The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-12-25
1880 AND STARvE TO DEATH"
The Year Without a Summer, Barring What
Little There Vas in December.

Little There Vas in December.
There are few persons p W
ing who recollect the ., t6:
but European and Am >4l>a,, ~@ta
represent it as having been phe-
nomenal in almost every particu
lar. In New England the year
went by the name of ''eighteen-
hundred and starve to-death, !"
and the summer months are
known in history as "the cold
summer of 1885," so remarkable
was the temperature.
The suns rays seemed to be
destitute of heat and all nature
was clad in a sable hue. Men
and women became frightened
and imagined that the fire in the
sun was being rapidly extin.
guished, and that the world
would soon come to an enc.
Ministers took the phenomenon
for the text of their sermons, and
pseudo-scientifc men talked Of
things they knew not of, while
the fanatics took advantage of
the occasions to form religious
organizations.
The winter of 1815-16 was very
cold in Europe, but comparative
ly mild in this country, and did
not in any way indicate the Sc
we're weather that soon prevail
ed. Even the almanacs were 81
lent, and although the usual in
dications, "about now look out
for cold weather." or "this is a
good time for snow were enter
ed in the regular portions Of the
book devoted to the winter pre-
dictions, those used for chron-
icling 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 uncom-
fortably warm. This pleasant
weather was broken by a severe
cold snap in February; but this
low temperature passed in a few
DAYS and a warmer condition,
similar to the month previous set
in. March "came in like a lion,
but went out like a lamb" There
was nothing unusual in the eli
matte conditions of the month
which differed from those gener-
ally found in the windy season.
April was the advance guard of
this strange freak in tempera-
ture. The early days were warm
and bright; but as the month
drew to a close the cold increased
until itended in ice and snow and
a very high temperature. 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 veg
citation a blackened waste. Corn
was killed, and the field had to
be made ready for another plant
ing; but the peoples astonish-
ment was complete when they
found ice formed to ethickness
of half an inch in the pools.
June, the ssmonth of roses'' was
this year month of ice and des-
olation. The "oldest inhabit-
ant" was surprised, for never
before had the mercury sunk so
low in the tube in these latitudes
| in the last month of spring.
Frost, ice and snow were COM
mon. Almost every green thing
that had taken advantage of a
few warm days to develop was
killed and various kinds Of fruit
were nearly all destroyed. One
day the beautiful snow fell to
| depth of ten inches in Yer
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 mount
aims. One day the latter resorts
were desirable and the next
would decide in favor of the for
mer; but on the whole the Sou
thern climate was preferred.
July was accompanied by frost
and ice, and those who celebrat-
ed the glorious Fourth, mot
wisely but too we'll" found an
abundance of ice handy for i'm
mediate use the next morning.
It was not very thick, not more
than one-Seventeenth 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 a
small quantity escaped.
Surely August would put an
end to such cold weather; but
the farmers as well as hotel pro
prietors were doomed to disap-
DC: 'ment. The midsummer
month was, if possible, more
cherries than the days already
passed. Ice formed even thick
er than it had done the month
hafora and corn was so badlV