The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-02-11
From the Fernandina Mirror.]
The Great Freeze Of 1855.

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The recent freezing weather in Florida win
be for long time associated with that of 1885,
as being The nearest approach to that memorable
freeze for fifty years.
The earliest relation we have of any cold
weather in Florida is q statement made by John
Bartram, the botanist, who says that on the 3,i
of January, 1895, being on the St. Johns river,
south of Lake George, the thermometer was at
20 degrees, the wind northwest, and the ground
frozen an inch thick on the banks Of the river,
and that this was the fatal night that destroyed
the lime, citrOn and banana trees in ST. Angus
tine.
In 1774 there was II snow storm, which ex-
tended over most OF Florida doing little dam
age.
In 1922 Williams says The cold was so intense
in West Florida that all the fruit trees were
killed to the ground and several persons frozen
to death. On the 9Th April, 1928, a heavy and
destructive frost occurred in Eas, Florida. The
temperature was 9 low as 81 degrees, and il was
the coolest day OF that year.
About the 9Th February. 1885, ihcj severest
cold ever known in Florida was experienced.
The weather had been warm and the trees were
about blooming. A northwest wind set in for
several davs, which blew Violently fer about
three days, when the temperature went down TO
degrees. above zero. The St. Johns river was
frozen several rods from the shore, and all kinds
Of fruit trees were killed TO the ground the
wild groves suffering equally with the cultivated.
Yet notwithstanding the severity of this freeze,
Williams, writing in 1897, only two years after
NJ u Urtavo vuutn f.ioi.f tn ts,u
feet high, and Il few trees had exhibited some
blossoms. The wild groves south 0t Volusia
were not killed down, aud were bearing in 1887.
1t is also quite certain that the Kingsley grove,
on Drayton Island, was not killed down, rs the
writer saw large trees with trunks foot in di-
ameter there in 1S43.
Hardly a winter passes In Florida without the
thermometer gong below 80 degrees. This was
notably the case in 1866, and in Il 6S there was
a freeze which caused the loss oi the fiuit ON
the trees. In December, 1872 at jacksonville,
the mercury sank to 81 dcgrees in January,
1873, to "a degrees in December, 1875, to %
degrees; in December, 1876, TO "a degrees. and
fruit as low down as Marion county was frozen !;
in December 1877, to 20 degrees; in December,
1873, to 81 degrees; in January, 1879 to 25 de-
grees, and fruit on Orange Lake was injured. On
December 30. 1880, to 80 degrees and fruit in
jured, and trees lost their leaves in the northern
part of Florida in December, 1882, To 23 de-
grees and trees again lost their leaves south of
Marion county.
On Friday, the 9Th of January, 1885, very
heavy westerly gale prevailed all day. The Sig
nal Office had predicted Il cold wave, with
heavy frOsts as far south as Tampa-Quite a
heavy rain prevailing Thursday night At dark
on the 9th the temperature began rapidly to fall
On Saturday morning il was degrees below
freezing point. On Sunday morning it had
fallen to 81 degrees at Sanford and about the same
at Orlando and Tampa; Is degrees at Fruilland
and Switzerland, jacksonville and Fcrnandina
on Monday, the 11th, lit Was "a degrees at Sam
ford, % degrees nj Lakeland, and about % de-
gress at Volusia, 20 degrees at Jacksonville and
Fernandina; Tuesday morning "A degrees at
Sanford, 26 degrees at Volusia. On Wednesday
morning the weather moderated and the sun
shone part of the day, thawing out the frozen
fruit On Thursday The day was cool and clOu.ly
-temperature about 80 degrees. Some fruit
was quite soft, while some seemed quite firm.
We have noticed that soft fruit has hardened
and now, at the end of week, the Juice seems
sweet and the plugs firm.
The trees have been slow in dropping their
leaves, and ii is difficult 10 say To what extent
they are injured II the fruit buds are injured
the crop for the present year will he light. The
| general impression is that bearing trees
have sustained but little injury, and that smaller
| trees and nursery stock are more or less killed
| down, according to location and protection
| 1t would be very desirable that reliable infor-
nation should be furnished from all points in
| the State OF the temperature on the 9th, 10th
| 1ith and 18th of January
A reliable record OF the actual temperature
and the results of the freeze would be of greal
| value 10 the reputation OF Florida.
The lowest degree of cold in Fernandina was
| Is degrees, in Jacksonville Is degrees, and on
Orange Lake Is degrees, by ordinary instru-
ments.