New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-24
Continued from second page.

ington, above; Charleston, S. c., 20 above;
Atlanta, 2 above; Jacksonville, Fla, 26 above"
/ wonder how many of us remember that
winter particularly. Ten to one when another
quarter century has elapsed it will be found
that last winter has made the more lasting inn
preston, due to the disturbance of traffic.
And yet the records Of the Weather Bureau
show that one-tenth Of an inch of snow or
more covered the ground at p. m. on only
thirty days in all last winter, as against
eighty-six days in the winter of le0405
In fact, the latter season was just such
winter as in the old days would probably have
been marked by the freezing over OF the East
River. The records show that the East River
formed complete bridge of ice on January
TO- 1852; in January, 1854; in January, 1856; on
January %. 1867 and on January % and %, 1875.
Of late years, of course, the density of the traf
fic in the East River has prevented anything
like this from happening, another example OF
the way in which human progress has modi-
fed not the winters but the measurements OF
winters severity. Professor Garriott, by the
way, does not mention the blizzard of 1888
It would be idle to deny, however, that in
the "old days" they had some rip snorting
winters. Blodgett in his "Climatology OF the
United States" published in 1857 has gath
cred together what records existed of some of
these exceptional seasons. records which, OF
course, have not the scientific accuracy Of those
compiled since his time by the United States
Weather Bureau. They make very interesting
reading none the less Here arc some OF them:
I'm l7l7 the great snow occurred which is
often mentioned in New England history OF
that date. 1t continued for several days
February l9 to 24-and remained five or six
feet deep on a level at Boston and over all
the settled parts of New England. 1t contin-
ued so long and severe that multitudes of all
sorts of creatures persisted in the drifts. We
lost at the island (Fisher's Island, Long Island
Sound and farms LOO sheep, besides some
cattle and horses inferred in the snow (The
quotation is from letter written by John
Winthrop, of New London, Conn, to Cotton
Mather, at Salem, dated September II, l7l7)
This winter is the most conspicuous If not the
only one noted for extreme cold for long
period previous to l740.
THE winter of l740-4l was distinguished in
IRENE cold. Jefferson speaks OF it as having
been in Virginia only less severe than that OF
177e-'s0 it was commonly called the cold win
ter and was noted in Virgnian history for ex-
IRENE severity DR.. Lining made observations
at Charleston, S c., for December, 1740, and
this is the coolest month in his series OF nj
teen years; l74l was not given in his published
records. DR.. Noah Webster says the winter
of l74l was one OF great severity and equal to
that of 1880. The Boston News Letter OF
March S. l74l, says: We hear from Strattord'
Conn. that the Sound is frozen over three
leagues across, so that people ride every day
thence to Long Island In e subsequent num-
Der certificate Of several persons appears,
testifying that they had crossed the Connect
cut River on the ice and with horses at the
lst OF April.
In 1880 the most signal and severe dePres-
sion of temperature occurred belonging to our
entire history, except, perhaps, that OF 1880
Jefferson Notes on Virginia. says that IN
1850 the Chesapeake Bay was frozen solid from
IS head to the mouth of the Potomac. AT An