The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-02-11
WINTER IN ENGLAND,

WINTER IN ENGLAND.
A Dense ,Fog--Celd and Snow and Bitter
East >Winds--London Street Life.
Correspondence cf+tA< New York Tribune,
London, Dec. 81.
Eleven o'clock in the morning OF
the last day in the year, and I have
to begin writing BY lamp-light. The
gas is burning On, the opposite side 81
the+street and yous can just see i.
This is what we call London fog:
1tmay' clear off in FIVE minutes Or It
may last all day. When I say clear
off; I mean that it may become thin
ner. Any thing like pure atmos+
phere. is: hardly to be expected: We
did see The sun yesterdayssffor 'aln hour
or 50. 1t came streaming into my
bed room window when I drew the
curtains, and I did not know what to
make Of it.. I fancied I must have
got up in the middle of the night, and
that the house across the way was on
fire., But it was really the sun, and
that is why I began writing about the
weather. There are certain parts Of
world, it is said, where the weather il
10 uniformly good that it has ceased
to be topic of conversation. Here:
we stop talking about it because it is
so uniformly bad. Butaglimpse ofthe
sunlight restores its interest. Any,
thing is better than monotony. Cold
and snow and bitter east winds and
gloomy skies, for instance. That; ,is
about Ill we have had to congratulate
ourselves on for some weeks;5 past,
The distress 9 the known = distress lis
very great. L.: The Bishop Of: London
himself has-had tozcomeEt thgteseue
witha letter ofappesl for efunde t. 3
Relief Society "a ii Ii 81 u lms:
in the name of the Church and Under
the advice Of the ,parochial clergy,
The newspapers run over with letters
on every possible subject relating to
poverty. We always have Christmas
appeals, just as we always. have ap.
peals in the Summer for money to
give city children ! day in the coun-
try. Coal is some five shill;ngs a ton
dearer in London than At the begin:
ming of the month.
Nor can you judge ofDthe distress
by the state of the thermometer, if
you take New York as a standard.
Everything il relative. Freezing
point here is almost as trying a. zero
with you. We are not used to cold.
There is no preparation for it, and the
want Of preparation is what occasions
so much suffering. Few houses in
London can be thoroughly warmed
in Winter. There no furnaces. few
stoves, and steam is not available.
Opsn grstes are the rule; &nd i very
good rule they are for single rooms if
the rooms are not too large" But tie
halls and staircases are without the
least heating csntrivance; and that is
where most of the indueenzas, and TIE
far more dangerous :bronehial u:afec-
tionss come from. I was staying ] some
three months ago in = country-honse
long before there was any really
cold weather-and even then it was
impossible to keep warm: Extra
clothing would not do. In the rooms
you did not nesd' it, and l. in. going
from room to room it was no protec-
ton. This, to be sure, was one of
those old houses built some three
hundred years ago, and built to last.
Its architects-there were several of
them, for different periods-took ac-
count Of everything but cold and
damp. The walls of the most ancient
part are nine feet thick. The halls
and floors are of solid granite. There
were double doors and portieres, and
every expedient for excluding cold
from the drawing-rooms and bedrooms,
and huge fires all day and night, even
in October. But from one room to
another it was northwest passage.
So it is in London in less degree.
Nor does London street.-The show
any more rational expectation of
Winter. An inch Of snow is enough
to impede the whole traffic Of the city
seriously. Six inches would ,paraly y1e
it, I don't know whether we ever
have six inches. at once, but when
half that comes, tits pitiable to I'd ZEE
the horses and carriages " Aolnnddserriihg
along. If it freezes, the. horses aro
not shod for. frozen roads.! IF it mslts'
there are not enough Of them to draw
heavy vehicles through the 'slush. a
No effort Is ever made to clear it of
the great thoroughfares. The ] side.
walks are scarcely swept. The great.
est possible benefit to London would
be an increase Of cold and snow
Then--after a century;aor so-so.ae
arrangements would be made 10,