The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-02-07

ii An Old Fashioned Winter.
d The present is the 'old fashioned win.
ter" All the talk about old time winters
being things of the past has been knocked
into smithereens" by our present expert.
ence. 1t has been many years since the
cold wave was as intense as during the
past month or six weeks. as will be seen
by reference to the following article from
an old newspaper published near Phila-
delphla
| On the 18th of December. 1881, the Delaware
river froze entirely over in one night. and the
winter was very severe. In December, l70i,
snow fell to tile depth of three feet, the Della
ware closed, ana the whole winter was in
| tensely cold. In March, 1725, snow fell in one
night to the depth OF two feet. In the winter
of l72s the Delaware was closed with ice for
three months. The winter of 1887 was in
tensely cold, many persons froze to death.
The winter of l740 the Delaware was closed
with ice until the l4th OF March.
The winter OF l74l was intensely cold, many
| cattle and deer were found frozen to death.
Breadstuffs and provisions were so scarce
many persons in this state subsisted on the
deer found dead. As late in the spring as the
18th of April the snow was three feet deep
During the winter of 1850 the weather was
open. but the spring months were excessively
| cold. On the slst of December, 1884. the Della
ware was frozen from shore to shore in one
night, and the winter was severely cold.
Snow fell on the 18th of March to the depth
of21z feet
The winter of l77l-2 was intens ely cold, the
Delaware was closed for three months On
the 9th Of January. l772, the mercury was
90 below zero. I7sO was a memorable cold
winter. The ice in the Delaware was three
feet thick, and continued fast three months
and half; squirrels and cartridges were
frozen to death. The winter and spring OF
| 1883 was severely cold fires were necessary
until the LIST of june. 1897 was intensely cold,
the mercury frequently sinking from 10 to
| l3o below zero. A gill OF brandy was put In
saucer and placed in open lot north of
Philadelphia on the 9th of January, and ring
OF ice formed round the edge an inch broad.
and gtll OF water placed near it froze solid in
| ter minutes.
The winter of 1873 was long ana severe. On
the 18th of March there was a deep snow ana
on the 9Th of june severe frost. The winter
OF 1900 was very cold from the 9Th OF January
TO the sth OF March there was snow two feet
deep on q level. The winter Of 1906 was long
and severe fires were continued In parIors
until the 18th OF June. The winter Of 1909 was
mild until the f1rst week In February, when
cold balanced accounts with 10 per cent inter
est The winter of 1916 was very cold and fuel
scarce ana high. Oak wood sold for sl4 and
hickory for SIG cord.
February Is. 1921, the mercury was 100 below
zero; in New York 100 below. in Boston Ito
below, In Salem. Mass. zoe below. in Concord,
N. H., $40 below. and in Brunswick. Me-, 800
below.
The winters OF 1872 and 1884, were exces
sively cold In the month OF January, 1881
there was one Of the greatest snow storms
that occurred for many years. The snow blew
into banks ten feet high, and completely
buried up the wagons ON the north side OF
Market street. Philadelphia. Another deep
snow fell on the 2lst and 22d, which so com
pletely blocked up the roads as to prevent
any one from entering the city for three da Us
and the cold was intense. On the 4th Of
March, 1882. the mercury sank TO o.. In 1886
the Delaware was blocked up with ice until
the 18th OF March.
The winter OF 1878 was very cold. In
Portland, Me-, the snow was six fest deep
on level. During the latter part Of 1884 the
weather was extr emely cold and vast guam, |
tity OF snow covered he ground. At Utica.
N. Y, the drifts were forty teet deep. There
was more snow in April of that year than any
one on record. In Bangor Me-, the snow that
fell on the 9Th of April, together with that al
ready on the ground. measured six feet The
quantity that fell during the whole winter
ana spring was fifteen feet.
The winter of 1856 will long be remem.
bered as being exceedingly cold, as well as
the good sleighing which lasted for nine or
ten weeks. The lowest fall, OF the mercury
was from 8 to 2l1zo below zero
The coolest day on record In Philadelphia |
was the 18th OF January. 1850. The mercury
sank to lSo below zero, but in the state OF
Maine the mercury reached 400 below. when |
1t froze the bulb and burst. 1t was supposed |
to be the coolest winter since the settlement
or the country, ana the only one in which |
there was no thaw.
The greatest snow storm on record was that |
which occurred on the 18th OF February, l7i7 |
and continued for four days without ceasing
The account is in the Massachusetts histori-
cal collection. When 1t ceased the snow was
about eight feet on level, and in narrow
streets much deeper. In many places 1t was
blown into banks OF a wonderful height The
day after it ceased showing it rained suf-
hcieatly to wet the snow about four inches
deep, when 1t cleared up intensely cold and
froze hard enough to bear both man and
DttSts III DOctOu pdOuH WCAC Jug OAb Hu0ci
the snow opposite neighbors could pass
across the street to eacn others houses. and
they would also cross on the crust to their
chamber windows to visit each other 1t was
in vain to try ana make roads through the
snow. Vast numbers OF animals of all des-
criptions persisted. Many persons who had
not supply OF wood laid In were compelled
to burn their furniture. Snow was melted for
drink ana cooking, and what few mails there
were were compelled to stop for q long time.
The lowest point reached by the Their
moneter in Mount Holly thus far this
winter was below zero. This was regis
tered on the thermometer In charge OF
Edward B. Jones, belonging to the New
Jersey State Experiment station, and is
undoubtedly correct Other thermome-
ters registered lower, but their accuracy is
questioned. About ninety of every hum
dred Thermometers, it is said, have never
been tested and cannot therefore be relied
upon.