Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-08
THE SUMNER OF 1916.
EXTRAORDINARY WEATHER FOR JUNE
AND JULY.


pbout the weather since | came to New
4or!S, said Nonagenarian James Winches-
Der Of Vermont, who is visiting his daugh-
ter in this city, land you have had pretty
snug winter for here, | suppose, but re-
member the year that was winter from one
end OF 1t until the other, and when the
weather was so severe in June that a terri
BILE snowstorm prevailed on the 18th of that
month, and people were frozen to death in
the month of roses. don't think there are
many people who have as vivid a recollec-
ton of the year without a summer as ]
have, for various reasons one being that
there are few surviving who were as old as
was in that year, and another is becausea
near relative OF mine was frozen to death in
Vermont on June II Of that year, which
was the year 1916.
II was IL years old then. and lived in
Vermont, where l have always lived, and
where that memorable season was at its
very worst, as in the other New England
states in June snow fell but inches deep,
and in New York, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey it was nowhere deeper than inches.
In Vermont il was 10 inches on the level /
mean the great snow of June II. Snow fell
several times during that month, and ice
froze every day in the month. In fact,
there were snow and ice in every month Of
1919
THAT snowstorm of June II was one of
the severest ones / ever saw, even in the
depth of winter in that locality Of severe
SHOWS. An uncle Of mine had some sheen
In a back pasture lot. To get to that lot
he had to 20 through piece of woods for
nearly mile. The weather had been very
cold all through June, The big storm Of
the 18th began along about noon, and my
uncle started after dinner TO 60 20 the sheep
pasture to fix up a shelter of some kind for
the sheep. No one had any idea cold and
eccentric ms the season had been up to that
time, that we could have fall of snow
that would amount TO anything at that
time of year. was at my uncle's when he
left home to 90 to the sheep lot, and as he
went out of the door he said to his wife in
a jocular way:
If Pm not back in an hour, call the
neighbors and start them after me. June
Is a bad month TO get buried in the snow,
especially when it gets to be 50 near the
month Of July
Nothing more was thought OF the mat
ter The snow increased in fury, and by
night 10 had drifted so that the roads were
almost impossible, but even then. and
when II grew dark, none of us felt uneasy
about uncle. The weather had become bit
ter cold. When night set in in earnest,
and there was no sign of my uncle's return,
his wife sent me and my cousin, who was
two years younger than me. to alarm the
neighbors and tell them that we believed
uncle had been lost In the snow and had
persisted.
I'VE had hard time getting to the near
est neighbors, less than a mile away, and
there gave the alarm, but could go no fur
ther. The neighbOr summoned others, and,
In spite OF the severity of the night they
searched the woods until morning, but no
sign of the missing man could be found.
The search was taken up by others the fol-
lowing day and all of the next night, with
out any trace Of him being discovered, ex-
cept that he reached the pasture and built |
shelter Of boughs in one corner of the lot. I
under which the sheep were huddled. On |
the forenoon OF the third day the searchers /
found my uncle buried In the snow mile /
from the pasture, in almost an opposite di- /
nectfon from home. He was frozen stiff.
He had evidently become bewildered in
the binding storm and had wandered about
until he suecumbed to fatigue and cold Il
seems most improbable thing that per-
son ever fell victim TO snowstorm in the
middle of June in this latitude, but have
this sorrowful knowledge Of one instance.
at least, where such thing was only too
true.
1.-The wind during June, July and Au-
gust of 1916 was continuously from the
north, and il blew fierceiy and cold. Farm
ers wore heavy overcoats and mittens while
about their work every day during those
months. There was but little use of plant
ing anything, nothing grew to speak of,
but they did plant corn as usual, and plant
ed with mittens on.
There was very little rain during the en-
tire season. The great piles Of frewood
that always accumulated during the sum-
mer months at the farmhouse back doors
In readiness for winter didn't accumulate
in 1916. They were needed for current use
July was colder even than June, and Au-
gust was colder than July. Ice half an inch
thick formed in July, but In August IL froze
an inch and more. There was heavy
snowstorm on Aug 30. The whole sum
mer was as bleak and dreary as November.
There was not green thing TO be seen any
where The first two weeks In September
brought the first real warm weather there
had been during the year. The thermom-
eter went up TO 20 degrees, which was Is |
degrees warmer than II had been since May.
THE general opinion had been that the
cause OF the cold summer was a sudden and /
VI tut. sun Dy some violent
disturbance, and many bell we'd that the
end of all things was at hand The appear
ance Of the warm spell in September,
though, dispelled that fear for time, but
on the 10th of the month the cold weather
returned suddenly, and the calamity be-
levers were once more made miserable by
their old fear. One old man, James Good !
ing by name, was 80 hopeless over the pros
pect that he killed all his cattle and then 1
hanged himself, after vainly trying TO In |
duce his wife to make away with herself |
also, to escape the terrible and gradual !
death by freezing and starvation, which he
believed was 10 be the common doom.
"Cold increased from the middle Of Sep
TENDER until winter returned, and 1t may
truly be said that, In Vermont at least, the
year 1916 had neither spring, summer nor
autumn. There wasn't grain enough grown
that year TO seed the next year, and those