Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-01-28
WINTER UP NORTH,
WHERE TIE BOREAN BLASTS BLOW THROUGH
THR WHISPERS
hdwintsr Life in the Land Of Snow and Icicss.
Some Of the characteristics Of the Climate.
What tho Inhabitants Do and Wha. They
Don'I Do

Some OF the CHARACTERISTICS OF the Climate.
What tho Inhabitants Do and Wha, They
Don's Do.
5Decfdi Correspondence Of tas Sgnd1y Register.
BIDDEFoRD, Me, January 25.-Some
people, particularly those living south
of the Mason and Dixon line, seem to
have become imOued with the idea,
through the Inaccuracies OF history or
the Munchausen tales OF commercial
tourists, that IL is cold up In Maine la
winter And the correction of this err
roneous impression is attended with
more or less embarrassment. To be
candid, IL is cool. There is percepti-
Die Tall In the temperature much Of the
time from Thanksgiving on, and quite
ways on, not to speak of "a few eXcep-
tional days last December, when the
old Pine Tree State experienced some
very Lieut.. Peary weather. The mer-
curry tumoled TO % aud 30 degrees be-
low zero There was altogether too
much atmos phers for croquet or ten
mis-, and the time was largely occupied
by the inhabitants in gathering around
the hearth" a game. by the way, that
is verv popular in Maine during the
winter. There is IA certain proximity
OF the people with that useful house
hold article, known as the stove, that is
striking.
Stll, a typical State OF Maine winter,
respondent in its crystallized surround
iugs, with It's oZOne-Iaden atmosphere,
bereft OF microbes and bacteria, pure,
crisp and invigorating, is a flesh builder
beside which cod-liver oil emulsions and
hyoophosphites paie1nto insiGnifcance.
Mark the brown woods, the blue Mills,
pale, clear and stately in the distance
the imprisoned river, where skater
wheels on his shining heel; the whitened
plains, richly Delight with every hue;
seq the children sliding down hill, and
the countless sleiRhs with laughing
girls and joyous boys, unmindful OF
POe's tuneful lines on the Bells, =" keep
ing time TO the "sweet jaggOning OF the
prancing steeds;" 1t is sig ht TO remem-
Der. go, as the poet says,
Go when the rains
Have glazed the snow aud clothed tho trees
with ice.
while the slant sun OF January pours
Into the bowers q Hood OF light
Some go and some don't 1t depends
on whether they have the necessary
funds in the inside pocket for the livery
stable man. But these aud multitude
of other thoughts crowd upon each
other as he drives out with his best girl,
and with one hand steadfastly holds the
! reius. Along the jagged coast of the
Atlantic, with great blocks OF ice piled
here and there and distant Islands robed
10 white, the scenery IS weird and pict-
uresque. And right in this connection IL
might be well TO remark. in view of the
| prohibitory character of the laws. that
the coast, OF course. is the only thing
| that Is Jagged. Even beneficent Nature
seems to have aided in the temperance
! movement, as one-sixth of the surface Of
/ the State is water, which is largely
used, however, for bathing purposes. 1t
/ is not considered a penal offence to take
| water inside 10 this State, and il Is done
| at times quite openly.
but during the winter months most OF
the water is frozen, aud the solidifed
fluid is used rather for skating and
smclt fishing. Thousands of skaters
JhrOng the rivers, and during tho bright.
moonlight evenings 1t is spectacle TO
send the blood pulsating through the
most benumbed and gray hnired'veteran.
The smelling villages arc also objects
OF interest, the number OF those engag-
| ing i'm the Industry often forming quite
| settlement, called Smeitville. The
smelt habitations are about the size Of
| al ordinary bath-hOuse, but ia the
| bands OF the grimy fishermen. very for
| eign TO such purpose. All through the
| lonely hours Of the night, from a hole
| cut ia tho ice, these virgils keep one
eye on the fnny tribe and the other on
| the willy paste boards. They always
hold full hand, either OF fish or cards.
| Among other things Of which Maine
can boast is a large crop OF cold. fresh
Ice. II requires no Cultivating Like
/ Topsy, II just grows, one crop right
over the otuer.and the number OF crops
that can be garnered in one season is
almost unlimited.
Maine is also not very far behind on
snow, as the State has been pretty
thoroughly wrapped IN the white blank
et since the third OF December. The
crystallized fakes don't drop around
here just for a ten-minuto call. They
come with bag and baggage aud settle
down with their knitting for the win
tor. The snow seldom all disappears
before the middle Of April, while the
symptoms Of winter continue right on
uninterruptingly ill near the latter
part OF May. a Maine winter is too
attenuated. 10 shows no disposition 10
escape until summarily forced out by the
advent OF summer. Spring and sum.
mer sort Of begin AZ the same time.
But the Maine winter has been too
sharply drawn by the caricaturists.
There is no wrapping Mp In horse planets
and carriage robes until only the eyes
are exposed and IL is really not needful
% carry a small hand stove along with
you when you 90 out TO walk. There
have been one or two mornings thi.
year beyond the power OF stoves and
furnaces. when one had TO eat breakfast
with mittens and earlappers on, but a..
a rule the brisk air fxerts wholesome
exhilirating influence, warns and en-.
thuses.
The only time that the inhabitants
drop of - a mere matter OF course II