Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1919 — JOHN'S MEMORY IS STILL CLEAR [ARTICLE]

JOHN'S MEMORY IS STILL CLEAR

Monday Wm Anniversary of "The Big Sleet.” John O’Connor phoned The Democrat down from Knlman Monday to remind ua that &6 years ago Monday was the date of what wan known as "the big sleet," whloh did hundreds of thousands of dollars damage to fruit and ornamental trees throughout this section of the country. One thing tt*at recalls the date so vividly to Mr. O’Connor. is the fact that the day before he had started from Lake Village, where he then lived, for Joliet* aud Wilmington, Illinois. The weather had been fine all through January and no ice had yet been put up. When he reached Joliet It had begun to snow some, and when he got to Wilmington there was two feet of snow on the ground. The weather through February was very severe, reaching 28 degrees below »ero, and all the ice houses at Cedar Lake and the Kankakee river were filled during that month.