The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-02-28
SOME STRANGE WINTERS.
SOMETHING ABOUT YEARS WITHOUT
WINTER OR SUMNER.

OF otu 1ihcS.
On the second page of Nennors
! weather Bulletin" for january, 1882,
was found the following: During De-
cember, 1871. a western newspaper re-
marked thai not since 1887 has any De-
cember season been known so mild.
Lawn grasses are growing finely and
dandelions are in bloom; navigation is
perfectly OPEN Commenting ON this,
Mr., Vennor saws: Now, again, in 1881,
we have to record a very similar state of
affairs for the same month of the year.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press Of Dec. -,
1871, contained an editorial OF which the
following is an extract:
This remarkable weather knocks the
Old Settler association ON their beam
ends. \ = 4 Here it is the s2d of
December, with the mercury dancing on
its silver heels to the music of 90 dogs.
above i'm the shade. \ = K Ten boats
of the St. Paul Boat club, each occupied
with s~eullers or crews of oarsmen, sport
ing upon the placid bosom of the ances-
tor of meandering streams-all this and
more, too. is the result of the remark
abe weather WHICH, iiOh DlCN We lii LII
nesota. y \ n This is a fact worthy
of being placed on record for the benefit
of all coming investigation of climatic
facts and theories in Minnesota"
The winter of 1S71-1S is not the only
one of exceptional mildness from which
the writer has authority to draw.
A WARM CHRISTMAS.
The winter of 1SS1-S2 was as phenom-
email. as far as unreasonable weather wa
| concerned. as that of 1S1s-1S. On Christ
mas day. 1881, the mercury stood at from
40 to 81 dogs. above zero throughout
the Mississippi valley, merging into sum
mer heat from the mouth of the Ohio
southwark. The day was clear and
bright, with wind south to southwest.
In Ohio. Indiana. Illinois, Missouri. Iowa
and Nebraska the farmers plowed every
month during the winter. The lilac buds
swelled into full leaf in February. 1892,
in nearly all the states named.
On Jan. 26. 1892, the best tested Their
mometers stood at ~ dogs. above in the
morning, at 81 degs. in the afternoon,
and did not fall below 80 dogs. for over
thirty-six hours. February showed TWEEN
ty-one days upon which the mercury rose
above 40 in the shade, and upon sixteen
of these the temperature was above 80
dogs. some time during the day. On the
9TH, 9th, 10th, 18th, 18th and 10Th it
marked go OF above. and upon n occa-
sion, the 12th, stood between - and so
dogs. for five hours.
The thermometer responsible for this
seeming inconsistency failed to reachthe
high water mark of Feb. II again until
after the end of the first week in June,
with Il single exception, May 4, when it
marked 50. mention this fact for the
benefit of the reader who may think the
instrument with which the readings
were taken one of inferior grade, and,
in consequence, very susceptible to fluc-
tuations of heat and cold.
Southern people who get nervous when
they hear yellow fever mentioned in
connection with the warm winter of
1S11-1S can gain some consolation by
watching the change which comes over
the face of the western and northern
man when he is informed that the spring
like character of January and February,
1882, indirectly brought about the many
cyclones and prairie twisters of the sum-
mer following. Many scientists, living
and dead. the late Mr.. Nennor among
the number, believe and believed that
warm winters are very likely to be fol-
lowed by q summer of destructive wind
storms. As far as 1882 is concerned, the
coincidence is remarkable.
A UMMER OF CYCLONES.
The twisters began to exhibit that year
down in Louisiana early.in March, about
two or three weeks after the remarkable
hot February day, l~eyeling several towns
and killing off the negro population at
an alarming rate. Next, in April. a
prairie terror sprang up, all unlocked
for, in Rice county, Kan, Travelled in a
northeast direction, killing everybody
in its track. On the same day three sep
arate cyclones crossed the state of Michi-
gan, killing in the aggregate seventeen
persons and a great deal of stock, besides
destroying an immense amount Of prop
erty. From that time forward cyclones
Matched out like tadpoles in June. They
were mere. there and every place for a
couple of months, doing great damage
to property, but sparing human life, ex-
cept now and then an isolated family.
Next came the appalling calamity at
Grinnell, Ia, in which fifty-siX persons
lost their lives. On the same night cy-
clones of minor size visited Kansas, Mis-
souri,. Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota,
killing from three totwefve in each state.
Note tlenames of thestates just mention
ed, and also the list given above. in which
it WAS said that blowing continued
throughout the winter. After the Grin
nell horror about a fortnight of compar-
alive quiet reigned. Then came the Tex
arkana calamity. in which nineteen hui
man lives were blotted out OF existence.
This summary does not take into con
sideration the cyclone at Brownsville,
Mo. and at Fayette. Pa, both of which
occurred in April of the same year; nor
the ones at McAllister, |. T., and at
Montgomery, Ark, in May, each Of
which claimed a bloody record. One
thing is certain: ii takes into considera-
tion enough to show that phenomenal
winter weather is a boon not TO be APP
preciated.
L TIM WEATHER.
The record for the summers of 1873
and 1882; it must be admitted, strength
apG that opininu. hut ub1t ara va ia