The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-09
COOLEST WINTER KNOWN
Mercury Touched 43 Below in
the Gallatin Valley.
IN THE DISTRICT COURT
a Light Docket and No Jury VIII Be
Called This Term = Coal at
Premium Creek
Booming Town.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Bozeman, Feb. There has not been
such severe weather in the Gallatin
valley as that of the last eight days
for about u years. The cold snap COM
menced the last day of January and for
the first five days of February the Their
mometer did not rise above zero at any
time, and at one time, according to the
registering thermometer Of Peter Koch
of the Bozeman National bank, it reg
Some of the less reliable thermometers
in town and the country went as low
as 43 degrees below, and at the college
the report read about 40 below. The
coolest days and nights were those Of
Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last
week, although the wind and blizzard
of Tuesday did more harm and caused
more suffering than any of the rest
of the days. This degree of cold has
not been experienced since the terri
bic winter Of 1867, when SO much
stock died from exposure and cold. AL
though quite little snow fell, yet,
compared with other places in close
proximity with the Gallatin valley it
has been very light. Down on the other
side of the range towards Livingston
and in that section of the country IS
inches of snow has been reported
while here there is not more than eight
inches. About the coolest winter that
is known in the Gallatin valley within
the last 80 years was enjoyed by those
citizens who were fortunate enough to
be in the valley during the winter of
1912, when the thermometers in the
country froze up, but it was estimated
that it must have been 65 below zero
or more. At any rate, Mr.. Koch says
he bought thermometer that would
register to Is below, which. Fortunate
~, he has not seen the register reach
that point yet. Since the winter of
1867 there was a day or two in 1898
when the weather was quite cold and
on Feb. l, 1898, the record was AM
degrees below zero, but this was for
one night only The coolest winters,
that is where the cold was prolonged
for week or more without much
change, since 1860, We're those of 1S71-2
1S74-5 and, of course, 1867, and the
recent cold snap. Strange to say, the
deepest snow fall took place on the 1st
of June, 1875, when the white flakes
accumulated until a depth of about two
feet was reached. This snow was very
heavy, of course, and did an immense
amount of damage. Many trees We're
broken down and several houses had
their roofs crushed in by the weight
of the snow. In 1893, when the 42k
degrees below was reached on Feb l.,
Helena. Great Falls and all of North
ern Montana experienced cold spell
and the Gallatin valley was touched by
the jagged edges, probably. Taking it
all in all, the citizens of the Gallatin
have had u excellent winters and have
No 11~ IL s,G
comparison is made with its less for
tunate neighbors.
On Monday the district court COM
menced its February session. A very
light docket was found and there is a
likelihood that no jury will be called for
the term. There are several criminal
cases, but some will be continued, and
the defendants in several others are
liable to plead guilty save expense to
the county and get off light. The liti-
gants in several civil cases have de-
cided to dispense with the decision of
jury and the learned wisdom of a
judge and compromise matters with a
view to saving money, or perhaps there
is more brotherly love in the valley
than is usually the case.
During the cold weather of the last
few days coal has been at premium.
The dealers could not deliver it fast
enough, or could not get it from the
mines. The public schools were out of
coal, the college had to be careful with
Its supply and County Attorney w. r.
c. Stewart nearly froZe to death be-
cause the coal contractor of the county
could not deliver two coal skuttles of
coal for his use. The coal business
from Trail Greek is quite an industry,
and there are quite number of men
engaged in the business. John MaXey
has Is teams on the road all the time
now that the sleighing is good His
teams haul all the way from four to
six tons of coal at load. The average
price for coal delivered is IS per ton,
so very good wages are made by the
haulers. The coal from the Trail Creek
mines is the best in the country and is
very similar to the anthracite species
of coal. 1t is quite hard, in shiny and
has very little dust and best Of all it
counts there is enough coal in the
Trail Creek mines to supply the whole
of Montana for a number of years to
come. There is quite little town of
wooden shaclzs grouped around the sew
eral mines. The town of Trail Creek
boasts of store and several saloons
One of the mines owned by Mr. Cook
the well-known contractor, has shaft
big enough for railroad car to run
into, and has big hosting outfit at
tached to the extensive works that are
being put up over it.
The construction crew on the Trail
Creek railroad had to shut down dur
Ing the cold weather and work will not
be resumed for some time unless the
weather moderates. There are two or
three miles more of track to be laid
yet and then coal can be hauled over
the new line