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Democratic Watchman, February 27, 1914, page 4
HEAVIEST SNOW IN YEARS
"The deepest and heaviest snow experienced in Centre county in years fell on Saturday and Sunday. It began on Saturday morning and although in Bellefonte and immediate vicinity most of Saturday's downfall was rain and sleet in other sections of the county it was snow. In Bellefonte ot began to snow in earnest Saturday night and continued through Sunday, Sunday night and Monday morning. In this place there were about fifteen inches. At pleasant Gap, twenty-one inches, Snow Shoe two feet and down Pennsvalley from two to two and a half feet. The temperature was comparatively mild and the snow melted more or less, else the depth would probably have been greater.
The snow was very wet and consequently heavy, the result being that considerable damage was done. Quite a number of telephone wires throughout the county were put out of service and it was several days before complete communication was restored. Many buildings were damaged by the weight of the snow, among them being the following in Bellefonte:
William J Musser's stable on east Lamb street, roof caved in, damaging building.
Lewin property on east Linn street, occupied by Mrs. Geo. F. Harris, stable roof collapsed.
James Schofield, on south Thomas street, stable roof collapsed, damaging building.
R. B. Taylor's ice house, up Spring creek, entire roof fell in.
On Edward Jordon farm between Nigh bank and Pleasant Gap, barn roof collapsed, pushing front of barn out into the barn yard.
On Noll farm at Pleasant Gap, Barn roof collapsed, spreading and almost completely wrecking the building. The barn was 40 X 80 feet in size and it will cost at least $1,500 to repair it.
The roof of J. C. Mulfinger's barn in Pleasant Gap, and that on J. H. Herman's stable at Pleasant Gap, also fell in, damaging the building to some extent.
On the mountain above Coleville, the roofs on the barns of G. Edward Hauptand Lemuel Hampton collapsed.
A big shed roof on the Shivery farm near Roopsburg went down with the weight of the snow.
At Waddle, the outbuildings on the Reed farm on Buffalo Run collapsed.
Near Lemont the barn roofs on the farms of Jacob Ray and Elmer Ross collapsed but did no further damage.
At State College the snow crushed all of Phil D. Foster's coal sheds and a few outbuildings, but did no great amount of damage."
Democratic Watchman, February 20, 1914, page 8
DEEP SNOW AND COLD WEATHER
"One of the deepest snows that has fallen in Centre county in years was that of last Friday and Friday night. Though it snowed all of Friday afternoon the bulk of the snow fell at night and Saturday morning the ground was covered to a depth of sixteen inches. While traffic was not blocked all trains were late, the Lewisburg & Tyrone not reaching Bellefonte until 12:30. The weather was also quite cold, it being below zero every night. Light snows have fallen since then and the high winds of Sunday and Monday drifted some of the country roads fence high with huge snow drifts. The prediction is for warmer weather today and tomorrow and if it comes it will be the first let-up since this ground-hog weather set in."
MORE COLD WEATHER
"The man who presides over the United States weather bureau at Washington may make a mistake in his predictions once in awhile, but it must be admitted that he has hit it pretty close this winter. When he sent out his prediction on Sunday for a storm Monday and colder weather on Tuesday he was entirely correct. The storm may not have been a very big one but the cold was intense enough to make up for anything the storm lacked. In Bellefonte on Tuesday morning thermometers ranged from 8 to 14 degrees below zero, according to locations. At Snow Shoe it was 18 below and at Clarence 32. Wednesday morning was just five degrees colder than Tuesday."
FREAKS OF TUESDAY EVENING'S STORM
One of the worst storms we have had this spring, and there have been a number of them, was that shortly alter six o'clock on Tuesday evening. It came up with the rapidity of a western cyclone and the clouds were so black and dense that it was almost like night time. During the storm there was a very severe flash of lightning and coincident therewith a ball of fire about the size of a hickory nut appeared on the metal ceiling of the Scenic theatre, hanged there for an instant then dropped to the floor and disappeared. An examination showed that a small hole had been burned in the metal ceiling.
Some time during Tuesday afternoon Frank Bartley took a traveling man down to Hublersburg in his automobile. They left Hublersburg about six o'clock and were nearing Bellefonte when the storm came up. Just beyond Beaver's farm the traveling man remarked that it looked as if a cyclone were coming and advised Bartley to turn on the power and go through it. Bartley turned on the power and just as he topped the hill at the turn beyond Beaver's farm the full force of the storm struck them and lifted the machine bodily and set it over to the side of the road a distance of ten feet or more. Fortunately the machine was not overturned, no damage was done and nobody was hurt.
Democratic Watchman, June 26, 1914, page 8
The elements went upon, a rampage Wednesday evening and furnished an abundance of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. One of the shade trees in front of Mrs. W. H. Wilkinson's residence on Allegheny street was broken off about eight feet from the ground and fell over against the house. Aside from breaking the tin spouting little damage was done. At Clarence the house of. Reuben Etters was struck by lightning, the chimney demolished and a small fire started but it Was easily extinguished doing much damage. The rain fell in torrents and this and the wind put some of the wheat down throughout the county, but not enough to do any great damage. One thing the storm did, was, clear the atmosphere of the humidity in prevalent for several days previous, and while yesterday was hot it was not nearly so oppressive as Tuesday and Wednesday After the storm was over a brilliant light appeared in the northern and western sky and at first it was believed to be the reflection of a large fire but it proved to be only a brilliant aurora borealis.
Democratic Watchman, August 14, 1914, page 8
HOT WEATHER
"One of hottest spells of weather we have had this summer was from Friday last until Monday night. It was exceedingly warm everywhere, but the hottest place was at Coleville, according to station master Dominic Judge. Mr. Judge began to feel the heat shortly after two o'clock in the afternoon and remarked to his assistant in the office that it must be awful hot outside. With doors and windows shut to exclude the heat it still seemed to be growing unbearable. Finally, with perspiration trickling down his face and his clothes saturated Mr. Judge said "Charlie, this is h - l." and made a dash from behind the railing for the door. And then, horror of horrors, he discovered that he had been working with his back not more than three feet from a red hot stove. The station at Coleville is equipped with a big egg stove and Mr. Judge always keeps it laid with kindling to be ready for any emergency. Saturday afternoon road engineer Norman R. Wright dropped into the station and lighting his pipe threw the burning match into the stove and walked out. The kindling caught and the fire in the stove soon made itself manifest. But aside from the Coleville station the thermometer registered well up in the nineties for four days with little let-up at night."
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