44 



half of snow is recorded on the 27th of December, an inch on the 2d of Jan- 

 nary, and an inch on the 4th ; no rain or snow afterwards till the 29th. 



Weijamvega, Wisconsin. — Three inches of snow on the 26th December, ten 

 inches on the 27th and 28th, and two inches on the 31st. 



Emharras, Wisconsin. — No register received for December. In January 

 there was no rain or snow till the 12th. 



Genem, Wisconsin. — January 1, snow-drifts are from four to twelve feet 

 high ; roads running north and south are impassable. Large numbers of 

 quails are found frozen in the snow. 



Odanah, Wisconsin. — December 28, eight inches of snow. Snow squalls 

 on the 30th and 31st. No snow in January till the 12th. 



Beloit, Wisconsin. — The 1st day of January (mean temperature — 25°) was 

 the coldest day on this record for fourteen years, and the first week was five 

 degrees colder than any week during that time, but the amount of snow 

 was not so great as it has been. It was drifted terribly, and blocked the 

 railroad trains for several days. I saw some drifts in a railroad cut east of 

 here fourteen ieet high. 



Algona, Iowa. — On the 30th December, at 9 p. m., the wind began to drift 

 the snow, which had fallen to the depth of five and a half inches on the 26th 

 and 27th, and continued to increase all night, and by daylight of the 31st it 

 was blowing a hurricane, which continued all day and till New Year's morn 

 with the same violence apparently. At no time in the whole day could a 

 house be seen at six rods' distance. The extreme cold in the face of the 

 wind was, at 7 a. m., — 15° ; at 10 a.m., —1 7° ; at 2 p.m., — 20° ; at 6 p.m., -—24 ;0 

 at 9 p. ra., — 26°. In some places there is no snow ; at others it is ten feet 

 deep, according to location, and considerable damage has been done by 

 blowing down hay and straw stacks and timber. The early part of January 

 was clear and no snow. 



Independence, Iowa. — Twelve inches of snow from the 26th to the 28th 

 December. No snow after the 28th till the 4th of January. Very light 

 breeze from the northwest on the 29th and 30th December, and high wind 

 from the same quarter on the 31st. 



Mount Pleasant, Iowa. — Thursday, December 31, has been the most stormy 

 and dismal day that I have ever known in this latit^ide. The wind blew 

 a gale all day from the northwest, and the driving snow rendered the air 

 dark, and made it almost impossible to go about out of doors. More stock 

 died on this night in Iowa than was ever before known in any month 

 of time; cattle, sheep, and hogs were often'buried in snow-banks, where they 

 perished by being smothered, &c. One man, in this county, lost fourteen 

 head of cattle 



Muscatine, Iowa. — December 31, the most severe day of the winter so far; 

 a most powerful northwester with snow-squalls and the air full of snow; 

 thermometer below zero all day. The storm began in the evening of De- 

 cember 30; some flying clouds appearing and the cold wind beginning to rise 

 at 10 p. m.; snow-squalls began in the night and continued all day the 31st. 

 On the 5th of January the mail got through from the east the first time 

 for six days; many cattle have frozen because they had not good shelter. 

 January 2. — To-day has been a very severe one; thermometer — 26° in the morn- 

 ing, and the average of the day — 14^°; not windy, and the snow appears to 

 be done drifting. Yesterday and the day before were the severest which 

 have been seen here for ten years. Drifting snow has completely blocked 

 the railroads and country roads.' The snow is about eighteen inches 

 deep in the woods, most of it damp, frozen hard, so it will drift no more. 

 January 8. — The past week has been about as cold as any I ever experienced; 

 thermometer averaging — 10° for eight days in succession. About one hun- 

 dred head of cattle and many hogs froze to death in this county on the 



