Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-02-22

PHENOMENAL WINTERS.
some Interesting Facts about such Win
tiers in vermont during the Past HUI
dred Wears,

some Interesting Facts about such VIM
ters in vermont during the Past Hun
dred Wears.
On our first page today is printed no
tice of MIR. Henry Swan Dana's excellent
history of the town Of Woodstock From
one Of the concluding chapters Of the book
on the climate, range Of temperature, etc,
of the Quechee valley we extract the fol
lowing, which is of interest for comparison
with the characteristics Of our present
phenomenal winter
The year 1919 was remarkably mild
the winter following equally remarkable
for its SHOWS, which accumulated to depth
exceeding five feet on level, aud the
weather which attended this great quantity
of snow is sigualized by IA remark of the
old folks, still remembered, that for Sly
weeks not drop of water was thawed in
the sunniest exposure. The last part of
the winter of i1s6 was intensely cold
then for ten years the winters were com
paratively mild Sunday morning, Janua
nv 4, 1885, the thermometer stood in this
village at 33 below zero according to
three thermometers on Elm street, while
others, placed in a different part of the
village, indicated 80 below. Some one
writing in the Courier of the 18TH re
marks "The lowest ! have ever known
any Thermometer in this village, before
Sunday morning last, was PSI below zero;
that was the morning of the LIST OF Febru-
AIRY, 1926 1t is near thirty years that
have resided here, and Sunday was the
coolest day there has been within that pc
Rod" January, 1874, was one of the cold
est months ever known in Woodstock. FOR
seven consecutive days following upon the
Goth, the Thermometer indicated temper
ture equal to - II below for each morn
ing of the seven, and on Sunday, the 18TH,
the maximum reading of the thermometer
was below The January we have just
passed through USSs) can scarcely equal
this, and, if memory serves truly, 1t was
not quite so severe AS that of 1874. To
add one more fact to this part of the rec
ord, on Wednesday morning, January ~,
| 1887, Mr. Hosea Dotous thermometer reg
stered - below zero.
Captain Jacob Wilder used to relate that
the year he first came to Woodstock, Christ
mas day, about 1871 as he went NJ what
! is now Central street aud Court street, he
saw II team narrowing in rye on the ground
where the Judge Hutchinson house and the
| stores ON Elm street now stand, AMI that
| the ground was in good condition for SOW
| ing grain The December and January of
| 1Si1 Is were equally mild, when the ground
| was bare and no frost almost constantly
| till the st of February, and the blowing Of
| lands and laying stone wall, with other
| farm work, were going ON IN every dlrec'
| ton. Still more singular was the winter
Of 1857 81 Through the previous summer
| and autumn there had been abundant rams
and rather cool weather. The season con
tinued mild till February, 1898 when there
was IA moderately cold suap spring was
early, the summer very pleasant, attended
! by golden harvests. On the other hand
winter sometimes set, in abnormally early
| On the 2id Of October, 1913, snow fell six
| inches ON the Green and much deeper on
the highlands. aud did not disappear till
the next spring Saturday, the 18th Of
| October, 1928 1t showed steadily all day
! Sunday morning the snow was six inches
/ deep in the village in Barnard, nearly "A
! foot deep. \ week later, another snow
came, twelve inches in depth. and saturday
evening the stage went to Rpyaltun ON run
ners. Nineteen years previous to tins, II
/ being the 9Th Of October, lNOl about y
o'clock in the forenoon the temperature
changed from mild To violent snow storm
| Wednesday everything was white with the
new fallen snow fourteen or fifteen inches
deep Along the highlands the wind blew
strong, covering fence, and blocking up
roads with the drifted SNOW Great dam
age was done t. fruit trees and shade trees
in various places, and the forests resound
ed with the noise of the branches of the
trees breaking under the weight of the
snow Tradition does not preserve the
memory of storm SO severe as this, oc
curing any other year So early in the an.
tumn. Extremes like these, however, ARE
rare, aud generally October is the pleasant
est season We have in the twelve months
Our springs it must be granted, are ap,
to be tedious and unpoetical, Yet expert
ence proves it is better they should be SO
Two feet of snow the lst Of April is more
promising than bare ground, and warm
April is almost sure to be followed 10y d
cold May and June. The spring of lSi,
affords a good illustration. The season
opened early robins appeared the tirst
days of March, and 10y the 18th the snow
was all gone gardens were partly mad,
before the end Of the month April VA
very warm-sn warm As to cause Farmer
Blake To groan with apprehensIons for th'
future BY the first week Of MAY, vegeta
ton was forward, and there was ever!
promise of a splendid season. Then cam,
"A change Cool weather set IN. which cul
minated the It'll Of June in "a snow storm
and the next morning Sunday, ice forme,
in this village, and the frost cut down ev
erything. The spring Of 1893 was anothe
Of the same sort early, warm, and prom
ising, followed by frosty summer. Oh
the morning of the 9TH of July, after sew
eral days Of cold north wind the air wa
50 sharp that ice formed, and IA field q
L. -. L. Lob