The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-14
MONTANA'S COLD DAY
Old Timers Distinctly Remember the
18th Of March, 1867.
THE THERMOMETER FROZE UP
Snow-Buried Telegraph Poles-The
Survivors I'm Butte chilled by
the Recollection of the
Memorable Wave.

Although yesterday was a compare
lively mild day, the mere recollection OF
% years ago yesterday was sufncient 10
cause old-timers who were in Western
Montana at that time to turn their coat
collars up over their ears and keep
close to a hot stove all day. March IL.
1867. was by long odds the coolest day
in Montana of which there is any rec
ord. and yet there is no authentic rec
ord Of how cold IL really was, for the
very simple reason that every ther-
mometer in the territory froze up solid
before the cold snap had really set in.
c.. w. Irwin and General Warren agreed
while discussing the matter yesterday.
that the temperature on that memoir
able day was at least 100 below zero,
and as there is no way OF disprovlng
their conclusion. it must be accepted as
a fact The cold snap was accompanied
by a snow storm and blizzard and eff
fectually blocked travel by any means.
Manager Levi Wild of the Western
| Union telegraph Office was manager OF
the telegraph office at Virginia city 70
years ago yesterday. and the simple
question whether or not IL was cold
| enough for him on that day caused him
| to hurl an ink bottle at his question
/ er's head, as he made a side leap for
| the coal stove. 1T was awful, said
| Mr.. Wild. retrospectively, as he vicious
| ly poked the fire and then turned about
with his back so close to the stove that
he scorched his coat I'VE had a bliz-
gard lasting three days that was ten
| times worse than anything any white
man has ever seen in Montana before
or since, and on the 18th of March
| every thermometer in camp froze solid
How cold was IL? with shiver)
don't know. All know is that IL hadn'
a. \ .N.I1 he
thermometers went back on us. Some
miners who came over from Butte q
few days later told us that a pound o.
quicksilver was frozen solid I'm Silvei
Bow gulch and their statement wal
not doubted in the least. The storm
carried down our line between Virgins
City and Pleasant Valley. and IL stay
ed down for two weeks. AS soon as tn
storm moderated so that a man coul'
stand IL, / sent out a man to repair tn
line He got along all right until h
reached the canyon near Rands stag
station on the old Bannack stage lin
and there he discovered that five or 81
poles were. as he supposed, missing
He came back TO town and l sent hin
? out again, and on the third day h
t found the poles They had been burie
under the snow, and IL was not unit
5 the wind shifted the snow around tina
) their tops were revealed. The stag
= could not get over the divide for thre
days. and IL was not safe to leave III
. house while the storm was at its heigh
: The winter of 1866 and 1867 had bee
! an unusually mild one, which made tf
$ extreme cold seem all the more sever
G The 18th of March, 1867. was undoub
!; | eddy the coolest day that white ma
4 has ever seen in Montana, and no OF
: who was not here at that time can hay
Il the faintest conception of how cold
!, can get when the clerk of the weath'
q gets hot about something"
Mr.. Wild gave the fire another sti
ring up and when he went back TO VOL
at his desk 10 feet away he threw
buffalo overcoat over his shoulders.