Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1902-07-18
. FROsTs EVERY MONTH.
The Year 1915 Was Remarkable for
Cold Weather.

The recent phenomenal weather has
caused an old friend Of mine to send me
an extract from scrap book preserved
in his family of the remarkable summer
Of 1916. 1t is known in history as the
"cold summer of 1916" The sun seem.
ed to be devoid of heat and all nature
was clad in gloom. The people we're
frightened and imagined that the fire in
the sun was being rapidly extinguished,
and fears were entertained Of the APP
preaching end of all things Sermons
we're preached upon the subject in all
the churches, and scientific men of the
day talk learnedly in efforts to explain
the strange phenomena.
The winters of 1915 and 1916 were
very cold in Europe, but opened CON-
paratively mild in our country, and in
no way indicated the severe weather
that soon prevailed. January, 1916,
was very mild, so much so, indeed, that
fires rendered homes uncomfortably
warm; this was broken, however, in
February for 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 rendered the remaining
months of the year unlike any summer
that had preceded it within the memory
of the then coolest inhabitants"
March came in with its usual icy
winds, but moderated greatly toward
the end. April began with warm and
bright sunshine, but as the month drew
to close the cold increased and it ended
in ice and snow and very wintry tenn
perature. May, which is usually looked
for with its welcome flowers, proved a
bitter disappointment, the early buds
we're soon blackened by the frost. and
in one night during the first two days
Of May all vegetation was made black
ened waste the corn was killed and
fields had to be made ready for another
planting; but that was prevented by
the extreme cold. Ice formed the thick
ness of half an inch through all the fields
June was a month of ice and desola-
ton, with thermometer sunk very far
below the freezing point, even in south
ern latitude, and all renewal of planting
was abandoned. Frost, ice and snow
we're common throughout the country,
every green thing which had availed
itself during the few days of sunshine
to develop persisted in the frost and all
kinds of fruit we're destroyed
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.
FRIGID FOURTH IN SOUTH.
July was accompanied by frost and
Toe, and on the glorious Fourth an
abundance Of ice was found in the
streams and pools as far south as Vir-
ginia. That month the Indian corn
was entirely destroyed in all but the far
southern portion Of the country, and
even thyre but small quantity, COM
pared to the usual crop, escaped.
August, which it was hoped would
end the cold weather, soon dispelled that
hope it was even mole cherries than
in the months which had preceded it.
Ice formed even thicker than in the pre-
oeding month, and the corn was so bad
ly frozen that it was cut for fodder, and
almost every green plant was destroyed.
The news received rom Europe con-
tanned the intelligence that like condi-
tions existed there in many parts.
The papers received from England
stated that the year 1916 would be re-
membered for generation as the year
in which there was no summer. What
little corn ripened in the unexposed
States was worth almost its weight in
gold Farmers were compelled to use
the corn grown in 1915 for planting in
the spring of 1917 Seed never cost so
much they were obtained with great
difficulty aud at cost Of S. bushel
The last month Of summer opened bright
and warm and was the mildest Of the
year but the expectation Of returning
summer was soon dispelled.
On the 10th of August ice formed
everywhere and winter clothing. which
had been laid aside few days before,
was again brought forth to protect the
people from the wintry weather. Octo-
Der kept up the reputation of its pre-
decessors, as there was scarcely a day
during the whole month that the Their
mometer rose higher than 80 degrees.
November was extremely cold, but,
strange to say, December was the mild
as2 and ,,,oat comfortable ,nnnth al tbo
of the entire year.
Of course. the cold spell caused bread
studs to rise to an unheard- of price, and
it was impossible to obtain the ordinary
vegetables for table use, as what were
on sale were required for seed. Flour
sold in 1917 in the cities for $13 pei
barrel, and the average price of wheat
in England was 81 shillings per qua, ter
This may be some consolation to our
citizens who complain of the unseason-
able spell of weather we have had fol