Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-09-04

1880 AND srARvE TO DEATH"
The Year Without Summer-B Barring What
Little There Was In December.

There are few persons now living
who recolleot the year 1916; but
European and American data repre-
sent 1t as having been phenomenal
in almost every particular. In New
England the year went by the name
of "eighteen-h hundred and -starve-to-
death," and the summer months are
known in history as "the cold sum-
NOR of 1885," 80 remarkable was the
temperature.
The sums rays seemed to- be desti-
tute of heat and all nature was clad
in sable hue. Men and women
became frightened and imagined that
the fire in the sun was being rapidly
extinguished, and that the world
would soon come to an end. Minis
ters took the phenomenon for the
text of their sermons, and pseudo
scientific men talked of things they
know not of, while the fanatics took
advantage of the occasions to form
religious organizations.
The winter of 1856 was very
cold in Europe, but comparatively
mild in this country, and did not in
any way indicate the severe weather
that soon prevailed. Even the alma
macs were silent, and although the
usual indications, "about now look
out for cold weather." or "this is a
good time for snow" we're entered in
the regular portions of the book
devoted to the winter predictions,
those used for ohronicling the pleas
anter months had no such alarming
warnings.
January was mild, 80 much so that
for days the people allowed their
fires to 60 out, as artificial heat made
the. buildings uncomfortably warm.
This pleasant weather was broken
by a severe cold snap in February
but this low temperature passed in a
few days and warmer condition,
similar to the months previous set in.
March "came in like lion, but went
out like lamb" There was nothing
unusual in the climatic conditions of
the month which differed from those
generally found in the windy season.
April was the advance guard of this
strange freak in temperature. The
early days were warm and bright;
but as tho month drew to a close the
cold increased until it ended in ice
and snow and very low tempera-
ture. To those who delighted in
balmy May days and loved to watch
the budding flowers, the May of 1916
was bitter disappointment. True
buds came, but so did the frost, and
one night laid all vegetation black
ened waste. Corn was killed, and
the field had to be made ready for
another planting; but the peoples
astonishment was complete when
they found ice formed to the thick
ness of half an inch in the pools.
June, the "month of roscs," was this
year a month of ice and dcsolation.
The "oldest inhabitant" was surprised,
for never before had tho mercury
sunk so low in the tube in these lati-
tudes in the last month of spring.
Frost, ice and snow were common.
Almost every green thing. that had
taken advantage of fow warm DAYS
to develop, was killed and various
kinds of fruit were nearly all des-
troycd. One day the beautiful snow
fell to depth of ten inches in Ver-
mont, seven inches in Maine and
three inches in Massachusetts and
Central New York. Matters were
beginning to be interesting. People
were undecided whether to spend
the winter in the South, or at the
seashore and mountains. One day
the latter resorts were desirable and
The next would decide in favor of
the former; but on the whole the
Southern climate was preferred.
July was accompanied by frost
and ice, and those who celebrated
the glorious Forth, "not wisely but
too WE'LL" found an abundance of ice
handy for immediate uso the next
morning. it was not very thick, not
more than one-scvcnteenth of an
inch but it was ice, and it caused
the good people of New England,
New York and some sections of
Pennsylvania to look grave. That
month Indian corn was destroyed in
all but the most favored locations,
and but small quantity escaped.
Surely August would put an end
to such cold weather; but tho
farmers and hotel proprictors were
doomed to disappointment. The
midsummer month was, if possible,
more chcerlcss than the days already
passed. leo formed even thicker