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Show oo j ran WITHOUT J SUBUBi "When "Old Probabilities" upsets up-sets things to such an extent as to make us wonder as to the existing unusual period of weather it is possible to reconcile the condition by going back just one hundred years, to 1S16, when we had a year without a summer. This was one of the most unusual years as to weather conditions lhat has ever been recorded. Tradition has it that there was a frost during every one of the twelve months, but inasmuch as the Government did not begin to keep reliable re. cords of the weather in various parts of the United States until many years later, the truth of re- ally what occurred during this year is hard to establish. From fragments collected from the newspapers of thaat period, however, it is evident that in 1816 the average temperature during the summer months was so low that many persons were led to speculate on the possibility of a change of seasons. In an article in Niles' Weekly Register, a paper published in Baltimore, in the issue of August-10, August-10, 1S1G, the editor, II. Niles, makes mak-es some comments on the weather which are based on reports that came to him from various parts of the country, and in particular, New England. lie says: "This summer has hitherto been extreme- ly cold, with the exception of a very few days that were very-warm. very-warm. The air has been overcharged over-charged with vapors for the principal prin-cipal part of the time, while the want of rain has been felt almost everywhere, but particularly in the central part of Pennsylvania and through the great range of the Appalachian mountains." In weather reports published during the early part of August of that year, it was shown that during July, 1815, the mean temperature tem-perature for the month at Wilmington, Wilm-ington, Del., was 73.3, while in July, 1816, the temperature was only 62.2. The same condition existed ex-isted all through the North. There is evidence to be found that in 1816 there were sharp frosts in every month. January and February were both mild. The greater part of March was cold and boisterous. April opened open-ed mild, but grew colder as it advanced, ad-vanced, ending with snow, ice and winter cold. In May ice formed one-half inch thick; buds and flowers were frozen and corn killed. kil-led. Frost ice and snow were common in June. Almost every green thing was killed and the fruit was nearly all destroyed. Snow fell to the depth of three inches in New York and Massachusetts Massach-usetts and ten inches in Maine. July was accompanied by frost and ice. Corn was nearly all Idled Idl-ed in the Northern states. In August Au-gust ice formed one-half inch thick in various places. A cold northwest north-west wind prevailed nearly all summer. Farmers were compelled compell-ed to pay $4 to $5 a bushel for corn of 1S16 for the next spring's planting. The first two weeks of September were mild and the rest cold, with frosts and ice. October Oct-ober was colder than usual, with frost and ice: November was cum cinu uuisiery. wiui suriicienu snow for good sleighing, while December was quite mild and comfortable. com-fortable. A letter from Erie, Pa., dated June 14, 1S16, says : "The season has been diT and f rostly for weeks together. It appears as if we should have no crops in these parts the corn has been killed by the frost of the 9th, and until very lately Lake Erie was not navigable for ice." During 1S16 spots were noticed on the sun, and some persons attributed at-tributed the unusual weather to these spots, while others thought the earthquakes that were felt in South America and Lisbon had something to do with the unusual conditions. At any rate, the change was so great from preceding preced-ing summers that the people mado up their minds that some mysterious myster-ious force was at work making over the world. Something of the attitude of the people may be gathered from an editorial which appeared late in the summer, in which it was stated stat-ed that "all seem disposed to hope that the seasons will return again such as they were in former years but if they do not it may be a matter of no consequence. Vcgc- ! 4 tables receive new constitutions jj i when transplanted to an imcon-t t S genial soil or climate; so will the 1 i habitude of our bodies doubly change to suit the changes of the J j season." ) yt |
