The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-03-25
NFWRJJRY.

wears and enjoyed comfortable health
until the day before his death. Capt.
Bachop was born in Barnet, March Z,
1910, and was a prominent cltlzen OF
that town until about 1870 when he
moved to Wells River and entered into
the general merchandise business with
Mr.. Farwell under the firm name OF
Bachop & Farwell. This business ven
ture was not a financial success for
Capt. Bachop. Ha came to Newbury
about ten years ago, and became town
charge about three years ago. lie Is
survived by three daughters. His re-
mains were taken to Barnet for inter.
ment on Wednesday. AT the time OF
his death he was the third oldest per-
son in town, and the second in list OF
fOrty-one octogenarians to die since
January LIST
David Clampit, father-ln law OF
Thomas Barber, died at the latters
house on Thursday of last week OF
consumption. Mr.. Clamtit moved here
a few weeks ago from Littleton, N. ii.
The pastors themes at the Methodist
church will be, morning, THE Burial
of Moses;' evening, obedience vs.
Sacrifice"
Some Weather Notes.
A few weeks ago communication from
+he venerable Jacob Ide, Esq, upon the
cold summer of 1916 was published, which
showed how valuable are the recollectlohs
of a man whose retentive memory con
yeys the events OF a time SO long ago 10
the present generation.
| am led to say somewhat OF the wealth.
or from the study of certain diaries and
weather records, at present in my hands
The most remarkable OF these IS a volume
of several hundred manuscript pages III
which David johnson, Esq, OF NeWoury
kent meteorological journal from the
first of May, 1885, to Dec. 81, 1888.
If Mr.. Johnson had been the clerk OF
+he weather himself, he could hardly have
been more conscientious in recording It's
indications, for he failed not during an
that time to note at six a, M, noon, and
six u. m. the height of the thermometer,
the state of the weather, the direction OF
fine wind. the appearance OF the CLOUDS,
with incidental obserVatl0nS upon GnS
depth of snow or rain fall, the rise or fal!
of the river, the first fToSts, the coming OF
the earliest birds, and particular de-
scription of each appearance OF the Aufo-
IA BOreallS: eC.1 ,r,o,,,a,
johnson of Revolutionary fame, himself
the father of talented children, VINO spent
his entire life of eighty-Seven years, prac-
tically within few rods of his birthplace
where he died III 1865. He lived on the
Oxbow, in Newbury and was merchant,
farmer, land owner, and town clerk TWEEN
ty years. The book is not less record OF
the weather. than of the Singularly accur-
ate. painstaking character of the man.
Very few men would possess such obserV-
ing powers or the patience to record what
he saw. If he was away from nome IL was
the duty of some member OF his family to
make the observations, and at the emo OF
the wear it's weather record was summed
4 T. ,o INo1a Ctr
care as he gave to the public and private
business on his hands.
Toward the end of his life his Observa-
tions began to attract the attention OF
scientific men, and by request, he prepar-
ed an abstract of his notes OF forty years
for the Smithsonian Institute.
He concluded with these words: FOR
the absence of scientific accuracy in these
crude sketches, the writer may be allowed
toplead in excuse that they hey ar&madGi 9Eg
year but WING is blessed wit Insight to
read and write without TIE F''f Specta-
cleS.'
manuscript book of eleven pages, winch
possess a unique interest. III contains ans
the notes of unusual conditions OF the
weather from 1878 to 1875, by Col Thomas
Johnson. COPY a few of them: I'm the
wear 1773 the wheat was headed out on the
tenth of June, and that Night there was
an uncommon great Frost which killed
considerable part of the Indian Corn, so
that II never grew again, and in the Night
of the eleventh there fell two inches OF
snow"
The wear of 1888 seems to have been a
variable one, as a heavy rain set IN the
seventeenth of February and lasted three
DAYS and nights making great freShet,
and before the river had fallen there came
a period of intense cold. "March tenth:
This was one of the coolest days that l
ever knew.
A few days later came warm weather
with thunder showers. Inc river proKe
up the 3Oth, and apple trees were in bloom
the 18th of April. On May 18th OF the
same wear came "the heaviest shower |
ever saw" and the Connecticut river rose
sixteen feet in one night.
The 9th of August was the coolest day
known at that season in New England for
seventy-five years, and a frost killed all
the corn not protected by fog. On the
10th of September rain set in and lasted,
with scarcely fair day till the 18th of
October, when the weather cleared with
a snow storm which was from three inch
es deep in the valleys to nearly two feet
on the hills. The following winter was
unusually severe.
On April 80, 1875, he says: This day
went into tire OXbOw, and the snow was
so deep that | could not ride in the road.
In some places the drifts were three feet
deep"
In 1856 snow did not thaw in the sun
from November 18th to December 9th,
and the summer OF 1887 was very cold and
little corn ripened.
In 1889 cattle were not turned out to
pasture until the DIST of May, and grass
had started but little.
In 1895 people plowed till after New
Years, and the river did not freeze over
until the 18th of January.
The wear 1894 was the fairest weather
and the most fruitful year he had known
in Newbury.
From these and other records it would
appear that extremes of weather were
more frequent a century and more age
than now. Few are left who can, like Mr.
Ide, stretch their memories to the colo
summer of 1916. The great snow storm
in May $3.50 is the limit with most o.
the older men, yet Ezekiel White and wife
of Topsham Center, still living, had beer
married two years at that time.
Newbury Center, Feb. 10th. F. P. W.
WEST NEWBURY.