The age-herald., 1901-08-25
YEAR RECALLED THE
 OPPOSITE OF THIS
CoIdeSt Summer of Our Coun- try'S History Was That of
 1816-Frost All Year

lC may De Telr6SnlIB aI the present time, when humanity Is sweltering, to re- cur to a summer during which the ice man found his occupation gone and when blazing fires were in request day and night and overcoats and winter wraps a necessity both night and day. Such a summer was visited upon the country in 1916. Of course there are few now living who can recall the time and relate their individual experiences, but happily the records survive and can be referred to for corroboration of the statements here matter made.
 Science during the early part of the last century had not advanced to the place it now occupies. In fact, the ma Jorty of the people knew nothng about science and accounted for the phenome- nally cold summer in such a manner as pleased them best, and were not called stupid because of their beliefs. Even to this day the summer of 1S16 Is referred to in the chronicles as "the cold sum mer," and in New England as ''the year eighteen hundred and starve to death" The following account of that phenome- nal season and of the terror and distress caused by it will be perused with interest: The suns rays seemed to be destitute of heat and all nature was clad in sable hue. Men and women became frightened and imagined at the fire in the sun was being rapidly extinguished and that the world would soon come to an end.
 Sermons Were Preached. Ministers took the phenomena for the text of their sermons and pseudo-scien- tific men talked of things they knew not of. while fanatics took advantage of the occasion to form religious organizations. The winter of 1S15-16 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 almanacs were silent and, all though the usual indications about now look out for cold weather,' or this is good time for snow," were entered in the regular portions of the book devoted to the winter predictions, those used for chronicing the pleasanter months had no such alarming warnings
 January was mild--so much so that for days the people allowed their fires to go out as artificial heat made the buildings uncomfortably warm. This pleasant weather was broken by severe cold snap in February, but this low tempera- ture passed in 8 few days and warmer condition similar to the month previous, set in March "cae in like lion, but went out like a lamb" There was noth- ing unusual in the climatic conditions of the month which differed from those gen. orally found in this windy season.
 Started in April.
 April was the advance guard of this strange freak in temperature. The early days were warm and bright, but as the month drew to a close the cold increased until 1t ended in ice and snow and very low temperature To those who delight ed in balmy May days and loved to watch the. budding flowers the May of 1916 was a bitter disappointment The buds came out, but so did the frost, and in one night laid all vegetation a blackened waste. Corn was killed and the fields had to be made ready for another planting, but the peoples astonshment was complete when they found ice formed to the thickness of half an inch in the pools.
 Jure, ''the month of roses," was that year month of ice and desolation. The 'oldest inhabitant' was surprised, for never before had the thermometer sunk so low in the tube in these attitudes in the last month of spring. Frost, ice and snow were common. Almost every green thing that had taken advantage of few warm days to develop was killed and ve- rious kinds of fruit were nearly all de- stroyed One day snow fell to a, depth of ten inches in Vermont, seven inches in
 Maine and three inches in Massachusetts and central New York.
 Matters were beginning to be interest ing, People were undecided whether to spend the summer in the south or at the seashore and mountains. One day the lat ter resorts were desirable and the next
 would decide in favor of the former but on the whole the southern cline was pre- ferred.
 Frost in July.
 July was accompanied by fost and ice l and those who celebrated the glorious Fourth. mot wisely, but too well" found an abundance of ice handy for immediate use the next morning. It was not very | thick not more than one-sixteenth or an | inch, but 1t was ice, and It caused the 70 pc1o | and some sections of Pennsylvania to l look grave That month Indian corn was destroyed in all but the most favored To- | cations and but small quesntity escaped Surely August would put an end to | such cold weather, but the farmers as well as hotel proprietors were doomed to | disappointment. The midsummer month was if possible, more cheerless than the days already passed. Ice formed even | thicker than it had done the month before and corn was so badly frozen that 1t was cut for fodder, and almost every green plant in this country well as in Flu rope was frozen. Papers received from England stated that the year 1Sl6 would be remembered by the generation then living as a year in which there was no summer.
 What little corn rippened in the unex posed states was worth almost it's weight in silver and farmers were compelled to provide themselves with corn grown in 1915 for seed they used in the spring or 1877. This seed never cost so much, be- ing difficult to get, even at $ per bushel.
 The last month of summer was ushered in bright and warm, and for two weeks the now almost frozen people began to thaw out. It was the mfldest weather of the year. but just as the inhabitants got fairly to appreciate it, old Boreas and Jack Frost came along and whitened and hardened everything in their path On the 16th ice formed quarter of inch thick and winter clothing that had been laid away for a few days was again brought forth and wrapped around shivering hu- manity.
 By this time the people had given up all hopes of again seeing then nfowers bloom E or hearing the birds sing, and began to prepare for hard winter.
 November also was extremely cold and sleighing was good the first week of the month, but strange to relate, December was the mildest and most comfortable month of the entire year. a condition which led many to believe that the sea- had changed about
 Of course, this cold spell sent bread stuffs to an unheard of price. and 1t was impossible to obtain for table use many of the common vegetables, as they were required for seed Flour sold in 1877 in the cities for SIS per barrel, and the aver age price of wheat in England was 97 shilNngs per quarter.
 OLD PAPERS.
 old papers for sale at Age-Heraid office, 1913 Second avenue--20 cents a