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February 20, 1992 - Winter Was Winter Way Back When176btudr` '20,' 17� 2: Thee 1f61k'YirbA `•%-Ah Winter Was Winter Way Back When By Paul Stoutenburah If you ask anyone what month is the dreariest of winter, nine out of 10 will probably reply, February. Perhaps that is why they make it the shortest month of the year. We just couldn't bear 31 days of misery. That philosophy might have held true years ago when winters were really winters but for this February so far it has been anything but cold and Focus on Nature miserable. Last week came the closest with its ice storm that snarled things up in the early morning, but then by noon it was all a thing of the past. My earliest remembrances of those cold winter years was when I was very young. Sleigh riding and ice skating were what we kids looked forward to. A big fire would be built at the edge of the ice giving off its yellow light and heat that found takers gathered round to warm hands and feet. And how the youthful, panting breaths of all poured out in joyful wisps in the crisp night air. How mysterious the outer reaches of the woods seemed as the flaming light of the fire melted into the darkness. I doubt if we ever had a new pair of ice skates. They were usually hand -me- downs that never fit my big, wide feet and therefore seemed to freeze before anyone else's. But inconveniences in youth go practically unnoticed. Looking back, I doubt if we would have had any better time if we wore Olympic- fitted skates in those early years. Skid Chains a Must Another early memory of snow are the skid chains that were standard equipment in those days. Sometimes roads weren't plowed the first or even the second day when cars with their big wheels and relatively slow speed were in vogue. Everyone's garage had its rusty bag of "chains" hanging up, waiting their day of trial, and what a difference they would make. Putting on a set of chains was like giving you the power of SNOWS mentioning long ago. a four- wheel -drive car today. You could go almost anywhere in the snow. I can stilt hear the vibrant clatter of those links on the exposed road when the snow melted, and the rap- rap -rap of a broken link as it went round and round hitting the fender. How peaceful it was when they were taken off. Then there were the big snows. One in particular I can remember down in front on our road. We could tell it was going to be a good one for it brooded a day before it finally arrived out of the east. It blew and drifted behind every upright thing in its path and then filled in the low spot until our world became flattened. One such spot filled in so badly up lane that the big Walter's snow plow got bogged down and remained there overnight. When the wind died down the next day we all came out to see a world stalled in its tracks. Nothing moved. Nature had put man in his place. It seems every once in a while this happens. Sometimes it's a hurricane. Other times it's high tides and flooding. Nature has a large bag of tricks to pull from. I believe she does this just to let rnoto oy raui z>[ouremurgn OF THE 'SOS —Today we hardly have a snow worth let alone the cold and ice that made up our frigid winters of I_A69A N -AAL nAAL 78 Years Ago Feb. 21, 1914 All Hands Saved: The last act in a terrible drama of suffering and shipwreck took place at Orient Point just before dark on Saturday night, when five men, four women and two children saved themselves from a wrecked barge upon which they huddled for safety. They were landed at the farmhouse of Benjamin Latham, the last house at the Point. Rescued were Capt.John Johnston, Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. Johnston's brother, William James of Kingston, N.Y.; Capt. Frederick Shelhorn and Mrs. Shelhorn of New York; Capt. Emile Johansen and Mrs. Johansen of New York; Capt. George Towne and Mrs. Towne and two sons, George, 1 year old, and John Franklin, 2 1/2 years old, of Helenville, N.Y. The tug Pliny Fiske left New Haven, Conn., with six barges in tow. While off Bartlett's Reef four of the barges went adrift. It was blowing a gale and the seas were moun- tain high. The Feeney and the Wood were cut loose from the other barges and were blown by the northeast wind into the Sound toward Long Island. The half -frozen men and women shut themselves in the cabin of the Feeney. The barges were driven across the Sound. The Feeney was so low in the water the waves went clear over her and the water froze. The men on board debated the chances of getting ashore in the dory, which would barely hold them all. The Feeney us know who's in charge. If we don't respect her and live within our limits she will surely come tromping down upon us. And so she did that stormy day many, many years ago. Farmers Helped Farmers hooked up improvised snow plows on their tractors and went around plowing people out just to be neigh- borly. For days they worked, un- selfishly, until all were freed from the grips of that big snow. We finally got out, thanks to a huge snow blower that crept along our road through 10 -foot- high drifts but leaving us only a single lane of travel. Our one -car cut would remain through that big drift for a week until the snow blower came back and widened it. And what about the snow days that are built into the school calendar year? It's seldom we use them at all anymore for there hasn't been any snow. Perhaps my mentioning it will change all that and we'll have a big one just to let the kids know their grandparents weren't telling them another tale about the "good ole days." Not only did we get more snow in decided the matter. With a final groan, she began to break in two. The men cast loose the boat. The women and chil- dren were placed in it and then the men slid down just as the Feeney gave up the struggle. Not a vessel was in sight and the crews did not know men were watching them from Orient. They telephoned along the coast to watch for the dory. Mr. Latham's two sons, Willis and George, went to the rescue. 50 Years Ago Feb. 19, 1942 R.A.F. Member Visits: Roland Parkinson of Liverpool, England, a member of the British R.A.F., who, with a number of other members is training at Alabama, spent several days this week with his uncle, Al Tyrer. In speaking to a Suffolk Times representative regarding his experiences in this country, the English flyer stated he was greatly surprised to find so little dif- ference between the people of America and the English. 25 Years Ago Feb. 24, 1967 Teenager on Rampage: Late Friday evening an out -of -town teenager on a rampage smashed six windows in the business section on Front Street and tore down two fences. He was taken in custody by the Greenport police. His family agreed to pay for the property damage and he was released. those early years but we had colder win- ters. It was what we all expected and all lived by. The freshwater ponds always froze up first, then the creeks, the bays, the Sound and lastly the ocean. As men- tioned earlier when the fresh water froze, it would be ice - skating time, which meant for us kids who lived down in the woods a long hike to the ponds up back. But when the creeks froze it was a mere hop, skip and a jump for us. The saltwater ice was never as hard as freshwater ice but it did fine for us, and, of course, if the bay froze over it opened up a whole new world of adventure. We even ice - boated on the creeks and bays. What a thrill that was, zooming along only inches above the ice. The exhilaration of a puff of wind can only be compared to the wild takeoff on a motorcycle but one so much quieter for there's nothing but the wind and the rumble of the runners below. No wonder we were satisfied as kids with winter. Then there was always the possibility of eeling through the ice. This much hasn't changed and it was only a few years ago that my son and I chopped a hole in the ice and speared away with our long - handled spears just enough to get a mess of eels. These, of course, were taken home, cleaned and fried to a golden brown and eaten ravenously like corn on the cob. All this reminiscing will be remem- bered by many. There are those I'm sure who would be just as happy if yester- day's winters are kept a thing of the past. Perhaps so, but let's take these warmer winters a bit farther into the fu- ture. Where will this warming lead to? And how will it affect our lovely, lonely planet that drifts about in lifeless space? Potato Beetle Conference Set RIVERHEAD —The Colorado Potato Beetle is the subject of a daylong conference sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension on Monday, March 2. Topics include biology and behavior, optimizing the performance of insecticides and alternative methods of control. The conference is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Polish Hall on Marcy Avenue. The $15 preregistration fee ($20 postmarked after Feb. 24) includes a luncheon buffet, morning and afternoon refreshments and handouts. Call 727 -7850 for registration and more information. Time to Give Blood SOUTHOLD —The Town of Southold will conduct a blood drive from 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, at Mattituck High School. Everyone between 17 and 76, in good health and weighing at least 110 pounds is eligible to give blood. Donors receive a mini - health exam before donating, which includes blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count. The process, from registration to refreshments, takes approximately one hour. For appointments and more informa- tion, call Joyce Arnold at 298 -4143 or Long Island Blood Services at 752- 3598.