Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1913-05-15
I |. |: | OF ICE and
COLD ! I IN july, 1916

.------
A o. A. Alexander, in looking over
some old papers the first Of the
week, came across a News of sever
al years ago which contained an ar
ticle about a cold summer almost a
century past. This unusually cold
spring prompted him to bring the
paper to us for reproduction Of the
article, as follows:
1.-THE year 1916 was known thru
out the United States and Europe
as the coolest ever experienced by
any person then living. There are
persons living in Northern New
York who had been in the habit Of
keeping diaries for years, and it is
from the pages of an old dairy, be-.
gan in 1910 and kept unbroken un-
til 1870, that the following informa-
ton regarding this year without a
summer has been taken::'
January was so mild that most
persons allowed their fires to go out
and did not burn wood except for
cooking. There were a few cold
days, but they were very few. Most
Of the time the air was warm and
spring like. February was not cold.
Some days were colder than in Jan
uary but the weather was about the
same. March, from the ist to the
9th, was inclined to be windy. It
came in like a lion and went out
like a very innocent sheep.
April came in warm, but as the
days grew longer, the air became
colder, and by May 1st, there was a
temperature like that Of winter,
with a plenty of snow and ice. In
May the young buds were frozen to
death, ice was half an inch thick on
the ponds and rivers, corn was kill
ed and the corn fields were planted
again and again, until it became too
late to raise a crop. By the last Of
May, in this climate, the trees are
usually in leaf and birds and flow
ers are plentiful. When the last
Of May arrived. in 1916, everything
had been killed by the cold.
June was the coolest month of
roses ever experienced in this lati-
tude. Ice and frost were common
as buttercups usually are. Almost
every green thing was killed. Snow
fell ten inches deep in Vermont.
There was a seven inch snowfall in
Maine, a three inch fall in the in
terror Of New York state and the
same in Massachusetts. There were
only a few moderately warm days.
Everybody looked, waited and wait
ed for warm weather, but warm
weather did not come. Tt was also
dry; very little rain fell. All sum
mer. long the wind blew steadily
& from the north in blasts laden with
snow and ice. Mothers knit socks
II OF double thickness, and made thick
mittens. On. June 18th there was
a heavy fall of snow. A Vermont
farmer sent a flock of sheep to pas
+ ture on June 10th. The morning
Of the 18th daWned with the Their
mometer below the freezing point
At about 8 o'clock in the morning
b the owner Of the sheep started te
look for them. Before leaving home
he turned to his wife and sai(
jokingly:
Better start the neighbors soon
it's the middle Of June, and I ma.
get lost in the snow.
An hour after he left home a ter
rible snow storm came up. TIL
snow fell thick and fast, and, a
there was so much wind, the fsec.
mass piled in great drifts along tn
windward side Of the fences an
outbuildings. Night came and tn
farmer had not been heard Of. Hi
wife became very frightened an
alarmed the neighbors. All th
neighbors joined in the searchin
party. On the third day they foun
him. He was laying in hollow O
a side, hill, with both feet frozer
He was half covered with snow bu
alive. Most Of the sheep were los