Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-08

reaches the freezing point, and our
cold, when compared with that of the
north. is but slight, we feel it most
keenly. AT times, though, intense
cold snaps do oceIr and | can remem-
Der one that took place in the winter
of 1S94-95. Then, indeed, We had the
heaviest snowfall, and the keenest
cold, that 1 ever wish to see here.
was, at the time. teaching school at
little ranch called Los Federales (The
Fedelals), way up in the prairie sec
ton. Early in the morning a NORTH
ern" sprang up, and, little by little, its
wrath arose until it was raging shrilly,
in bitter gusts, around the house
where lived and taught. The build
ing was huge frame structure for
merly used as a barn and general
storehouse. 1t had many crack and
crevice in its ramshackle sides and
roof, and it was by no means that day
pleasant abode.
In the week previous to the storm
enormous fiocks of birds had been
thronging in on us, driven from the
north by the approaching change in
the weather. The sudden cold snap.
bouncing on US. as it did, with almost
the quickness of a tornado, had caught
these wanderers unprepared. and an
immense number were killed-frozen
to death. Those that suffered most
were, in the order l name them, field
lafks, thrushes, doves, orioles cardi-
nails, with others to me unknown.
Huddled together in rings in the hol-
lows underneath the little bushes.
would find 20, or more, birds. Most Of
them, especially those on outer edges
of the ring, would be dead and only
two or three at the most in the very
center of the circle would be just
alive. Beneath the brush fences of
my landlady's little yard and "cor-
rales" (pens) were lying whole droves
of birds principally Mexican doves,
making the snow in places of a gray
brown color. I picked up and counted
16S, and then got tired. In all the
surrounding woods l saw any number
of bodies. And all this in a place of
but SOME 10 acres at the utmost in ex-
tent! Hundreds of thousands must
have pe.ished in the bitter storm
The crows and red winged blackbirds
did not seem to mind the weather at
all, and were flying around screaming
and scolding as usual | know that
picked up none, nor saw any of them
dead. The mocking birds, too, stood
the weather well. | only found four
bodies all told. and two of these were
just alive, anu revived under my care.
This cold snap and the snow extend
ed from Mexico as far as Tampico
Such thing had not happened for
nearly two generations-not since
1885, in fact In and around Vera
Cruz the cold was so great as to cause
| immense loss to the planters of cane,
coffee, bananas, etc. The loss was
estimated at $4,000 GOO by the papers,
and l can well believe it. What the
weather was like with you do not
remember, but if it was broportionate
it must have been terrific, nearly equal
to the blizzard of 1888. Speaking of
that storm reminds me that we hard
ly experienced anything of it here,
only some father cold weather and a
very faint attempt at snow, as far as
| can remember
In the winter CT 1S96-97 and that of
1S97-9S, we had some severe weather,
with an abundance of snow and even
some ice. But the winter of 1S9S-99
will long be rememb cred here. Even
the oldest inhabitant could not remem-
Der having ever witnessed such cold
/ spell before Not only was there snow,
but we had weather so cold that the
ground froZe so that it rang to the
tread, and the "esteros" (cut-offs)
were frozen from bank to bank, and
the ice was over an inch in thickness.
We, at the 26th degree, are in the
semi-tropical belt, and an inch of ice
and snow did rot last long. but they
left their mark behind. Not only
fruit trees and garden shrubs, such as
figs, oraLEes. lemons, lines, pome-
granates. bananas. peaches. roses.
oleanders, etc, were killed. or cut
down to the ground branches, some
of quite size and even small shrubs
and trees. could be seen everywhere.
The people now date from it, as it
forms a vivid memorial in their