The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-03-04
Record of Some Cold Winters.
From the Trenton Gazette.

From the Trenton Gazette.
The predictions that this was to be re-
markable winter, and one of the old-fash-
toned kind, led Professor John Smock,
the State Geologist of New jersey, to make
some seasonable comments on the kind Of
weather that our forefathers had when
this country was new. Professor Smock
has written considerable about the weather
and has finished the most complete record
of the weather that has been brought be-
tween the covers of book. From the
facts and figures that he has at his COM
mand the people who became frightened
few weeks ago when the mercury dallied
around the zero point we're unjustly SO,
and should be consoled with the informa-
ton that the folks of this day and genera
ton are not in it with the good old sires
of colonial and Revolutionary days for
cold winters. Professor Smock's record
goes back to 1907, and it tells how often
the Hudson and the Delaware rivers were
frozen over This record is particularly
interesting, because it tells of frost in June
and rivers full of ice in April; frost max
ing its appearance in every month in
the year and snow storms in May de-
stroying the crops. There are numerous
cases cited where the mercury had gone
away below zero and remained there weeks
at time.
Some extracts are made from the records
and they tell their own story:
Chesapeake Bay nearly frozen
over.
1656-Summer very hot.
1717-February 1924, great snow,
greatest ever known" up to that time in
New England and on Long Island.
NATURALIZATION in the Delaware
much INSTRUCTED by ice from December q
until February %; February Z, an OK
roasted whole on the ice at Philadelphia;
March 90, snow fell two to two and one
half feet deep on level last Saturday
night and Sunday.
1796-7-Delaware closed December %;
Susquehanna closed December 6; January
10, as cold weather as remembered in so
years. At South and West extremely
cold.
1797-S-Winter long and cold; Hudson
river closed in November; Delaware frozen
over December l, open again February g..
1798-9-A long and severe winter, with
much snow; March II, deep snow.
1799-Cold weather in spring; ice
April 20; frost June 6.
1799-1800-A remarkably open winter
until January 6; Delaware open again on
18th, snow three feet deep in Georgia;
snow and hail at St. Marys River, in
Florida.
1903-May I, ice; on the 9Th, snow
which broke down the poplars and other
trees in leaf
1828-9-Hudson river closed Deem
Der %; free from ice April.
-3O-Hudsonr river at Albany closed
January IL $780, and free from ice
again March Is.
l93O-1-Winter very cold at South
west; ice formed at New Orleans.
1S35-January and February both very
cold; February 8, thermometer fell below
zero nearly all over the country north of
Savannah and Natchez; Long Island Sound
was closed by ice; coolest winter since
1779-sO.
1S43-March was the coolest month of
the winter of 1928; snow Is inches
deep in Georgia. August, a remarkable
heavy rainfall in Newark, 22.84 inches; at
Lambertville, 1926 inches. Hudson river
free from ice at Albany April ID, having
closed November &c, 1912.
1S52-Winter of 1851-52 cold; mean
temperatures of the month, 3 to 8 degrees
below the average; East River crossed on
the ice January 30, and for three days fol
lowing; Susquehanna, at Havre de Grace
frozen over for seven weeks; cold and snow
as far south as New Orleans and Jackson
vile, Florida.
Doo,1Iior Clirnafa