St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-11-19
For The CaledOnian.
4 YEAR WITHOUT 4 SUMNER.

The Caledonian of the Sth ult. con-
tanned an article from the Boston Globe
having the above caption in which the
writer presented a most gloomy and
heartrending account of the summer
of 1916. and expects us to believe that
the most fearful fOrebodings for the flu
ture distracted the people. That aw-
FIJI state of things as thus depicted
may have existed to a certain extent in
some localities. 1t is only 90 years
since 1916. and while | write only from
recollections | am aware that great
numbers of people ARE still living IN
Caledonia county who remember all
about these things, and could detect
my mistakes, and | am pleased to be
able to mention the names of few of
those gentlemen. James Works, now
% wears old, was then and is now liv-
ing i'm Waterford. Thaddeus Far
banks, now near 90, was then and is
now living in st. JOhnsbury. Joshua
Hartman. now 81, was then and is
now living in Peacham. Samuel john
son (brother of Oliver now 80, was
then and is still living in Peacham.
The winter of ISl5-I6 at st. Johns
bury was very much like other winters
i'm that region until the latter part of
February OF fore part of March, when
most of the snow ut st. Johnsbury and
vicinity disappeared, leaving much ice
and some patches of snow. Between
Rutland and Albany all the snow, ice
and frost had left the ground, although
the ice remained in all the rivers until
after the middle of March. After this
it was warm weather, and the Hudson
river was clear of ice all the way from
ALBANY to New York. On the 18th of
March | saw ground being plowed near
the city of Hudson, y. Y. At st. Johns
bury the spring season opened early
and very auspiciously, of which l have
very pleasant recollections because 1t
so happened that the most of my work
then was out of doors. The month OF
May was very favorable for all Out-Ot-
door operations, especially for the
farmers whose growing crops were
never in more promising condition at
the first of June than then. The young
corn was large, and had been hOed the
first time.
ON tie first Tuesday in June, in
those times, all the military companies
i'm Vermont were called out for their
annual inspection and drill. The com
pany belonged to came together on
that first Tuesday of June at Maj. But
ler's. north of the Plain, (nOw the Hen
~ Ross place..
am not mistaken when / say it was
IA warm day for us to be arrayed i'll all
the required military accOutrements.
The next day, Wednesday, was decid-
edIy hot until about D o'clock, p. m,
when there was heavy thunder show
Ell. Thursday was cooler, especially
toward night, when the falling tenn
perature was more noticeable. Friday
morning was dark with thick brown
clouds, and the ground slightly frozen.
The four following days, the 9TH, Sth
9th and 10th were all nearly or exactly
alike. During those four days and
nights the sky, sun, moon and stars,
were all the while Obscured by thick,
dark brown, wavy clouds; and on two
or three of those days fine, round flakes
of snow were seen floating in the air.
The snow disappeared about as fast as
it came, and consequently it made but
little or no showing on the ground,
which remained frozen all the time of
that cold snap. So much for the great
depth of snow at st. JOhnsbury.
1t was reported that Walden and
Peacham had two or three inches of
snow. At that time man and boy at
Peacham went into the woods to look
for sheep and became confused and
lost. The boy was found alive, but
the man was dead and frozen stiff,
which gave rise tn some ridiculous re-
marks, when it was alleged that the
climate of Vermont was so severe, that
a man froze to death in June. But as
the boy was found alive, it was the
best proof that the man was not frozen
to death. That protracted freeze was
very injurious and even fatal to some
growing farm crops in many places in
Y 4 Il, lar-
which was usual for the month of June
did not return until the 18th or 18th of
that month, there still remained ample
time for the planting and maturing of
corn, potatoes, beans, peas, buckwheat
and turnipg. 1t was we'll known
fact that corn was fully ripe within 90
DAVIS after planting. James Kittredge
of Danvillc, previous to that time had
never failed to have new corn ground
at the mill in August am unable to
state To what extent potatoes and corn
were really killed in Caledonia county.
| do know that small quantities of
very poor corn and potatoes were
gathered that fall, but do not know
whether from the first or second plant
ing. II the whole of that season had
been as unfavorable as represented. it
would have prevented the growth of
every green thing on the farm.
Among other calamities of the sum-
mer of 1916, the typhus fever in its
most malignant forms appeared on the
Plain, of which disease Deacon Hub
L I L NJ. Go. LII l.,