The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-12


A bitter cold day was ytsterday-th
coolest of the season thus far, and an earne:
of the "hard winter which vennor an
his westbtr-propheis have predicted. r
New Workers, and particularly TO the thou
sands whose business kept them more o
less In the open air. II was a day OF extrem
discomfort. The crowds which trayeie,
down town between and III o'clock bad L
face an average temperature Of from 15c t
200 below freezing aggravated by higl
winds and clouds OF dust. The street-ca
and omnibus interiors more resembled per
ambulsting refrigerators than public con
veyaDces. HuddIed together In these chill
ing interiors, warmed only by the presence
Of animal life, and cropping 10 tightly-but
toned evercoats, the majority OF passenger
made the downtown trip with anything
but comfort. On the jolting ears OF tb,
Tbird-avenne monopoly the general miser,
was aggravated by ludicrous attempts al
heating, the alleged .'heat" consisting Of
iron cylinders ranged underneath tbs
seats, and containing modicum OF
luke warm water. IL was in vain
that hali.irozen passengers thrust their
kiiifened fingers through the wire network
and pressed them against the iron surface
The - heat - was not forthcoming. On the
elevated roads 1t was not much better,
about ore car IN three being ioierabIy heat
ed, Omnibus. drivers and csr.drivers sui
fpred the worst, their blue noses and frozen
hands being specially conspicuous on box
seats and front platforms. Most Of them
were bundled up in old sba@Is and
army oyercoats, and wore a sort OF rough
shawl wound about their legs and knees to
keep out the penetrating cold. To see
them warm themselves and stretch their
frozen limbs In the coffee. bOuses aud sa-
looms at the end OF the line was a treat.
THE HORSES
had almost as hard a time OF it as their
drivers, but few being provided with warm
breast-pads TO protect their chest and lungs
against the wintry blasts. AT the cab.
stands, the barnessed animals stood with
lowered heads and covering tanks as the
frost and dust-laden wind swept over them.
In the downtown streets crowds OF wrap
ned and mufilsd pedestrians iostled each
other IN their anxiety 10 get to their jour
news end and within doors. The abund
ance OF steamboat in the ferry-boat cabins
was greedly absorbed by half-frozen
tbrongs OF passengers, fresh from long
rides In ley ears and stages. Oyercoats
and wraps Of all kinds were in great de-
mand. and the whole sale clothing stores
on lower Broadway. with their attractive
displays OF "all-wool" listers from 81 up,
were fbronged. In Washington Market the
butchers sawed and cut their bali.fr0Zen
heel with chilled fingers, while the stands.
men on the outside built canvas awnings to
keep OF the wind from the river. The In.
!enuesi cold was experienced In the elevated
uptown districts from Fifiieth street uI
east OF Central Park, where The freezin.
blasts from the nortbweslward swept thu
streets with full force, chilling pedestrians tC
the marrow and nippiog ears and fingers
with startling quickness. A walk OF two
blocks sgsinst this fierce gale was more
unendurabls than treble the distance
down town. Under the lee Of the Park,
where the roadway Of Fifth avenue /.
fripged with frs, there was very little wind
and comparative shelter.
The two beings who in all New York's
population enjoyed yesterday most were the
brace Of huge
POLAR BEARS IL CENTRAL PARK.
These beasts, which IN September last lay
exhausted, with loliing tongues and painting
breaths, yesterday frolicked and gam bolied
about IN the Intense cold with as much zesl
us though IL had been foretaste OF tbeiI
Greenland homes. Their cage, wbich stood
In sn open Sad exposed position, bad been
libcraily saturated with fresh water, which
had froxea In 4 mass on the floor and formed
network Of icicles at the sides. In this
luxuri0us retreat, open on all sides, and
swept Nv twenty mi te-an-hour gale from
the 0stfbwest, the two great wbite.co coated
beasts fatfly cried with JOY. They lay
Cewa OH &tseir backs and rolled and
twisted on the icy Goor, rubbiag their
shsir sne0ts and thick feecy sides against
che zee IN vain endeMofs TO extract more
oS fase cold. Their grunts and shifts OF
Aekgl9 attracted crowd, who fingered,
despke the ktting co&d, to laugh ut their
sntiCs- both brutes we're OF extra size, and
plunA fat. and active, weighing many
lsOaDt< more thsniin TIE bot season. Conk.
Gin, the keepek, said they only wanted an
SceborE ~ two andll0or 200 more OF cold
20 make their happiness complete. They
hise fed, 1r1nqefy enough, not on raw meat,
out on h<ead aAd milk.
Alongside abe lPolar bears was another
cage. soeetaining roCnd, shaggV~coated
biakk beses wbo doubled bimself ,Cp and
roked himself roupd like q teetoium, and
wsS It'll 81 tricks. The c0td weather agreed
siit Aim 8uch better than II did witt the
cAGw or sSwEs
IN The wih soinalf buildiag adjoinisr. in
wh3ct gas-Stove was matntaiBed fcs the
ee0eot OF two cobnls and a black snake.
The kse4e0 raule fi'pkl India and fhe kby
hlppopotamus from Africa we're csrefu.iy
honke6 ~ the neiglr1trhood sof doubLc-
banked eo0l.fiose. wrish kept the tempere-
ture above 70s. In the adjoining deer park