Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-20
Eli Perkins on the Weather.

Ell Perkins on the Weather.
Minneapolis Tribune: Eli Perkins,
the humorist, has been blOckaded here
for a number of days, and is simply
rampant upon the subject of weather.
He was approached in the lobby of the
Nicollet last night and asked to tell
something of an old settlers experience
OF this balmy clime
''If you will be accurate in this inter-
view," said he, with an innocent look
Il shall be glad to give you exact infor-
nation"
'.Thon you consider yourself an old
settler, do your"
Certainly. l have settled in Mime
apolis many times. The clerk of the
Nicollet will tell you that have never
failed to settle"
''But tell us ABOUT previous cold win
tors" interrupted the interviewer.
Certainly, young man. This gentle
spell OF weather is midsummer weather
compared TO the weather we used to
have in Minnesota. remember many
years agO-abOut 800 | should say-we
had a very cold blizzard. My friend
Colonel William King, the former pro-
prietor of the Tribune, if l remember
rightly, was then II fair-haired boy in
nocent and blithsome. Well, one day,
think it was in 1929, young King and l
were shingling barn right where the
Nicollet house now stands. This was on
the 4th of July. At 10 o'clock blind
ing blizzard came up from towards ST.
Paul. They snow blackened the sky.
1t became so dark that Mr.. King couldn t
see the roof, and actually shingled fif-
teen feet out beyond the rafters."
Did you actually see this, Mr.. Per-
kins2"
See it, young man! Why, I say you
couldn't see anything; but when the
blizzard subsidized there was the roof.
You ask Colonel King"
SAT another time---in the winter OF
1871, if my memory does not fail me-
! continued Mr.. Perkins, "there was a
wind blizzard. 1t was terribly cold and
the wind at 8 o'clock in the morning
blew awfully."
"Well. how hard did it blow?"
"Blow! blow" repeated Mr.. Perkins
earnestly; why it blew Mr.. Kings cook
stove-blew it seventeen miles, and the
next day came back and got the
gridles,"
Let me see," said Mr. Perkins, mus
ingly, that winter the mercury fell and
froze in the thermometers---pul them
down off Of strong hooks. During that
blizzard was out in my garden picking
strawberries-"
why, how could you pick strawber.
ries in winter?"
"There you go again, young man!
Didn't you come to me to get correct in
formation about previous cold weather:
Then you put down truthfully just what
| say" and the old man pounded the
| marble floor with his cane. 81 remem.
Der all the particulars, for that winter |
was arrested for telling the truth
| and"
Did they prove it on you, Mr.
Perkins?"
mo, they could not prove it. Iproved
an alibi. Well, as was saying, 1 was
out picking Strawberries, but the snow
was so deep that picked them down
through the snow with tongs. When
the snow melted there was four feet OF
| water all over Minnesota and the farm
ers hoed their corn in June with tin
dippers."
After the interview was finished il
was read over to Mr.. Perkins, and he
| was asked if it was perfectly accurate.
Yes" said Mr.. Perkins, II said all
that and II great deal more; why didn't
| you put 1t in?'
| Among the presidents Christmas
presents were frozen watermelon and
a live golden eagle. 1t is supposed that
the melon was disposed of at the white
house, but Mr., Cleveland, having nc
place about the mansion for the proud
| bird of liberty, presented him to the
Zoo" at the National museum to keer
| company with the bear, deer, prairie
dog, wolves and red foxes recently re-
ceivod from the west, and which, it il
| believed, will form the nucleus of q
large collection of American wild ami
| mails add fowls.
1t is said that the biggest quill tooth
| pick factory in the wyrld is near Paris
1t was originally aquill pen factory, bu,
| when these went out OF general use the
factory turned to the toothpck bust
ness, and now makes 2OO,OO0,OOO annu'
ally.
| Gopher farming is a new industry be-
| gun at Auburndale, Fla. Two mer
have devoted a tract of 1000 acres tc
| the purpose. 1t is said that the most
fastidious epicure cannot tell the flesh
of the Florida gopher from the famous
| Maryland terrapin.
| There are POO private railroad cars in
the United States, representing n value
of nearly 5000, 900. They are worth
anywhere from 81 900 to $50, 200 each
the most luxurious, probably, being thai
owned by George M. Pullman.
Shareholders in Brazil are opposing
the final extinction of slavery on the
| ground that it will be impossible tc
carry on coffee planting on large scale
4 ~, i, ,lN..1s Il,