The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-04-14
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x THE OBSERVATORY X
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| OF Steady Habits. They have been
having hard winter as we'll as we
Of Idaho, and everybody has been talk
ing of it and of other similar ones,
and when The Tribune got there the
recipient took it to his newspapers
office, which eagerly seized on what
had said about our mothers memory
of that hard year 100 years ago, 1876
and giving The Tribune of Idaho due
credit, printed the Conservation" of
Feb. rs, which drew out many notes
about that remarkable year, and other
similar ones.
l can remember when "The Old
Farmers Almanac" was the principal
piece of literature in many New Eng
land farmers homes; the Family BIZ
BILE, the Pilgrims Progress, perhaps
Foxes Book of Martyrs, Robinson
Crusoe. BaXter's Saints Rest and R.
B. Thomas Almanac constituted the
family library. Some almanacs had
blank pages for dairy purposes, the
entries In which are esteemed very
valuable by historians, and some Of
the Historical Societies have valua-
Bile collections of them. This is in ex-
nlanation of what follows:
| The Observatory of February rs
was printed in the Penny Press, the
Evening Daily of Middletown, Conn;
that is the city where Wesleyan Uni
versity of the Methodist Episconal
church is situated. 1t was printed
March Is and Immediately drew out
the following:
After reading the article in your
columns one night last week regarding
the severity of the winters of long
ago. by Observer of the Caldwell Ida
no, Tribune, l was interested in what
he said about the exceptional severity
of the cold in 1916, and the fact that
in that year there was frost every
month of the year. The reason of my
interest was that have in my posses
sion a dairy-almanac for the years
1916, 1917 and 1918, in which my uncle,
Chester F. Buckley of Rocky Hill,
Conn. Chat is place six miles south
of Hartford) has noted carefully the
weather for each day in the year. l
give below some of his entries for
1916, which confirms Mr.. Observers
recollections of his mothers stories:
April II, 181o-A snowy day.
April IS, 10 and 1.-THE coolest
weather that was ever known at this
season of the year.
May 7-Snow and squally weather
May 15-This morning remarkable
white frost. Looks like winter. Tubs
of water completely frozen over.
Ground frozen; almost as much as in
the month of November Fear fruit
has been destroyed.
May 17-Frost this morning, but
clear.
May 1S-Cold frosty morning;
ground frozen.
May 3O-Smart frost this morning
June 6, and Sold, frosty morn
ings.
June o-As cold as ever known
probably at this season of the year.
June 11-Frosty and cold; grass
frozen solid; made ice.
July 6-Very cold for the season.
August 2l-Cold, small frost.
August 29-Smart frost this morn
ing, but clear and pleasant.
September 26-Frosty morning but
clear and pleasant
September 28-Great frost this
morning.
October 6-Snow and squally.
October S-Frosty morning.
November 6-Snow, cold.
| Another subscriber writes from
Haddam, another Connecticut river
town, on March %, and says that "on
November %, 1885, the Connecticut
river closed with ice and so remained
till I'd of next April So remarkable
4 and unusual an event that my grand
father recorded it in his family Bible
AT that time there were no tug boats,
of course, to assist nature"
And another from the same town
writes to tell: "The writer remembers
one spring away back in the SOC, when
he with a large number of others
went to the Red Stone dock Qarge
quantities of red sand stone were ship
ped in those days along that river for
building purposes), to witness the I'M
usual spectacle of a horse and sleigh
being driven on the ice in the Con-
necticut river The adventurous party
were Squire Arnold, prominent man
at that day, and Simon c. Smith, af-
forwards purser of river boat, and
they rode in the sleigh from the dock
to Goodspeed's and return. 1t was on
the I'd day of April and the ice was
nearly two feet thick, but there was
very little frost in it. and it broke up
day or two thereafter. The ground
was bare and the sleighing party had
to walk to the river before embarking
on their risky trip"
And this latter yarn reminds me
that in 1867 on Washingtons birth
day, February %, with party of stu
dents | skated up the Connecticut
river from Hartford about miles and
had some trouble getting ashore at the
mouth of Scantic river, went to din
ner, at the close of which we were
warned not to try the ice again; walk
ed back to Hartford and when we got
there as we crossed the bridge saw
the river ice starting to go out. The
vagaries and antics of that river in
the spring-time are something inter-
esting. At present its valley is cover
ed with very deep blanket of snow
and all the river cities and towns are
fearing a big food. It's great sight
to see the ice begin to break up. start
and go out; for few hours it has
the right of way"
OBSERVER.