merchants hotel, the writer
saw the steeple when it first caught
fire. in little blaze like the flame OF
q candle. 1t was said that the organ
ran up the whole scale or gamut and
seemed to bewail in shrieks its fiery
death, and the martyr like end of the
sacred edifice. The burning of this
church created quite sensation in
Charleston and the city papers went
into mourning. The writer clipped
from one of them, an elegy in blank
verse which he kept for good many
years, lament for the old church so
dear to so many hearts. But to return
to the cold weather, its effects out here
are more disastrous in the loss of cat
tie, following as it does upon disas-
trous crop year in which the long
drought of three months cut off the
forage, and neither corn, hay or clover
were made and the small remains Of
the very large corn crop of the previous
year is now exhausted. On this place
many of the cattle are dying, and on
an adjoining stock farm where there
are hundreds OF cattle including sheep
&c, some are dying every day though
the last few warm days have given
some respite. How the remainder Of
these are to survive till after March,
on both places, is question of serious
import. How welcome will be the
soft breezes and tender vegetation
OF Spring to both man and beast.
This is said to be most beautiful
country in Spring, and l can well be-
lieve it. 1t is about the latitude OF
Branchville, s. c.