The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-01-20
TERRIBLY COLD.

TERRIBLY COLD.
The T~hermometer Runs Down to IS Degrees
Below Zero, Marking the Coolest Wea-
ther Ever Known Here.
1t runneth not to the contrary since the
memory Of man that the past week has been
the coolest weather ever known in Montana.
The Thermometer dropped to IS dogs, and 1t
is claimed by some to IS dogs. This contin.
ued several days, the record furnished US
from spirit Thermometers here showing their
average standing at 8 a. n. was: Friday, Jan.
Is, "a to IS degs.; Saturday, IS to IS degs.'
Sunday, 50 degs.; Monday, 81 degs.; Tuesday,
SO degs., and Wednesday 80 dogs. above.
The severe cold of Thursday, Jan. IL, was
greatly intensified by a furious tempest that
prevailed until the thermometer went down
to 40 - degrees, something that has rarely, IT
ever, o~ccurred-all severe weather here be-
ing exceptionally calm and still. And yet,
we have heard of no death of mar or beast
from cold in all the surrounding country, and
of but two men in all M~ontana-one man
near Marysville and n near Belgrade, Gal
latin county, while hundreds of people have
frozen in Dakota at about the same tempera-
ture, and many further south, where the
mercury scarcely reached zero. This is &C
counted for by the high altitude and conse-
quent rarity and dryness of the atmosphere,
and the fact that people here are better clad
and housed against such seventies. In fact,
we require these projections, for the past
week has been as rigorous as Arctic weather,
where men go out clad in furs, sleep in fur
bags, house up for eight months in the year;
and then generally freeze. "Fifty-six be.
low !" just think of it. The lowest average
Of the most northern observations ever re-
corded were taken on H. NJ. s. "Alert,' at
Floeberg Beach, Lat. 50 degs. q min. n, for
the three winter months and averaged 36 degs.
below zero. Tue lowest temperature was
recorded by the Alert, = 73 degs., and by the
Discovery, at Lady Fraaklin Bay, 10 dogs.
The Vega, off the Northern coast of Siberia,
in latitude 81 degs. ! min. n, made its lowest
record 81, with an aver age for the winter
months of = 10 degrees, so our weather was
colder even than the coolest recorded in win
ter quarters by the only ship that ever made
the Northeast passage, and hut II or 10 degs.
higher than the coolest ever recorded by
human beings. In Franz Joseph Land the re-
cord is - 43 degs, SO we have really endured,
and the little ones, only knee high to their
A B C's, have toddled Off to school and re-
turned unframed, in colder weather than was
ever recorded at many points within the
Arctic circle. And half this time W.B. Mil
ler has been going around in his shirt sleeves.
To be sure, the Arctic observations were at
sea level, while we are 4,546 feet nearer the
SUNK
And this also reminds us that up in the
mountains it is much warmer than here, and
those who come from Gospel Mountain tell
IL it is like plunging into a cold bath to come
down to the valley. "@@~. @"~m:M @" "
The thermometer is reported to have
reached GO degs. below at Race Track Satur-
day, and IS dogs. below at Boulder. Their
mometers vary.
While stock further south, as far a. Texas,
is reported to have suffered, we hear no com
plants in Montana. Their good condition
enables them to endure it, and many locks
and herds had good grazing on the exposed
hills, and went from there up to the timber
for warmth ut night. Mi. N. ] Bielenberg
informed us Sunday he had not yet fed, and
Ae0SA Az ~ lOCuS q EOuuN Vi lay 10
his focks of sheep ranging toward Dog
creek, and added ~ predict yet, this will
be known as an open winter" 1t struck us
it was wide open just then-and the back
door off.
Mr.. John r. Quigley, of Blackfoot, was in
town Wednesday, having retur ned from his
trip to bury the remains of Patrick Hanley
incorrectly reported "Conley'), who froze
to death near Vestal, Monday, Jan. 9th. Mr..
Hanley had come up from Firms ranch,
near Helmville, with P. Moran, driving a
bunch of cattle to vestal. They left Black
foot Monday, Jan. 9th. and were accom-
panied by Nj. - Davis the greater part of
the day, he returning to Blackfoot about 4
p. m, and having left the two men getting
on comfortably within some four miles of
Vestal. Soon after Mr.. Davis left Hanley
must have frozen. Mr.. Quigley says that he
had spells of "~numbness," a lack of blood
circulation, and it was probably in one of
these he persisted. Moran staid with him
till he died and then pushed on to Mays
Vile. The authorities here were asked by
telegraph if they desired an inquest, but this
was considered unnecessary. The body
COuAN AVV 10 AOANu0O OAN0pV St0 AA01Ou0 0oU
Marysville, and Mr.. Quigley was two days
getting there by rail. He had the body
buried in the Helena cemetery.
The weather, which had moderated to the
thawing point Wednesday, turned colder
during the night, and yesterday there was a
continuous light snow fall, with considerable
wind and a lower temperature.
Last Friday morning, q Chinaman, who
started to walk from Black PINE to Philips
burg, a distance of II miles, was found frozen
to death in Heinrich Boge's pasture below
town.-Man.
Billings reported last Friday that the ther-
mometer was ID degs. below, with an east
wind. Stock was not suffering.
A dispatch from Belgrade (near Bozeman)
to the Independent, last Friday, says: At 8
O'Clock THIS morning the thermometer indi-
Gated 81 below zero, and at moor was still %
below. The railroad company has not
moved a car of grain, hay or flour from this
valley for thirteen days. As a result bust
ness is p%aralyzed. The long continued cold
snap is beginning to tell on cattle, and if pro-
longed will result in heavy losses.
The registers Of the thermometer during
the late blizzard were as follows: At Ban
mack, 50 dogs. below zero; at Argenta, 46
dogs. below zero; at Dillon, Al degs. below
zero.-Tribune, 18Th.
Bismarck Tribune: Proteau, the first white
settler of Dakota, and the noted trapper and
scout, was found frozen to death near Fert
Bennett yesterday, aged SO. He had lived in
Dakota and Montana for 20 years, and was
buried by his indian relatives.
Among those who started out last Thurs,
day to look for stock were Pat Quinlan and
q 13-year-old son of James S. McAndrews.
Parties going to the house and finding them
out, instituted search, which proving una
vailing, much apprehension was felt for
them, but it was subsequently ascertained
they reached NJ. B~ielenberg's ranch, aud
were comfortably housed. We understand
Mr.. Quinlan was somewhat frosted, and the
boys hands and cheeks also suffered some.
+An old edition of the Encyclopedias Americana
states that DR.. Kane, on the Grinnell expedition Of
1850. recorded 80 degs. below zero, but as it is not re-
peated in later editions of the same work, and as
scientific authorities give 81 degs. below as the
lowest extreme of Natural eold, 1t would seem that
DR.. Kaue's record was erroneous. The figures we
have given are from the Encyclopedia Britannica of
1897 and RN6wo11'on ;r%;onorv IF 2c;onro