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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER It has been 105 years since the last great winter. If we had to start a list of what would you do to prepare for the next "100 YEAR WINTER", name the first ten preparations. The paragraphs below are excerpts from historical articles about the winter of 1898-1899. The historical museum in Colorado stated that it snowed for the 30 days of the month of Dec 1898 and the wind blew for the next 60 days. Log cabins were covered up. Many died in their cabin, unable to get out. Dead cattle were found in the spring 40' up in the forks of cotton wood trees. -------------HISTORICAL PARAGRAPHS--------------- A nearly hurricane-strength gale, the most devastating seen in the Northeast in 50 years, wiped out all the boats on Nov. 27, 1898, that were moored in Vineyard Haven harbor -- 21 schooners, 40 boats in all. February 1899: The Great Arctic Outbreak of '99 and the Great Eastern Blizzard of '99 occurred this month. A snowstorm struck the Washington area on February 8 dumping 14 inches of snow. Extreme cold settled in behind the storm. Quantico recorded a record low of -20° F and Washington, DC recorded -15° F. The blizzard struck on Valentine's Day dropping 21 inches in Washington and Baltimore. Winds drove the snow into 10 foot drifts. These blocked transportation lines into the city causing a major coal shortage that resulted in rationing. Food was also rationed, though not as severely as the coal. The storm had given Washington a snow depth of 34 inches (almost 3 feet) and the city recorded its greatest monthly snow total with 35.2 inches. Its greatest seasonal snowfall total was reached that season with 54.4 inches. Warrenton recorded 54 inches (four and a half feet) just during the month of February, setting a state record for monthly snowfall. That winter (1898-1899) was so cold over a large part of the US that ice flowed from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico! The only other time that this has been seen was on February 13, 1784, when ice flows blocked the Mississippi River at New Orleans and then passed into the Gulf of Mexico. At Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, the Arctic high pressure reached 31.42 inches on the barometer, Batty said, the highest ever recorded up to that time. From a sparse network of reporting stations, the coldest temperature measured was 61 degrees below zero in Logan, Mont. 1899 - Old-Timers remember the winter of 1898-99. By March 21, 1899 the 22nd snow of the season fell The winter of 1898-1899 brought an epidemic of grippe - a type of flu - to the city The unusually severe winter of 1898-99 killed off probably half of the alfalfa in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and many fields in the central prairie states to the eastward were badly damaged LOTS of info about the Portland and others in the 1898 storm that took more than 500 lives (191 on the Portland alone) and wrecked a score of ships on Cape Cod, and over 150 other ships on the Eastern seaboard, more than any other storm in history Twenty-two vessels were driven ashore in Vineyard Haven, Martha?Ts Vineyard. Most were damaged beyond repair. The 1899 storm was good for around 45 inches of snow a bit to the southwest of our Nation's Capital Feb. 10, 1999 -An Arctic blast froze two-thirds of the nation, setting cold temperature records that still stand today. A blizzard paralyzed the Eastern Seaboard and for only the second time in recorded history, the Mississippi River brought ice to the Gulf of Mexico. Old City Hall has truly withstood the test of time," Gov. Ridge said. "Local historians say the building's opening was postponed due to a citywide flu epidemic in the winter of 1898 It was one of the two greatest eruptions in historic times, the other being the Greek island Thera. Thera had the biggest bag and threw 85 cubic miles of ejecta and Kracatoa had a slightly less forceful pop but threw 100 cubic miles of ejecta. This produced the cold winter of 1898. Archaeologists note it as a mini ice age as it is the only time glaciers have advanced (grown rather) since prehistoric times. This graveyard was one of the first places I visited when I arrived in Dawson. Many of the wooden crosses and plaques date back to the terrible winter of 1898, when so many met their deaths through starvation and disease (and a few murders, as I recall). A 600 foot snowshed was later extended to 997 feet with doors on the Breckenridge end to keep out drifting snows. In 1898 a depot was built onto the snowshed for the comfort of boarding passengers. Boreas Station had a post office from January 2, 1896 to January 31, 1906, reported to be the highest in the country. All these amenities failed to foil Boreas winters. Elevation at the top of the Pass is 11,481 feet. Winds are constant, strong and icy. Snow is unending. The winter of 1898-99 was particularly severe. Snows began early; by November, trains and tracks were under ten feet of snow. Clearing the tracks, always costly and time-consuming became impossible and no train ran between February 6 and April 24, 1899. "M. F. Post and Francis E. Warren brought in about 15,000 head of cattle in 1882 from the eastern part of the state and located The Spur Ranch. All the small herds owned by the settlers were sold to Post and Warren so they controlled the cattle industry in the Green River Valley. The Spur Ranch employed about 20 cowboys - for the summer roundup men came from miles around - Bear Valley, Fort Bridger - to ride for strays. The cook for the Spur Outfit would have as many as 40 men to cook for - a man named Wm. Wilson nid called "Old Tug.' Following the winter of the deep snow and cold, 1889, all that were rounded up of the 15,000 head of cattle were 800 head." The following winter was a long cold winter. This was the winter of 1899. The children were sick with colds, and I don't suppose they had much to doctor them with, and doubt if there was a doctor they could get. On the 15th of March, 1899 Arthur was very ill with pneumonia, and died. Father made the little casket for him. I am sure it was almost more then they could bear to have this little fellow die. He was only around 13 months old. It was very cold. The LDS people were so good to father and mother, and came in and helped them. They held only a graveside service. Mother couldn't go because Walter was very ill. Then four days later, Walter died on March 19, 1899 --------------------------------- PREPARATION 1. STRUCTURAL - Be prepared and equipped to keep snow off the roof and away from the sidewalls of your home. Don't paint yourself into a corner with the snow. Have a plan where to put it. 2. POWERLESS LIVING - Be prepared to deal with the impact of not having power for several weeks. Make a list of the impact of 20 below without power. 3. 4. "No man shall be debarred the use of arms. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm those only who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants. They ought to be designated as laws not preventative but fearful of crimes, produced by the tumultuous impression of a few isolated facts, and not by thoughtful consideration of the inconveniences and advantages of a universal decree." - Thomas Jefferson |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
I'd be curious what Minnesota had that year. All the snow fall numbers and
temperatures sound pretty typical events for the north county. I got a video somewhere of me running a good size snowblower on the barn roof, no sidewalls on the barn, the snow was that high. Keeping my driveway open that year was a piece of cake though. I've got a two stage blower that goes on a 60+ horse tractor. We did get our township declared a federal disaster area that year because of all the snow removal costs. We had one township road with a 16 foot snowdrift clear across it. Had to get the payloaders out every time the wind blew. As to temperatures, 20 below ain't worth mentioning up here. Now I do remember the 40 below days. I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get my car, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Karl |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
Big snip.......
I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get mycar, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Karl ------------------- Well Karl I lived next door to a Military man stationed in Alaska for 4 years and he said they did several things to their cars in the winter. They use dipstick oil heaters and lights mounted to a board to slide under the engine to heat the oil pan when it wasn't too cold out. When it got colder, they usually set the idle a little higher and left the engine run all the time! The usually drilled a hole in the carburetor cover while off the car, and stuck duct tape over the hole. When they went to start car, they would get engine turning over while somebody else shot starting fluid down the hole. The they taped it back up. In lower Michigan in 1978, we had a doozy of a snowstorm and 80 mph winds. My wife got me out'a bed to help her open the kitchen door which was two concrete steps higher off the ground. I pulled the curtain back to see only a little hole throught the snow on the window! I yelled for her to call the Police somebody had stolen our two cars! When I tried to open the door it wouldn't budge. My garage wasnt connected to house so there was an opening that the wind blew through about 7 feet of snow. The cars were under that snow!! An interestesting aside they didn't plow our road for nearly a week. Snowmobilers got out and brought back milk and other things for my wife which was very pregnant at the time.. An interesting thing happened.... as we could look out our back windows and see the snowplows with V blades being pushed at HIGH speed by big military vehicles to clear the snow which in drifts was very high. Well you can imagine, cars under the snow that ran out of gas when they got stuck luckily were abandoned, and the V shaped snow plow and pusher truck just split the car into two!!!! Nobody was hurt, but it prompted the road crews to change to huge truck mounted snow blowers and wait till the winds died down. They then went went through after somebody led them and put bright flags to designate cars covered with snow! Worse snow storm I was ever in. Jim |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 10:50:49 +0000, Karl Townsend wrote:
My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Someone else mentioned dipstick heaters. Many Alaskans also have so-called "headbolt heaters" that are basically heated water pumps that you splice into your engine coolant system. You just plug in your car when you park it. Most homes and businesses have electric outlets next to the parking area specifically for this purpose. Up on the North Slope, the oil companies typically leave trucks and equipment running 7/24 in the winter. -- Tony (former Alaskan, currently living in the subtropical regions of Illinois :-) |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 10:50:49 GMT, "Karl Townsend"
wrote: I'd be curious what Minnesota had that year. All the snow fall numbers and temperatures sound pretty typical events for the north county. I got a video somewhere of me running a good size snowblower on the barn roof, no sidewalls on the barn, the snow was that high. Keeping my driveway open that year was a piece of cake though. I've got a two stage blower that goes on a 60+ horse tractor. We did get our township declared a federal disaster area that year because of all the snow removal costs. We had one township road with a 16 foot snowdrift clear across it. Had to get the payloaders out every time the wind blew. As to temperatures, 20 below ain't worth mentioning up here. Now I do remember the 40 below days. I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get my car, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Karl I live in Central New York and a guy I used to work with has a picture of himself standing in front of his one-story house after a heavy snowfall. Except it's a two story house- he and his wife had to crawl out a second story window. I was in Minnesota in the fall once and remember that -20 was no big deal. Methinks some survivalists are creampuffs (no offense to Gunner). -Carl |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 19:47:51 GMT, Carl Byrns
wrote: On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 10:50:49 GMT, "Karl Townsend" wrote: I'd be curious what Minnesota had that year. All the snow fall numbers and temperatures sound pretty typical events for the north county. I got a video somewhere of me running a good size snowblower on the barn roof, no sidewalls on the barn, the snow was that high. Keeping my driveway open that year was a piece of cake though. I've got a two stage blower that goes on a 60+ horse tractor. We did get our township declared a federal disaster area that year because of all the snow removal costs. We had one township road with a 16 foot snowdrift clear across it. Had to get the payloaders out every time the wind blew. As to temperatures, 20 below ain't worth mentioning up here. Now I do remember the 40 below days. I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get my car, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Karl I live in Central New York and a guy I used to work with has a picture of himself standing in front of his one-story house after a heavy snowfall. Except it's a two story house- he and his wife had to crawl out a second story window. I was in Minnesota in the fall once and remember that -20 was no big deal. Methinks some survivalists are creampuffs (no offense to Gunner). -Carl Chuckle..I grew up in Northern Michigan..way up on Lake Superior...I know a bit about snow. One of the first pictures of me, is of a tiny version of me all swaddled up, held in my mothers arms as she sits on the peak of the house ( 2 1/2 story) I have regularly worked in -40F with a 40+ mph wind. (its a LOT of fun replacing a blown carrier bearing on a F300 mounted drill rig when its that cold....) The article I posted is about what is called a Super Winter, one that happens every hundred years or so..which we are over due for. The evidence of them historically make the worst winter anyone of us can remember..sorta balmy. Gunner No 220-pound thug can threaten the well-being or dignity of a 110-pound woman who has two pounds of iron to even things out. Is that evil? Is that wrong? People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for the rule of brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically "right". Guns end that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work. - L. Neil Smith |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sat, 6 Dec 2003 16:51:28 -0800, "Ken Davey"
wrote: Winter of '66 I had a rental on the west shore of the Lake of Two Mountains just west of Montreal. A blizzard came up overnight and huge drifts covered most of the local roads. Oh, yeah. I was just a kid, but I remember my dad tunnelling though the snow to the street. Like something from 'Hogan's Heros'. We lived across the street from the fire department which meant our street was plowed early and often- the firemen delivered food to trapped residents via snowmobile. Took about a week to find our car in the snowdrifts. -Carl |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
Carl Byrns wrote:
On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 10:50:49 GMT, "Karl Townsend" wrote: I'd be curious what Minnesota had that year. All the snow fall numbers and temperatures sound pretty typical events for the north county. I got a video somewhere of me running a good size snowblower on the barn roof, no sidewalls on the barn, the snow was that high. Keeping my driveway open that year was a piece of cake though. I've got a two stage blower that goes on a 60+ horse tractor. We did get our township declared a federal disaster area that year because of all the snow removal costs. We had one township road with a 16 foot snowdrift clear across it. Had to get the payloaders out every time the wind blew. As to temperatures, 20 below ain't worth mentioning up here. Now I do remember the 40 below days. I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get my car, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. Karl I live in Central New York and a guy I used to work with has a picture of himself standing in front of his one-story house after a heavy snowfall. Except it's a two story house- he and his wife had to crawl out a second story window. I was in Minnesota in the fall once and remember that -20 was no big deal. Methinks some survivalists are creampuffs (no offense to Gunner). -Carl Winter of '66 I had a rental on the west shore of the Lake of Two Mountains just west of Montreal. A blizzard came up overnight and huge drifts covered most of the local roads. Where my car was parked there was no snow. Swept clear by the wind off the lake. In front of the house - a big two and a half story structure, a drift had formed that more or less exactly matched the height and lengh if it. Finding that the ordinary snow removal equipment that the village operated was less than effective they had hired the services of a huge grader. The grader came down the road and when the operator saw the drift in front of the house he stopped. Then, equipped with more confidence than experience he backed up a hundred yards and took a run at it. The entire machine just plain vanished! An hour and a half later, with the help of a small cat and a tow truck it was extricated. The operator, now a humbled man, allowed as how he thought he was going to die in that drift! Ah; Winters past. Ken. |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
I have regularly worked in -40F with a 40+ mph wind. (its a LOT of fun replacing a blown carrier bearing on a F300 mounted drill rig when its that cold....) I replaced a car battery in July. It was 110 or 113 and I was in a shadeless Checker asphalt parking lot and managed to drop a socket down into the engine compartment. Somewhere near the exhaust manifold if I recall correctly. Cold is for wimps,.... Joel. phx The article I posted is about what is called a Super Winter, one that happens every hundred years or so..which we are over due for. The evidence of them historically make the worst winter anyone of us can remember..sorta balmy. Gunner |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 09:42:24 -0700, "Joel Corwith"
wrote: I have regularly worked in -40F with a 40+ mph wind. (its a LOT of fun replacing a blown carrier bearing on a F300 mounted drill rig when its that cold....) I replaced a car battery in July. It was 110 or 113 and I was in a shadeless Checker asphalt parking lot and managed to drop a socket down into the engine compartment. Somewhere near the exhaust manifold if I recall correctly. Cold is for wimps,.... Joel. phx Is that like pulling the tranny on a pickup in the middle of an asphalt parking lot, just outside of Bakersfield in late september, and watching the jack stands sink into the blacktop? Been there, done that... Gunner The article I posted is about what is called a Super Winter, one that happens every hundred years or so..which we are over due for. The evidence of them historically make the worst winter anyone of us can remember..sorta balmy. Gunner No 220-pound thug can threaten the well-being or dignity of a 110-pound woman who has two pounds of iron to even things out. Is that evil? Is that wrong? People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for the rule of brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically "right". Guns end that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work. - L. Neil Smith |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 17:03:30 -0600, Jim Kovar
wrote: In article , says... Chuckle..I grew up in Northern Michigan..way up on Lake Superior...I know a bit about snow. Where did you live up here? Maybe we know some of the same people. Jim Kovar Vulcan, Mi Dad was raised in Houghton, Mom in Calumet. Still have lots of relatives in Copper Harbor, Larium, L'anse etc. Granddad was the Swift Meat distributor for much of the UP for 60 + yrs. I was raised in Hancock until I was 9ish, then we went to the LP. Dad worked as a watchmaker for a number of years when I was tiny, then went to work for Thorton Construction (very old friends of the family) an then we played Construction Gypsies for a few years, finally settling in Grayling, where I graduated from highschool, and Dad started his own Jewlery store and ran it for 30 odd years. Wieber & Co and Wieber & Son was the meat distributorship..very wide spread. Ive found old balogna knives with the family name and logo at yard sales etc when back there. Im told that Bishop Baraga held mass in Great great grandpas home on more than one occasion. The house Dad was raised in, was torn down in the 70s/80s when they widened the road through Tech in Hougton, but I remember it was about 400 ft from the door of the Student Union. When the 9 kids grew up (lots of Drs, Lawyers and politicians..Aunt Mary Moffit was Mayor of Manistique for many years), and left the nest, they rented out the upper floors to the professors at Tech. Which is where I learned all manner of things, such as saber dueling, down in the basement from the Techs fencing and German instructor..( I still think he was an escaped Nazi...) A number of the kin folk became Jesuit brothers and teachers as well. My sister is a Soo Tech grad. We used to rent the Copper Harbor Lighthouse after the automated system went in and the whole family would spend the summer there. Uncle on Moms side had something to do with the Coasties and Power Squadrons..I dont recall much, though his son and daughter live and work up there now..both nurses IIRC. Grandma had a chalet on La La bell, which I think one of the cousins bought and expanded after she married a French architect. Vulcan..your almost a Cheese head eh? LOL. Nearly a flat lander G Gunner No 220-pound thug can threaten the well-being or dignity of a 110-pound woman who has two pounds of iron to even things out. Is that evil? Is that wrong? People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for the rule of brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically "right". Guns end that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work. - L. Neil Smith |
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SURVIVING THE 100 YEAR WINTER
A city wide blackout at Sat, 06 Dec 2003 10:50:49 GMT did not prevent "Karl
Townsend" from posting to rec.crafts.metalworking the following: I'd be curious what Minnesota had that year. All the snow fall numbers and temperatures sound pretty typical events for the north county. I got a video somewhere of me running a good size snowblower on the barn roof, no sidewalls on the barn, the snow was that high. Keeping my driveway open that year was a piece of cake though. I've got a two stage blower that goes on a 60+ horse tractor. We did get our township declared a federal disaster area that year because of all the snow removal costs. We had one township road with a 16 foot snowdrift clear across it. Had to get the payloaders out every time the wind blew. As to temperatures, 20 below ain't worth mentioning up here. Now I do remember the 40 below days. I've only seen 50 below once and I had to get my car, left outside, running. My nose kept freezing shut, I don't know what they do in Alaska to solve this problem. I remember a song my father used to sing, about the Frozen Logger. About how he left his lover (having kissed her so hard, he broke her jaw) and forgot his Mac, wandering bravely homeward at 48 below. When it got to 100 below he merely buttoned up his vest. What the hey, it was spring. -- pyotr filipivich We didn't have these sorts of problems when I was a boy, back when snakes wore shoes and dirt was $2 a pound, if you could find it. We had to make our own from rocks! |
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