Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-10-16

I,nheard-of Prices.
The recent phenomenal weather has
caused an old friend TO send to The
Washington Post an extract from Il
scrap-boOk preserved in his family OF
tbe remarkable summer of 1916. 1t is
known in history as the cold summer
of 1916" The sun seemed to be de-
void Of heat and all Nature was clad
IN gloom. The people were frightened
and Imagined that the fire in the sun
was being rapidly extinguished, and
fears were entertained of the approach
inc end of all things. Sermons were
preached upon the subject In all the
churches, and scientific men of the day
strange phenomena.
The winters of 1915 and 1916 were
very cold in Europe, but opened COM
paratively mild in our country, and in
no way indicated the severe weather
that soon prevailed. January was very
mild. so much so, indeed, that fires rem
dered homes uncomfortably warm; this
was broken, however, in February for
a few days, and the warm condition
which existed nearly all of that month
gave no Indication of the coming wintry
aspect which succeeded, and which rem
dered the remaining months of the year
unlike any summer that had preceded
Il within the memory of the then "old-
est inhabitants"
March came in with its usual lev
winds, but moderated greatly toward
the end. April began with warm and
bright sunshine, but as the month drew
to a close the cold increased and It
ended in ice and snow and very win
try temperature. May, which is usually
looked for with its welcome flowers,
proved bitter disappointment; the
early buds were soon blackened by the
frost and in one night during the first
two days of May vegetation was made
a blackened waste; the corn was killed
and fields had to be made ready for an
other planting, but that was prevented
by the extreme cold. Ice formed to the
thickness of half an inch through all
the fields.
June was q month of ice and desola-
ton, with thermometer sunk very far
below the freezing point, even in the
southern latitude, and all renewal of
planting was abandoned. Frost, ice
and SNOW were common throughout the
country, every green thing which had
availed itself during the few days of
sunshine to develop perished in the
frost and all kinds of fruit were de-
stroyed.
In Vermont snow fell to the depth of
ten inches during that month; seven
inches Of snow in Maine and three
inches throughout Massachusetts and
Central New York.
July was accompanied by frost and
Ice, and on the glorious Fourth an abun-
dance of ice was found in the streams
and pools as far south as Virginia. That
month the Indian corn was entirely de
strOyed in all but the far southern por-
uOn of the country, and even there but
ssmall quantity, compared to the usual
crop, escaped.
August, which it was hoped would
end the cold weather, soon dispelled
that hope; it was even more cheerless
Than the months which had preceded it,
Ice formed even thicker than in the pre-
ceding month, and the corn was so bad
~ frozen that it was cut for fodder,
snd almost every green plant was re-
sroyed. The news received from Eu-
rope contained the intelligence that like
conditions existed there in many parts.
Ihe papers received from England
tuted that the year 1916 would be re-
nembered for generation as the year
which there was no summer. What
ntue corn ripened In the uneXposed
yates was almost worth its weight In
toid. Farmers were compelled to use
me corn grown In 1916 for planting In
ue spring Of 1917. Seed never cost so
much; 1t was obtained with great diff
Guilty and at cost Of S. bushel. The
sst month Of summer opened bright
sna warm and was the mildest of the
year; but the expectation Of returning
'Ommer was soon dispelled.
on August 16 Ice formed everywhere,
end winter clothing, which had been
ah aside few days before was again
Wought forth to protect the people
uom the wintry weather. October kept
W The reputation of its predecessor, as
uefe was scarcely day during the
shoie month that the thermometer rose
~gher than 80 degrees. November was
utreme cold, but, strange to say, De
.emoer Vas the mildest and most com
'0rlaD-y month of the entire year.
vi corcse the cold spell caused bread
.'uns 10 rise to an unheard-of price, and
was impossible to obtain the ordi-
nary Vegetables for table use, as what
nere OIL sale were required for seed.
''our sold in 1917 In the cities for Sl3
~ oarrel, and the average price of
.neat in England was 81 shillings per
Quarter.