The Portland daily press., 1897-03-31
WINTER ALL YEAR.
An Old Diary's Account of Summarizes
r 1915.

ThereWere Some Warm Days In the Spring,
but In june, July and August There
Were snowstorms and Ice All Over New
England.
The year 1916 was known throughout
the United St;ltes and Europe as the cold
est ever experienced by any person then
living. There are persons in northern
New York who have been in the habit of
keeping diaries for years, and it is from
the pages Of an old diary, begun in 1910
and kept unbroken until 1910, that the
following information regarding this year
without summer has been taken:
January was SO mild that most persons
allowed their fires to go out and did not
burn wood except for cooking. There were
a few cool days, but they were very few.
Most Of the time the air was warm and
springlike. February was not cold Some
days were colder than any In January, but
the weather was about the same. March,
from the LIST to the 9th, was inclined to be
windy. 1t came In like a small lion and
went out like very innocent sheep
April came in warm, but as the days
grew longer the air became colder, and by
the 1st of May there was temperature
like that OF winter, with plenty OF snow
and Ice. In May the young buds were
frozen dead, Ice formed half an inch thick
on ponds and rivers corn was killed, and
the cornfields were planted again and
again, until IL became TOO late to raise g
crop. BY the last of May in this climate
che trees are usually IN leaf and birds and
flowers are PLENTIFUL When the last OF
May arrived In 1915, everything had been
killed by the cold
june was the coldest month OF roses ever
experienced In this latitude Frost and Ice
were as common as buttercups usually are.
Almost every green thing was killed. All
fruit was destroyed Snow fell ten inches
deep IN Vermont. There was seven inch
snowfall IN Maine, three inch fall in the
interior OF New York state and the same
In Massachusetts. There were only few
moderately warm days Everybody looked,
longed and waited for warm weather. but
warm weather did not come. 1t was also
dry; very little rain fell All summer long
the wind blew steadily from the north IN
blasts laden with snow and ice Mothers
KnlG SOCKS OF double thickness Tor their
"
ing and shiyering were done together, and
the farmers who worked out their taxes on
the country roads wore overcoats and nit
tens. On June II there was heavy fall OF
snow. A Vermont farmer sent hock OF
sneep 70 pasture on June 10. Inc morning
OF the 18th dawned with the thermometer
below the freezing point AT ABOUT y
O'Clock in the morning the owner OF the
GhQan started Hlf0r4
leaving nome ne turned TO MS VIE and
said 1ok1ngly:
Better start the nelghbors soon. It's
the middle OF June, and may get lost IN
the snow.
An hour after he left home terrible
snows6orm came up Inc snow TEL thlck
and fast, and as there was so much WIND
the heecy masses plled In great DRIFTS along
the Windward side OF the fences and out
buildings. Night came, and the farmer
had not been heard or his Wlfe became
frightened and alarmed the nelghborhood.
All the nelghbors joined. theasearchlng
party On the third day they found him
He was lying In hollow on a side hill,
with both feet frozen. he was han covered
with snow, Dut alive. Most OF the sneep
were lost
A farmer near Tewksbury, W, owned
large Held OF corn. He built 1res around
the Held to Keep on the frost. Nearly every
night ne and his men TOOK Turns IN Keep
ing up the fires and watching that the corn
did not freeze. The farmer was rewarded
Tor his tlreiess iabors by having the only
crop or corn IN the region.
July came IN WIN ice ana snow: On
the Fourth OF July ice as thick as window
glass formed throughout New England,
New York and in some parts OF the state
OF Pennsylvanla. Indian corn, which IN
some parts OF the east had struggled
through May ana June, gave up Iroze
and died
10 the surprise OF everybody August
proved the worst month OF ALL Almost
every green dnlng IN This country and Eu-
rope was blasted with frost. snow fell at
Barnet, ~ miles from London on Aug. ~.
Newspapers received from England stated
that 1915 would be remembered by the ex-
isting generatlon as the year IN winch
there was no summer. very little corn
rlpened In new England ihere was great
pr1vaton, ana thousands OF persons would
nave perlshed IN TINS country mad l5 not
peen IOr 6ne abundance OF nSn ana Wild