History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 92

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202

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CLIMATE AND HYGIENE. I. 703

tion became dark, almost black, contrasting strangely with the light sky, when suddenly, as if upon intelligent summons, there shot upwards numerous narrow-based pyramids until responding to the same grand design, the southeast and northwest columns of red light slowly, yet perceptibly rose as high, respectively, as the Pleiades and Ursa Major, near which constellations they wavered and stopped. About nine o'clock the dances and flashes gave promise of a corona, as in 1837, and soon the result of ail these marshallings appeared in a splendid erown around the magnetic pole, and, to the eye of the spectator, a few degrees southeast of the zenith.

At the moment the columns of red light reared their crests to this position, they were followed by white, fleecy clouds as far in the southeast as Orion where the deepest glow was ever found, while below, dark purple strongly contrasted with the searlet piled upon the white bank floating next above. This finecolored column was separated from its less beauti- ful companion of the opposite point of the compass by hundreds of delicate pale bands, over which, at this moment, fitful waves flashed until one entire half of the heavens was irradiated with the gathering lines. These, forced to a centre, as if repelled on their approach, dis- pensed down the southern sky springing elouds, leaving at the centre an opening of elear blue a few degrees in diameter, on the outside of which these streamers radiated downwards and outwards. Thus a perfeet crown was formed, the trembling rays of which seemed to fear their unwonted elevation, for, as the corona was completed, the piledup masses dropped to the horizon, no longer forming regular supports, but dashing up and down alternately as the coronal rays themselves fluctuated. This speetaele, so faneiful, ever varying, ever new, lasted less than five minutes. . . . At ten the heavens were as usual, and the aurora, the splendor of which can he impressed by no language upon the mind, departed. . . . At 11:15 the con- stellation Orion was again the seat of the purple glow, but though showy, startling, grand, the great peculiarity of the whole display was the crown, sending down its messages, and welcoming to its throne of glory returning currents of beautiful light, that, wavering, trem- bling, flying, made the whole complete, while in confessed subjeetion to the glorious master- piece above.8

The local weather annals of 1849 are meagre. Until the beginning of January the season was mild. A heavy snowfall accompanied by freezing, took place in the night of April 17. The month of May was gentle and showery.

The lowest temperature reached during the winter of 1850 was that of February 5, on which date the mercury dropped to five degrees below zero. The spring of 1850 was very cold and backward.

A flurry of snow took place on April 30, 1851, and was followed, on May 1, by a severe and damaging frost. A partial eclipse of the sun was visible in Central Ohio on the morning of July 28. A very fine aurora appeared during the night of September 10, and an auroral flush during the night of September 29. A con- siderable snowfall took place October 26.

January, 1852, was a month of intense cold. On the twentieth the mercury sank at Columbus to twenty degrees below zero During twentyfive consecutive days ending with January 29 there was good sleighing. The first autumn snow fell November 15.

Until the last days of January, the winter of 1852-3 was uncommonly mild. Very little snow fell, and almost no ice was frozen. The first considerable freeze of the season took place January 26. The peachtrees were in bloom April 25. The June heat rose to the nineties, and was accompanied by severe drought. The autumn was mild, and so dry as to cause most of the wells and springs to fail. The local rainfall for the year 1853, measured in inches, was only 29.79; that

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for 1852, 47.57. A brilliant aurora appeared during the night of May 24; in the evening of August 24 a comet began to be visible. An earthquake tremor passed over the State May 2, and was noticed at Columbus. Two or three distinct vibra- tions were felt. Their direction was from north to south.

During the night of April 28, 1854, snow fell three or four inches deep. On the day following, the storm was continued. The first half of July is described as " fifteen days of scorching heat and burning, unclouded sun." The mercury is said to have ascended to 98° and 100° "in cool positions." On the nineteenth it hung at 93° at sundown. After six weeks of rainless skies a " terrific gale " of Angust 3 blew down shadetrees and telegraph poles, and did other mischief. This phenomenon was followed by more drought, during which the Scioto became a rivulet, and the water in the canal was so diminished as to pre- vent boats from approaching the city. The streets of Columbus, it was said, lay " ankle deep in dust," pasture lands were parched, and the corn withered under the burning rays of the sun. The volume of water in the bed of the Scioto, it was represented, had not been so contemptible for twenty years. The August heat continued into September, during the early part of which the day heat was fierce and that of the night stifling. At seven o'clock on the morn- ing of September 9 the mercury registered 81º. On May 26 a partial eclipse of the sun took place, and was observed from the High School building by Joseph Sullivant, who states that the first contact took place at three o'clock, thirtyone minutes and thirtyfive seconds, Columbus time. The duration of the phenomenon was two hours and nineteen minutes. During the evening of May 30 a large meteor shot athwart the northern sky " as if from the moon. " 10

" We have had seventeen consecutive days of fine sleighing," says the Ohio Statesman of February 8, 1855. An observation in the same paper of February 13 reads : " Although the first part of January was so springlike that some farmers started their ploughs, yet for the past three weeks we have experienced a uniform severity of weather seldom witnessed in this region." The average noon temper- ature in January was 36° ; in February 26°. The spring was backward, and no ploughing was done up to March 26. Fire was necessary for comfort in the early part of June.

The year 1856 began with an unusual depression of temperature. On Jann- ary 4, the thermometer registered eight degrees below zero, and the Scioto was covered with ice from eight to ten inches thick. At sunrise on January 8, the mercury indicated fifteen degrees below zero. But the culmination of severity was reached on Wednesday, January 9. Mr. Joseph Sullivant thus recorded his observations of this spasm of arctic rigor :

For twentyfive years I have been an observer of the temperature. During all that time my thermometer has never fallen so low as yesterday morning [January 9], when it marked twenty degrees below zero. I believe yesterday morning at six o'clock to have been the coldest ever experienced in this part of Ohio 11

D. C. Pearson, another observer, said : "There is no question, I presume, that last Wednesday morning was the coldest day ever known in Ohio. "

William Shipand

PHOTOGRAPHED BY BAKER.

THE SHEPARD SANITARIUM, built in 1853.

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From observations taken at the Esther Institute, Professor T. G. Wormley reported the mean temperature for January, 1856, at 14.55°; for 1852, at 24.5°.

February was also a cold month, and temperatures ranging from 27° to 29° below zero were reported. The spring of 1856, was backward, and ice and snow were frequent until April 21. May was unseasonably cold throughout.

January, 1857, was a cold month, although not nearly so severe as January, 1856. On the eighth the thermometer indicated ten degrees below zero. Feb- ruary was mild, but the spring was backward. A comet appeared in May.

During the night of April 27, 1858, a severe frost fell, doing much damage. Intense heat, approaching 100° in the shade, prevailed in June. In September, and the early part of October a beautiful comet was visible. The weather in December was mild, the skies clear, the bnds swollen, and the grass green.

January, 1859, ended with sunshine so benignant that doors and windows were thrown open, and overcoats dispensed with. The second snowfall of the winter took place February 2. Snow, sleet and frost fell in the early days of April. On May 3 and 7, the temperature rose to 80° and 90° in the shade. The summer was nshered in with abundant promise. The Ohio Statesman of June 2, said :

No leafy month of June ever commenced with a better prospeet for the crops than that of 1859. The weather of May was as favorable as could have been wished, and the grain sprung up under it immensely. The farmers are jubilantly preparing to clear away the old crops to make room for the expected abundance of the coming harvest. Corn is far advanced and considered out of danger. . .. Wheat may be injured hereafter, but the present pros- pect is the best of many years.

Fortyeight hours after these words were printed the bright prospects which they described were utterly blasted. During the night of Saturday, June 4, 1859, the severest summer frost fell known to the recorded annals of the State. An uncommonly low temperature which had prevailed during the two next preceding days culminated in this disaster. The cold and frost were general, extending to northeastern Illinois, to all of Indiana except the southwestern portion, to the greater part of Ohio, and to the western portions of Pennsylvania and New York. The destruction of growing crops was enormous, but by no means uniform. Vegetables of the same kinds were destroyed and spared within the same enclos- ure. The ruin of the wheat crop was in some districts utter and complete, in others partial. The work of destruction was performed in belts and streaks. In Northern Ohio the wheat was badly damaged, the green potato hills were changed to black spots, and the grapevines cut down to the old wood. In Central Ohio the corn was ent to the ground and small fruits and vegetables were well nigh annihi- lated. At West Jefferson, Madison County, ice was formed one quarter of an inch thick, the Osage orange and other shurbs were withered, and the tops of the locust trees were turned black, as though singed by fire. In Northwestern Ohio ice was formed.

The great frost was followed by warm, genial weather, accompanied by show- ors of rain. July was a dry month, and accompanied by intense heat. On the nineteenth the temperature ranged from 100° to 105° in the shade. On July 29 a

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partial eclipse of the sun was visible at Columbus, and during the night of August 28 the heavens wore the flush of a splendid aurora. Another auroral appearance took place during the night of September 2.

The year 1860 was one of unusual atmospheric phenomena. A beautiful eclipse of the moon was seen from Columbus during the night of February 6, and in the latter part of June the fleecy form of a comet hung athwart the northwest- ern skies. But the most interesting celestial event of the year was the occultation of Venus by the moon during the night of April 24. This charming episode was thus fancifully described by some unknown poet :

The crescent Moon, with silver horn, Was riding down the sky, As Venus, in the azure borne, Came tripping gaily by.

Old Taurus shook his shaggy mane The evening queen to fright, When, prompt to rescue, came the Moon Like a true and gallant knight.

But Venus flushed with deeper glow, As the night king urged his aid, Lest all the gossip stars should know Their queen could be afraid.

But closer to the Moon she pressed Until, oh sad mishap ! She tripped her foot in luckless stride And fell into his lap !

At first the wantons deeply blushed, But soon cared not a feather, And joyously, with lovelight flushed, They rode the sky together.

On Monday night, April 9, 1860, a terrific tornado swept over Sharon, Clinton, Mifflin and Jefferson townships, prostrating trees and damaging barns and dwellings.

During the night of Wednesday, May 1, 1861, a frost fell which did great damage to the fruits. On June 16 the weather was cool enough to make over- coats comfortable. A splendid comet swept through the skies in July, August and September, 1861, and was still faintly visible in October. The earth was popularly supposed to have passed through the tail of this comet, the journey occupying four hours. The sun's surface displayed a dozen or more spots, some of them very large, during the month of August.

About eleven o'clock in the night of August 4, 1862, " a bright belt of light, of uniform width, suddenly spanned the heavens from horizon to horizon. The direction of the line was from a little north of west to a little south of east.12 Its motion was southward, and its duration not over twenty minutes. "Large crowds collected on the streets to witness it, and many were the conjectures as to the

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events it portended. The telegraph was then telling to thousands the call for 300,000 men. During its continuance there was a most sublime exhibition of the aurora borealis in the northern celestial hemisphere."13 On the following day, at noon, a windstorm took place, accompanied by huge clonds of dust, and darkness so great as to make the lighting of gas necessary. A comet was seen in the sky during July and August, and a second auroral appearance during the night of October 28. The night of December 6 was signalized by a total eclipse of the moon.

On January 15, 1863, snow fell at Columbus to the depth of fourteen inches. A frost which occurred on August 29 was so severe as to ent many plants to the ground.

Among the weather phenomena of 1864 was the high temperature in February, which was complained of on the twentythird as " hot, almost sultry." Yet two weeks of extreme cold weather had followed immediately after New Year's. A Innar rainbow of uncommon brilliancy was observed from Camp Chase during the night of May 16. A severe drought prevailed throughout Central Ohio in June. During the night of July 19 beautiful auroral lights " shot up from a bed of flame in the northern horizon in broad and glittering shafts which almost reached the zenith, and then faded away as swiftly and suddenly as they had appeared."" About two P. M. on September 18, a dark cloud which gathered in the south west, advanced slowly until it rested over the eity, when suddenly, without the least preliminary noise, a terrific explosion took place, and the flagstaff on top of the American House was shivered by a stroke of lightning.

On January 8, 1865, a heavy snow was precipitated, blockading the railways. On January 19 the trees and shrubs growing in and about the city were mailed in ice. " As the sun shone upon it, this frostwork glittered and sparkled like burnished silver. The scene on the West Front of the Statehouse, and in front of many private dwellings, was very fine."" The thermometer marked 98° in the shade on June 6. A partial eclipse of the sun took place October 19, but local observation of it was prevented by cloudy, rainy weather. On November 8, Biela's comet began to be visible in the constellation Pegasus. The Ohio Statesman of December 1 thus deseribes a phenomenon which took place on the day next preceding :

Night, or rather twilight, as it might be called, came on very early yesterday afternoon. It became quite dark at about three o'clock, and continued to grow darker and darker until daylight was entirely gone. . .. Lamps were lighted, and gas set to burning in houses, shops and offices long before the hour designated in the almanac for the going down of the sun. The gloom and darkness that hovered around reminded us of what we had read and heard in boyhood of the famous dark day in New England.

January and March, 1866, were each favored with two full moons. A total eclipse of the moon oceurred March 30, but was not very well observed owing to the eloudiness of the atmosphere. During the night of February 21, the most beautiful aurora was seen which had been observed for many years. It was especially notable for the variety and brillianey of its colors. The phenomenon was repeated during the night of the twentysecond, and was in some respects still

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more brilliant. A contemporary disturbance of the electrie currents on the telegraphic wires was noticable. Easter Sunday fell on April 1, and was a day of bright skies and gentle temperature. Severe frosts fell during the night of May 3, and thin ice was frozen. Shortly before sunset on one of the earlier Sundays in May a sudden precipitation took place while the sun, unobscured, was pouring floods of light upon the city, producing what was termed a "golden shower." A total eclipse of the moon occurred during the evening of September 24. A display of meteors like that of 1833 was expected to take place November 12 and 13, and some hundreds of "shooting stars" were actually seen, but no such exhibition occurred as had been anticipated. On December 12 thre canal was frozen over for the first time during the season.

The Ohio Statesman of November 23, 1866, says :

Yesterday was a raw, cold and dreary day, affording a good specimen of what is some- times called " squaw winter," which is supposed to follow in the wake of Indian summer. The fall hitherto has generally, with the exception of plenty of rainy weather, been mild and pleasant. ... Yesterday, however, we had a sample of the roughest kind for the season. It was cloudy and dismal ; the wind blew cold and piercing from the west; light snow fell and melted as it reached terra firma, and pedestrians hurried shivering and gloomily along the sidewalks.

The first days of the year 1867 were accompanied by low temperatures and a copious precipitation of snow. On January 17 the mercury indieated four degrees below zero. Tuesday night, January 29, was said to have been the coldest sinee the winter of 1855-6. On the morning of the thirtieth the mercury stood at 17° below zero at the United States Arsenal. A heavy frost fell during the night of May 8. About six o'eloek on the evening of May 15 the city was favored with an exhibition of prismatic colors to which the following stanzas were descriptively applied :

Far up the blue sky a fair rainbow unrolled Its soft tinted pinions of purple and gold ; 'Twas born in a moment, yet quick at its birth It had stretched to the uttermost ends of the earth, And fair as an angel, it floated as free With a wing on the earth, and a wing on the sea.

A lovely aurora was seen during a mid-July night, and on August 21 an eclipse of three of Jupiter's moons - a very rare and curious phenomenon - took place, while the fourth moon was at the same time invisibly immersed in the shadow of the planet. The autumn weather of 1867 was particularly delightful. A very brilliant and beautiful meteor shot up from the western horizon during the evening of December 8.

The seventeen-year locusts reappeared in the spring of 1868, and by the beginning of June were coming out of the ground in swarms. The noise of their myriad hosts among the trees in and about the city is described as " deafening." During a passing storm on July 6, Christie Chapel, on Cleveland Avenue, was struck by lightning. A meteoric display was witnessed on the morning of Novem- ber 14.

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During the latter part of January, 1869, a heavy fall of rain changed suddenly to snow and then, as suddenly, to sunshine. The temperature had fallen mean- while, and when the sun reappeared every tree and shrub was encased in glitter- ing ice, and a glorious spectacle was witnessed. A very interesting eclipse of the moon was observed during the night of January 27. On April 10 a phenomenal snowfall took place, unprecedented, it was said, since 1837. The congealed pre- cipitation continued throughout the day, and was so copious, says a contemporary account, that "it was impossible to see so far up as the ordinary housetops." Warm weather followed immediately, and the snow vanished as suddenly as it had come. During the night of April 15 some peculiar electrical phenomena were wit- nessed. On July 8 a tremendous gush of rain dashed suddenly down upon the city, flooding the streets, inundating eellars and more than filling the sewers. The volume of water which descended within a given time is said to have been greater than ever before known. It was estimated at four inches. Another similar cloud- burst took place July 13. On the seventh of August an eclipse of the sun occurred, for the observation of which elaborate scientific preparations were made by every civilized country. In Central Ohio the event elieited universal interest, and, at the capital, caused throughout its duration an almost complete suspension of ordin- ary concerns. The weather was fortunately clear. Obseuration began at 4:33, reached it climax at 5:28 and ended at 6:31 p. M., local time. The change of tem- perature noted from first to last was twentyeight degrees. The darkness was such that stars became visible, night insects began to chirrup, and feathered creat- ures sought their usual lodgments for the night.

During the night of September 17, 1869, some interesting auroral phenomena were noticed. About half past one P. M., November 17, an earthquake tremor was distinctly preceived.

The middle days of January, 1870, were notable for heavy rainfall and exten- sive freshets. The latter part of June was equally notable for high temperature, rising to 92° and even 102° at Columbus. During a violent windstorm on August 29, a brick building near State Street, on the west side of the Seioto, was struck by lightning. From 9:30 to 10:25 p. M., September 26, the evening skies were illumi- nated and tinted by the flashes of a magnificent aurora.

In 1871, the Tyndall Association took the initial steps toward establishing a bureau for weather observation at Columbus. Under the auspiees of the Associa- tion a series of public lectures was given, the proceeds of which were applied to this purpose. Mr. Joseph Sullivant was a leading spirit in this enterprise. A supply of instruments was obtained during the summer, and in October the obser- vations were begun. This was the first organized attempt at scientific meteoro- logieal observation ever made at the capital, although random and discrepant weather notes had long previously been taken for personal information. The only additional event recorded in the meteorology of 1871, was the extreme heat of early July, reaching, it was said, 102° and even 104° in the shade.

On May 22, 1872, the Statesman building was struck by lightning, and the plastering of some of its rooms torn off, but no one was seriously hurt. A splendid aurora was witnessed during the night of April 10. Another, which took place

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October 14, had some remarkable phases which were thus described by Hon. John H. Klippart :

Apparently about midway between the white flocculent clouds and the place where I was standing were some thin clouds ranging from east by north to about north by west, and at an angle of say fortyfive degrees from the horizon. ... The aurora display was seen on these interior clouds ! The color ranged from a deep crimson to a light or pale incarnadine, and the same cloud which was a deep crimson would gradually pale away, so that at the end of five minutes the faintest incarnadine was not visible. Frequently these interior clouds parted and the pearly white flocculent clouds were seen in the distance through the openings made by the parting. To my great surprise the clouds so seen in the distance were in no instance colored by the aurora, but on the contrary preserved the integrity of the snowy color imparted to them by the moon. . . . Is the auroral phenomenon really so near by ns, between us and the clouds, say five miles away ? At Cleveland no aurora was visible.

The summers of 1871-2-3, were unusually dry, and the winter of 1872.3 was unusually severe. In April, 1873, Venus, Jupiter and Sirius, as viewed from the latitude of Columbus, formed a curious triangle which is thus described :

Venus takes the lead as she hangs like a golden lamp in the glowing west ; Jupiter is of a deeper tint, shading toward orange, while Sirius, glittering with beaming rays, is of a softened white, tinged with a blending of the most delicate shade of green and blue.16 The vibrations of an earthquake were felt on January 4. They were of sufficient violence to shake the windows of dwellings, and were accompanied by a deep rumbling sound.

The year 1874 is nearly barren of special meteorologieal events, except that a eomet of great brilliancy appeared in August. During a passing thunderstorm in the night of May 10 a current of electricity, communicated from the clouds to a telegraph wire, darted into the office of the chief operator, Mr. Ross, near the cor- ner of Fourth and Long streets, tore a hole in the ceiling, set some loose articles on fire, and created a general scatterment. No person was injured.

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 92

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1202

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202