20 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part. I 



BEMARKABLE SEASONS. 



GREAT FRESHET. 



COMPARISON OF CLIMATES. 



Remarkable Seasons. Although the 



mean temperature of Vermont has not 

 usually varied much from year to year, 

 yet seasons have occasionally occurred, 

 which became, for a time, proverbial on 

 account of their unusual coldness, or heat, 

 or on account of an excess or deficiency 

 of snow or rain. Of the years, which 

 were remarkable on any of these ac- 

 counts in early times, we have no accu- 

 rate records. But it is universally con- 

 ceded that the year 1816, was the coldest, 

 and perhaps the dryest during tJie early 

 part of summer, ever known in Vermont, 

 although we have no meteorological ob- 

 servations for tliat year, and are therefore 

 unable accurately to compare the temper- 

 ature of its seasons with otlier years. 

 Snow is said to have fallen and frosts to 

 have occurred at some places in this State 

 in every month of that year. On the 8th 

 of June, snow fell in all parts of the State, 

 and upon the high lands and mountains, 

 to tiie depth of five or six inches. It was 

 accompanied by a hard frost, and on the 

 morning of tlie !Jtli, ice was half an inch 

 thick on shallow, standing water, and 

 icicles were to be seen a foot long. The 

 weather continued so cold that several 

 days elapsed before the snow disappear- 

 ed. The corn, which was up in many 

 places, and other vegetables, were killed 

 down to tlie ground, and, upon the hifh 

 lands, the leaves of the trees, which were 

 about two thirds grown, were also killed 

 and fell off. The summer was not only 

 excessively cold, but very dry. Very 

 little Indian corn came to maturity, and 

 many families suffered on account of the 

 scarcitj' of bread stuffs and their conse- 

 quent high prices. 



The year, 1828, was nearly as remark- 

 able for warmth as 1816 was for cold. 

 The mean temperature of all the months 

 of this year, with tlie exception of .^pril, 

 was higher than their average mean, and 

 the temperature of the year 3° higher than 

 the mean of the annual temperatures 

 which have been observed. The broad 

 parts of lake Champlain were not frozen 

 over during the winter. 



The year 18.30 was distinguished on ac- 

 count of the great quantity of water which 

 fell in rain and snow, and especially for 

 one of the most extensive and destruc- 

 tive freshets ever known in Vermont. 

 Up to the 15th of July, the weather was 

 exceedingly cold as well as wet. It then 

 changed, and became suddenly and ex- 

 cessively warm. The following table 

 shows the height to which the ther- 

 mometer rose in the shade, on each day 

 from the 15th of July to the 21st, inclu- 

 sive. 



July 15. Thursday, ... 94° 

 " 16. Friday, .... 92 

 " 17. Saturday, . . . 92^ 

 " 18. Sunday, .... 92 

 " 19. Monday, .... 90 

 " 20. Tuesday, ... 91 

 " 21. Wednesday, . . 94 

 Nor was the heat much diminished in 

 the absence of the sun. In some cases 

 the thermometer stood as high as 80'' 

 during the whole night, and it sunk but 

 little below 80^ during any part of the 

 time included in the above table. Another 

 such succession of hot days and nights 

 was perhaps never experienced in the 

 state. From the 15th up to Saturday the 

 24th, the weather was for the most part 

 clear and calm. On Saturday afternoon, 

 the rain commenced and continued with 

 only short intermissions, till Thursday 

 following. During the 5 days from Sat- 

 urday noon to Thursday noon, the fall of 

 water at Burlington, exceeded 7 inches, 

 and of this 3.85 inches fell on the 2Gth in 

 the space of about 16 hours, and this is 

 believed to be one of the greatest falls of 

 water, in that length of time, ever known 

 in Vermont. The VVinooski, which was 

 most affected of any of our large streams, 

 was at its greatest height in the afternoon 

 of Tuesday the 27th, and was then from 

 4 to 20 feet, according to the width of the 

 channel, higher than had ever before been 

 observed. Although the county of Chit- 

 tenden, and the northern parts of the 

 county of Addison, seemed to be the sec- 

 tion upon which the storm spent its great- 

 est force, yet its disastrous effects were 

 felt with unusual severity throughout the 

 valley of lake Champlain, and in all the 

 northern and central parts of the state, 

 and the destruction of property in bridges, 

 mills, buildings and growing crops was 

 great, almost beyond computation. But 

 its most melancholly effect was the de- 

 struction of human life. By a change of 

 the channel of New Haven river, in the 

 town of New Haven, during the night, 

 between the 26th and 27th, several build- 

 ings containing families were insulated, 

 and afterwards swept away by the waters. 

 Of 21 persons, who were thus surprized 

 and washed away, 7 only escaped ; the 

 remaining 14 found a watery grave.* 



The whole quantity of water which fell 

 at Burlington, in 1830, measured 59.3 in. 

 being half as much again as the mean an- 

 nual quantity, and probably exceeding 

 the amount in any other year since the 

 state was settled. 



Comparative vicm of the Climate. — As 

 Vermont extends through 2° 16' of lati- 

 tude, there is, as might be expected, a 



* See part III. Article, New Haven. 



