Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-12-22
NOT MUCH CHANGE
IN JERSEY WEATHER
About the same winters a. We HAD
Century Age.

Century Age.
Francis 3. Lee, lawyer, historian and lee
turer, has been investigating the oft-dis-
eussed subject Of the the changed climatic
conditions in New Jersey of lateyears, and
his conclusion is that the situation was
neither better nor worse in the winters
long gone by In chat with Trenton
Sunday Advertiser representative the other
day he accounted for the popular belief
that less radical changes of temperature oc-
cured then than now by saying that it was
the people rather than the weather, that
differed
In the first place, living conditions were
not what they are now. Travelling facili-
ties were largely limited to waterways and
wagon roads, and in the winter the former
were frozen oyer while the latter were
either filled with snow or so rough or mud
dy that progress with a team was next to
impossible. Thus it was that the people
most of whom lived ON isolated farms, were
unable to leave home or communicate with
each other often for weeks at time
Hence there arose weird stories of snow
bouud" days.
Then again houses were without heating
appliances. save the open freplaces before
which one could only roast on one side and
freeze on the other, unless he choose TO
turn round and roundu to regulate and
blend the roasting and freezing process.
10 many instances lack of proper bathing
and bodily exercises, combined with inn
proper eating and other harmful habits, in
creased the discomfoTts caused by the cold
All of these things have been largely done
away with by modern methods of living
and modern home comforts.
Another fallacy, intended to support the
contention that old time winters were more
severe. is the reference to the freezing of
the Belaware river, even as far down az
Philadelphia AS matter of fact the river
has seldom been frozen so rigidly or for
so long a time as last winter, when it was
icetied for seventy five days from its source
10 the month Of Rancocas creek, we'll with
in the limits Of the Quaker City. Only
the continued and persistent attacks OF the
boats and other river craft kept the channel
open below Rancoeas The ice was suf-
ticiently strong at Bristol and beyond to
permit the crossing of teams and pedes-
trains without limit
An illustration Of the changeableness of
the ''old timev winters is to be had IN con-
.neetion with the experience of the Conti-
mental soldiers at Valley FORGE in 177s.
That winter of terrible distress and suffer
ing was followed BY winter SO mild that
peach trees blossomed in February and
were then broken to pieces by a heavy snow
which fell upon the leaf.covered branches
early in March,
That about the same climatic conditions
prevailed in earlier days as now prevail is
also shown in the style OF houses erected
for protection against the elements. Even
in the very beginning of the last century
houses we've built along the coast line in a
far less substantial manner than those CON
structed further inland, showing that the
coast country enjoyed then the same de-
grees Of exemption from severe cold that it
does now.
Mr.. Lee is well satisfied, from his histo-
'rical researches. that an average OF twenty
years weather taken now would show
about the same figures as an average for
twenty years in the latter part of the
eighteenth century, notwithstanding all
that has been learned concerning the Gulf
Stream, sand banks, sun spots and other
phe nonena, terrestrial and celestial.