Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1905 — MOST REMARKABLE IN YEARS. [ARTICLE]

MOST REMARKABLE IN YEARS.

The long continued mild weather is put down as the most remarkable in years. Quite a number of old timers declare with emphasis that not since 1870, has there been such a December—that is pleasant weather day after day. The mer cury so far this winter has not been ' near the zero mark. Fuel dealers say their sales are much lighter than last winter at this time. The above piece of elaborate misinformation about the weather is from a neighboring exchange, and is a sample of what many of them are now saying, and it well illus trates what short memories people have regarding the past weather, ' and what mistakes they will make i when they speak of it from memory merely, instead of consulting the records. Now, as a matter of fact, we have had several Decembers as fine as this has been, up to this date and some of them much finer, since 1870. And we only have to go back to the “fearfully cold’’ winter of 1901 and 1905 to find a case in point. Up to this time of the month, Dec ember was actually a finer and milder month last year than it has been this year. There has been twice as much snow for the corresponding period this year as last, and six times as much rain. Also considerably less clear weather this time, and on the average, a lower temperature. On neither Decern ber, up to this date, had there been any zero weather, but both months had snubbed zero pretty close, coming 2 degrees of it last December, and within six degrees of it this. Nor, contrary to the general impression, was there any extreme cold weather last December, after this date. There was a tremendous big rain and thunderstorm the last week in December, but no extreme cold.weather, and no snow. The three Decembers, preceding that of 1901 were, indeed, all decidedly severe, and before this date had brought lots of storms and severe cold.