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About The Weather

About The Weather image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
April
Year
1885
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Editob Courier:- I am now classcd ¦moDgtha "oldeit luhibiUnte," nd for tlie lust nionlli the qucstlon : "Haveyou ever leen sueh ,i winter as the past ? '" lias been asked me a great uiany times. I have tbooght it well to answer through the paper. I carne luto tliis county in 1828, from wwtern New York, where we knew no open winters.'' The open winter of 1828-29 in Michigan, was a great surprise to rae. I was a boy then, and not liaving a chance to drag niy sled up n liill half a inile long for the fun of rlding down, was a great drawback apon niy winter enjoyments; for flntly, we lnuln't tlio hill, and secondly, we had no snow. Two very important Items in the sliding-down-liill business. I did not see anything that winter looking like a skid or vehicle on runners. Uut could see the plow instead tiirning over tlie soil for the next erop every mooth In the year. 1830 and 1831 wc re soinewhat colder, nnd there was more snow. In 18;2 and 1833 it was yery cold. The very eevere weather of December, 1832, was indieated by the mercury as follows : Dec. 4th, 7 a. m., 4 below zero; Dee. lOth, 7:30 a m., 10 below ; lGth, 12 below; 18th, 2 below; 22d, 11 below; 23d, V below; 25th, 6" below; 27th, 2 below. The weather was voy variable, ranging from 1" above to 12' below zero on the 21st, and on the 24th, 28" above. Twelve of the 31 dayg the mercury was below zero from 1 to 12 degrees. Nineteen days it was from 1 to 28 degrees above. Bilt very little suow durlng the montfa. Tlie winter of 1833, after January, was couiparatively mild. December 1833 was mul nionlli, and I have no data by wliich tlie temperature of January 1834, eau be determineil. But ou February 6, the editor of the Emigrant writes as follows: The weatlior of Michigan presenta a strong emtraat witli the winter of oiir neighbora duwu tast. We have no slelghlng, plenty of mud al times, gome rain, and our coldest wealherwe belleve not more thaii four degrees below zero, and that lasted but a day or two. It 1 now. at 10 o'clook a. m., 14 degrees aboi e zero, and we cali It cold weather. The same paper quotes from the easteni papers as follows : Theeastern oapers speak of a temperalure approacning that of a Slberlau winter. On .lanuiuy lih, the tüermometer Btood at Lebauou, New York, at 35 below zero. At Utlea, 31; at Albany, as;at IiDgton, ou tlie Slh, at 15; WoreeaMr, Musstiehusetts, on the4ihai ln; Plllstleld 32; at Haverhlil .S3 ; Oreentlekl, Connectlcut, 3ö;,Baugor, Mniue, 39; at iMniMitiiii'. Kchruury 3d, 3!i. Suow feil In Norfolk, Virginia, on the lst of March, 1835, one foot In depth, and at Montreal, the Mercury slootl H below zero on the 4th of -March Ilic Mimo year. ui j. nave 110 uaca as w tne tempera ture in Ihis country, at tliis timiybut infei that March was quite open from the following noticein a Detroit paper on MaroL 18, 1836: The sleamboal, Gen. Brady, Capt. liurtii, cleared íor Cleveland this moruin. } ] iind nothing relating to the weather of the balance of 1835. The State Journal of Febraary 4, 183G, says, that at that time there had been no snow in Michigan, whlle it was six feet decp in Xtiv ïork state, and that it was one of the hardest winters ever experienced in that state. On April 8, 183G, wu were visited witli one of the most destructive rain storms ever known In this county. The Hu ron was iwollen beyend any former bounds known to the oldeat inbabitant. The destrucliou was iimuono. Two persons, Mr. Pettlbona and Mr. Evans, of Ypsilantl, were drowned while attempting to cross the rlver in a row boat, the bridge haring been swept away. Kotfaiag so serlona, of this nature, lias occurred sinee. November 24th, 183G, a snow storm covered the round, making excellent sleighing in Ann Arbor. The winter of 1836-7 was one of considerable severity, and in the newly sett!ed counties the people suffered from tlie want of sufücient food, owing to the high priee of wheat and other necessary articles of substance. Wheat was scarce and was worth $2 per bushel. Podder tor stock was also scarce and much suffering and loss was experienced. Wild cat money was plenty, but it was almost valueless. The winter was long though not extrcnily cold. The fallowlng appeared in the Constantine Republican, of February 10. 1837: We ocoasionally raentlon to our enstern frlends soraetblng about the weather In thig country. Winter here looka and feels very much as It used to "away down east "- the Bnow white and the Ice cold- botn abiding In considerable quanlitles. But there Is yet a dilfurence. Plerclng cold weather Is Jast the Bame tn Michigan as in the east, but more notlceabie there than here. Slelghlng alias jumperlng has been without vartatlon for sonie weeks past, very much ' the go." The winter of 1838 was mild with considerable snow. The gardens in many places were made before the close of March, and garden " truck " was up and .¦ave promise of early maturity, but a heavy f all of snow, the lst of April, puta ¦top to vegetable growtli, and the spring, on the whole, was no earlier than usual. 1839-40 was a winter of reat seveiity. The State Journal, Ann Arbor, contained the followlug: Nov. 27, 18.W. Monday nlght was ft freezer, the mercury In this place down to thïrteen below zero. Slnce then, the weather has clianged. West of us It Is fine sleighlng. ii. ii. Ihurisoii was nomlnated for President December 2, 1837. The delegates from MiehlKuii vi -i-i', (.. ('. Bates, T. J. JDrake, and D. S. Bacon. This had uothlng to do wllh the weatber, January '22. The same paper saya : 'J'hnt taal Friday was a cold one - the thermoiiiott-r htrre aiul al iower vlllaga belng at 22 degrees below zero. Same paper of January 20, says : We have fine slelghing In this vlclnlty. Tlie wcuther. too, Is delightful. Same paper of December 1, 1840, says: A cold and stinging winter Is upon us. Let those who have comforts remember the I i llalla loaf shared wlth the needy Is betler than a whole one alone. Hard for (armara. Wheat ut tlils date 50 cents; corn, 25 cents; beef aud pork, Zyt tu ; cents. Hay 16 per ton.

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News