The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-26
THIS is A MILD WINTER
Vain Efforts of the Thermometer
to Register 10 Below.
LITTLE SNOW, MUCH WIND
Next Tuesday Spring Is Booked to APP
pear and Unless Something Hap
pens, This Season Will Go by
Default-Green Grass.

According to the calendar, on next
Tuesday winter will slide off the lap of
spring and the season of green grass
and other things green will begin. Win
ter has nearly played its string, and up
to date it has made very poor show
ing as compared with winters of pre-
yious years in Montana. 1t will prob
ably go by default and allow spring to
accomplish what 1t has failed to do in
the last three months. If March enter
like lion, according to custom, or ira
dition it will be the only month that
has had nerve enough for the last year
to do it; for it has not been recorded
that any of the past IL months has en-
tered the lists displaying anything
characteristic of the lion.
Persons who have lived for a consid-
cradle number of years in Anaconda do
not recall another such an open win
ter as this one just closingA Severely
cold weather has given this PIT of the
state the go by. The snow fall in this
vicinity has yeen very light. But the
wind-it has more than done it's duty.
The past six months will go on record
as being the windiest in the history of
Anaconda. When all other weather
conditions We're excellent the wind
would heave to and make life as miser-
able as it is possible to be. 1t would
blow when there was not a cloud in
snow from the main range of the Rock
les and sift them over the city. 1t would
come from every section and combine
Its forces and strike the town in the
face, back, below and above the belt
and continue to blow Usually the winds
from the east and north worked the day
shift, to be relieved at clock by those
from the west and south to do duty of
nights. 1t would abate long enough to
allow an occasional precipitation, when
1t would again resume and pile the snow
IN drifts in back yards and on side
walks. Whenever the wind wasn't blow
ing or the snow falling, pedestrians
plodded In the mud. When, again, the
ground was frozen, pedestrians either
pushed against the breezes or allowed
the breeZes to do the pushing That is
the kind of winter that Anacondans have
experienced.
For five years l.. A. Crull has kept a
daily record of the weather. His records
were taken from a thermometer that
hangs in the yard. He has not failed to
consult this register three times a day
during that period, and in vain has he
tried to catch the mercury further down
than 10 degrees below zero, and that
figure was registered on the morning of
Dec. III last From that date until soon
after Christmas the thermometer varied
from a few degrees below to few
above. The night of Dec. Is it was 2
degrees above, thus registering a change
for the worse of Il degrees in as many
hours. On Jan. 6 the mercury Jumped
to 81 degrees above, and the weather
was Italian until Jan. IS. when the Their
mometer recorded 2 below Mr. Crull
has been discouraged all during this
month, because he could not do any bet
ter than he did last November Now
he is about to begin on spring statistics,
and when asked if he predicted a cold
snap before Tuesday he replied positive
ly in the negative.
While Anaconda has experienced an
exceptionally mild winter, as much cam
not be said of every part of Montana.
Down at Havre and points in Eastern
Montana there have been some of the
old-time cold snaps, when the mercury
fell into the bulb and remained there for
few days. However, Western Montana
has not suffered perceptibly from cold
weather. In some parts of Deer Lodge
valley farmers have begun their spring
blowing On the hills that border this
city green grass may be seen, il one
looks close enough at the ground
rms mia winter has opened the flood |
gates or oid-time "reminiscences and |
many pioneer is ready with his stories |
of terrible cold winters and suffering and |
priyation of a few decades ago There |
We're times in this country when settlers |
We're compelled to burn their corral |
FENCES, and 1t is recorded that furniture |
was used as fuel, it being impossible to I
go 10 the nils for firewood. One old |
timer says that he brought a load of |
logs to his house and sawed them I'M /
into stove lengths. The next morning |
the whole pile was reduced to kindling /
wood by the extreme frost having split
the sawed pieces. He also saws that he /
once went out after bucket of water
and before he reached the house he was /
carrying solid chunk of ice. Not hay
ing hre enough to thaw it out the ice
was used as stool for the remainder