The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-01-20
FROM THE CENTENNIAL CRY \.
pHIf.ADTLPIIIN. Jan. IL. 1S16

PHILADELPHIN, Jan. 10, 1876.
EdHo,S IF the Regisier:- Astrono-
mers tell us thc.sun Is nearer us in win
ter than in summer, but the quality OF
the warmth the last six weeks has made
many quite slleptical among a class that
are not very conversant with, or not
very well vcrsed in astronomical philos-
ophy. They demand nothing more tam
giblc to the outer senses than they have
had, but require n different kind of
proof, and differently administered. 10
convince them that. they are nearer the
great center of heat, than they were
during the "dog days of last summer:
or at least they think if there could be
any correctness in such a theory, biz
back door must have been left open
among the Mortimer. From the first
of December until the first of January,
it was continuously cold with scarcely
any snow, but on New Years eve the
programme was changed, as before
nightfall the leaden clouds opened their
batteries, and the flying snow COM
menced coming down on the double
quick, and continued to fall far into the
night, accompanied with stormy north
east wind, which formed angular drifts
D..
Notwithstanding which, the street cars
kept laundering through the fast ac-
cumulating and 'pelting snow, preced-
ed by the ponderous sweeping machines,
which landed the feathery SNOW high in
the air. The Chestnut and Walnut street
line succeeded in keeping their road
open by keeping their snow ploughs
and sweepers i'll motion through the
night; but on some lines they gave up
the contest at about ten O'Clock and re.
tired from the field. But the Union line
that radiates to nearly every part of the
city, undertook to brave it through, but
on their central or trunk line, at eleven
O'Clock ,on Ninth street found themselves
showed in, or drifted in. The next
morning the snow was found to be near.
ly foot and half deep, the largest
snow fall that has occurred in Philadel
phia since 1856, twenty-one years age
this winter. 1t was estimated that TWEEN
ty-hve thousand dollars were paid ou
the next day by housekeepers, in getting
the sidewalks cleared and the crossing.
opened. Every housekeeper is liable tC
a fine, unless he or she has the sidewalk
cleared in front of their premises soor
after the storm ceases. With the snow
thrown from the footways, and thai
thrown by the sweepers from the road
way, il produced windows or walls o
snow that pedestrians could scarcely SCI
over. In some of the business street!
down town, teams are employed TO car
the windows and heaps of snow anC
dump it into the docks of the Delaware
and the Schuylliill, until the post ward
ems ordered them 10 desist, as in some
slips it was interfering with vessels com
ing alongside the wharves. AS whole
the storm has proved to be quite an ex
pensive and troublesome affair, excep
to the sleighers for pleasure, wherever
they can find street not threaded will
a railway track.
Although the past year has been
Centennial one, which seemed to Absorb
nearly every ones attention in town
yet ii appears there were $3.50 building
permits issued in the city, among which
were five chapels and eleven churches
making the number of worshiping con
gregations trifle over five hundred ant
thirty, within the corporate limits of tn,
city.
Philadelphia has been figuring rattle
extensively in the Bennett-NIay affair
After the great point Of honor had beef
arranged at Slaughter station, the sup
posed hero of the fight, with his travel
ing cabinet of advisers, his surgeon, va
let, ETC., arrived at the Continental hote
) in this city at eleven o'clock, the sam
evening. The next day the sportin.
fraternity besieged the Continental TO
purpose of interviewing the wonderful
hero, but the party kept closeted in thei
rooms, and no one could obtain even
glimpse of them; the next night the,
eRy re Ti afsrnsr $' are e" ali s sSg again
occasloned by report that Bennett anC
Miss Caroline May took passage in tn,
steamship Illinois, that sailed vesterda,
for Liverpool fromthis port, although
is generally believed that it NAV prov,
an unfoundcd report.
Although the severity Of the winte
has caused large accumulations of float
ing ice in the Delaware, outgoing anc
incoming ships and steamers have man
aged thus far to pillow their way through
the icy boulders and the swimming
smsh.
The Centennial grounds, that present
ed such an animated and inspirfting as
pect the past summer and fall, are shorr
OF their beauty and interest and mantled
with the "beautiful snow"
The week of prayer has been OBJ
served during the present week by &
large attendance daily, alternating
among the churches of the different de.
nominations near the central part of the
city. p. w, G..