Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-07-18

mile. away. and there gave the alarm,
but could 60 no further. The
nelghbor summoned others, and,
10 spite Of the severity Of the night,
they Eoerched the woods until morn.
ing, bat no sign of the missing man
could be found. The search was
taken rp By others the following
daJ and I'll Of the next night, with.
ont any trace Of him being discov-
ered, except that he reached the
Fsstare sd bpilsa shelter Of bonehs
n one corner Of the lot, under
which the sheep were hnddled. On
the forenoon of the third day the
searchers found my uncle buried
in the snow mile from the pas
ture, IN an almost opposite direc-
ton from home. He was frozen
stiff.
/ "He had evidently become be-
wildered in the binding storm and
had wandered about until he sue
cumbed to fatigue and cold. 1t
seems a most improbable thing that
person ever fell a victim to a
snowstorm in the middle of June
In this latitude, bat | have this
sorrowful knowledge of one in.
stance, at least, where such thing
was only too true.
"The wind during June, July
and August Of 1916 was continu-
ously from the north, and it blew
fiercely and cold. Farmers wore
heavy overcoats aud mittens while
about their work every day during
those months. There was but lit
tie use of planting anything, moth
ing grew to speak of, but they did
plant corn as usual, and planted
with mittens on.
"There was very little rain dur
ing the entire season. The great
pile OF firewood that always accu-
mulated during the summer months
at the farmhouse back doors in
readiness for winter didn't accumu-
lata~ln 1916. They ware needed
for current use. July was colder
even than June, and August was
colder than July. Ice formed in
July, but ip August it froze an
inch or more. There was a heavy
snowstorm on August 80. The
whole summer was as bleak and
dreary as November. There was
not green thing to be seen any
where. The first two weeks in Sep
tember brought the first real wsrm
weather there had been during the
year. The thermometer went up
to 20 degrees, which was 25 degrees
warmer than it had been since May.
WINTER INSTEAD OF sUMEER.
Spring had passed and winter
had fingered in her lap summer
time had come but no summer.
June had come with frost and snow
nov what of July-the month of
oppressive heat and sultry dogdays,
as We of the present generation know
it. Was July of 1916 the same
Not by any means. 1t ushered it.
self in cold. cloudy and gloomy,
with heavy frosts night after night.
Ice formed half an inch thick and
was general throughout New York,
Pennsylvanis and the New Eng.
land States.
The people now commenced to
lose heart and no wonder, for in
the language Of q contemp porary
writer. ''It was O month of melan.
choly forebodings, and it seemed
as il the sun had lost its warm and
cheering influence"
Such was indeed the case. Frosty
nights succeeded each other with
unbroken regularity. The corn
was chilled and withered on the
stalk. The grass was greatly in
jured by repeated frost and ice to
such an extent that it contained
little or no sustsnance, and ito hue
was changed to dull brown. Cat
tie would hardly touch it for food /.
OF fruits and flowers not one was
left to tell the tale. The foliage Of
forest and orchard was dead and
withered. Cold and northerly
winds whiatled through the dried
grass and sighed among the leafless
trees. Bleak and barren field and
hillside greeted the view upon every
side. Many Of the poor cattle &C.
tually starved for want Of proper
food. The country appeared to be
/ undcr the snell of an evil 0oni;