Wichita eagle., 1890-02-04
9ai1Y r. Eagle
SOME STRANGE WINTERS.
SOMETHING ABOUT WEARS WITHOUT
WINTER OR SUMMER.

"Weather BuiletiK' Cor January, 1892
was found the following: During De
cenlber. 1877, a W estern newspaper re-
marked that not SINCE 1887 has any De
cember season beeu known so mild.
Lawn grasses are growing finely and
dandelions are in bloom; navigation Is
perfectly open" Commenting on TINS,
Mr.. Vennor says: "Ncw, again, IN 1851,
we have to record veI y similar state OF
affairs for the same monEh of the year.
The st. Paul Pioneer I'ress of Dec. 22,
1877, contained an editoria al OF winch the
following is an extract:
'This remarkable weather knocks the
Old Settler association or their beam
ends. Here it is the 22d Of
December, with the mercury dancing on
its silver heels to the music OF % degs
above in the shade. Ten boats
of the st. Paul Boat club, each occupied
with scullers or crews Of oarsGlen, sport
ing upon the placid bosom of the ances-
tor of meandering streams-s1a this and
more. too, is the result of the remark
able weather which now prevails in Min
r. ts0iDla. 1I1iS ID a IdtA WI lily
of being placed on record for the benefit
OF all coming investigation of climatic
facts and theories in Minnesota.
The winter of 1977-7S is not the only
ore of exceptional mildness from which
the wri er has authority to draw.
A WARN CHRISTMAS.
The winter of 1SSl-S2 was as pIlenom-
email. as far as unreasonable weather was
concerned, as that of IS77-1S. OnChrist-
mas day, 1881, the mercury stood at from
45 to SO degs. above zero throughout
the Mississippi valley, merging into sum-
ner heat from the mouth of the Ohio
SOL Inward. The day was clear and
br. hit, with wind south to southwest.
In Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri Iowa
and Nebraska the farmers plowed every
month during the winter. The lilac buds
sweIled into full leaf in February, 1882,
in nearly all the states named.
On Jan. 26, 1882, the best tested ther-
mo,neters stood at 42 degs. above in the
morning, at 81 degs. in the afternoon,
and did not fall below so degs. for over
thirty-six hours. February showed twen-
ty-one days upon which the mercury rose
above 40 in the shade, and upon sixteen
of these the temperature was above so
degs some time during the day. On the
5th, 9th, 10th, 18th, 10Th and 10Th it
mar '1ed 60 or above, and upon one occa-
sion, the 12th, stood between IS and so
degs. for five hours.
Tie thermometer responsible for this
seeming inconsistency failed to reach the
high water mark of Feb. II again until
after the end of the first week in June,
with a single exception, May 4, when it
marked 50. / mention this fact for the
bene it of the reader who may think the
were taken one Of inferior grade, and,
in consequence, very susceptible to fiuc-
tuations of heat and cold.
Southern people who get nervous when
they hear yellow fever mentioned in
com ection with the warm winter of
1ST-7S 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.. Vennor among
the number, believe and believed that
war1l winters are very likely to be fol-
lowed by summer Of destructive wind
storms. AS far as 1882 is concerned, the
coincidence is remarkable.
A SUMMER OF CYCLONES.
The twisters began to exhibit that year
down in Louisiana earlysin March, about
two or three weeks after the remarkable
hot February day, leveling several towns
and killing off the negro population at
an charming rate. Next, in April,
prairie terror sprang up, all unlocked
for, n Rice county, Kan, travelled in a
northeast direction, killing everybody
III its track. On the same day three sep
aratc 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
ertE.s From that time forward cyclones
hate ned out like tadpoleS in June. They
were here, there and every place for a
couI@e 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
Grilneil, Ia, in which fifty-six persons
LOST their lives. On the same night cy- !
clon as of minor size visited Kansas. Mis- /
souri,, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota, /
from three to twelve in each state.
Notot the names of thestates just mention |
ed, and also the list given above. in which /
it was said that blowing continued /
Throughout the winter. Sfter the Grin |
neil horror about fortnight of compar-
atiN quiet reigned. Then came the Tex !
ark ma calamity. in which nineteen hu- |
man lives were blctted out of existence. /
ais summary does not take into con-
SidCration the cyclone ae Brownsville, /
Nc. and at Fayette, Pa. both of which .
occurred in April of the same year: nor
the ones at McAllister, l. T., and at .
Montgomery, Ark, in May, each of .
which claimed bloody record. One
thing Is certain: it takes into considera-
ton enough TO show that phenomenal
winter weather is boon not to be ap-
praciated.
OLD TIME WEATHER
The record for the summers of 1878
AMI 1882, it must be admitted. strength
ems that opinion; but what are we to
think OF the summer OF 1916. which
brought neither cyclones OF yellow fever.
and which, in fact, brought a summer
only III name. The winter of lsI5-i6
WAS as remarkable for its unreasonable
weather as that of 1888, ls7l7S.