Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-02-15
The Cold Wave In England.

The London Times of Jarulry 70 says: ~,
such block CT human business. 40 such closiry
up of the ways Of tie English world has bc',I,
len u within the living memory as that Hl;c1
has visited tie south of England, and, indeed
for all We know 10 our sudden isolation, tie
whole of the British Isles in the last four and
twenty hours. Frost We know, snow VIC know,
gales We know. high tides we know. but it las
been reserved for January IS, 1881, to show
what combination of all these forces togcthcr
can do to reduce tho greatest city in tho world
to Q condition of helpless isolation and inacli7i-
tY. We are, comparatively speaking, showed
up and cut off from tho world. The postoti,s
has announced that communication between
London and the country is almost entirely sus
pended. Nearly every ono who lives in London
will have some special tale OF dagger, inconve-
neccs and adventure to tell. As if tho snow
the frost and tho gale were not enough to
try US. the inhabitants of tho southern
shores of the Thames havo had to b,ar
tho stress of an csdentedy high tide.
The southeast wind, piliug up h,Wiug tia,
poured tho water into tho low-lylng disr;cs
and brought upon them disastrous flood lsdsr
with hJsting blocks of ice. 10 tho estuary
more than hundred bargcs arc said to havn
been sunk. and the pier at Woolwica has b,ca
wholly swept sway. Brighton, Portsmouth ah&
Exeter aro blocked with snow, and the whole
traffic of tho southern and western lines il
either thrown into confusion or suspended elIo
gether At Dover. only ono packet arrived and
mono sailed, while those which attempted the
passage wero unable to approach the Admiral
iy pier, and were forced to put to for safety.
M 10 il-o1n 70 lho ofr aoyo ~
yesterdays weather 10 Tho metropolis. Win
dows coated spd dOorRays blocked with snow,
los q ,es piled on tho speakers stops at West
minister, every limo of eve.y building picked
out in strange uuearthly lines of white. the
celebrated eminence" Of 81. James street
turned into a truly Alpine slope, the toll ct be.
lated travellers, and the despait of carriage
reduced to q s'au5s.i Il-thcse and similar
things will Fix the Gay ird.libly 10 tho mem
DRY OF every inhabitant OF London. The
poor Watohman trtz.n 10 death in Grays
inn road is. We fear, only al extreme c,sc RI
the suffering imposed by the weather on al
whose aVocations or necessities deprive them c.
sufficient food. warmth and shelter. Compu.tG
with suffering Of this kial, tho nero inconYer.
ences and mIsadvenlures Of yesterday sink ir'r
insignifcauco, Yet is somewhat hlmilisliug
to reflect how completely tie weather, when Il
eXerts itself, oan become master of the situs~
ton, aud extinguish fer tbs tiino biog soon Of
the chief elements OF material civilization. Oaa
day is almost more than We ON besr, q succas,
sion of such would literally tverSh:lm Us. Che
bsst Municipality 10 the world would fail b2for.
tho task OF rlmoviDg hundr(d3 Of thousands Il
tons Of snow from suoh al area ss that cr len
dOn in short space OF time. Tho carte, The
horses and the men arc net to DO found Tor III
tax. aud ii they were laden the carts would b.
brought 10 standstill 10 tic streets. There j.
nothing for it but patierco aud kopo that W.
have now seen tho worst. Alter ell, uuplcssan:
as the experiment il. there is at Toast soIan
thing fascinating 10 tho memory # some of the
worst weather ever known"
The London Day Telegraph of tho same
date says:
Healthy ind well 10 do people may laugh
now at pinched noses and bursting wstsrpip,s,
but would there be any cause for mirth in u col,
tlnuanca OF the present weather Let us SUP
poae an unprecedented fall of snow. r,lloWeA
BY an unparalleled frost, and London cut o.
even tor week, from the ccuu!ry, both by rail-
and river, the roads being also impossible, AM
the prospect would soon become disaslricu.
enough. But lot tho week DO extended untll
food ard then fuel failed all over tho county,
wherever sen borne supplies could not b. trans.
ported, until the cattle began TO die or and one
by one, and household By household, and stree:
by street, and st last town by town, England
became AGAIN desolatod of humnn beings IL
may BIO 81 id that spring would coma by aud
by, but suppose i. did not2 Thore havo been
great changes in the worlds Climatic before now,
and we may be sure there will be s2sn; nor !.
1t beyond scionce or reason 10 imagine tho SUM-
heat declining and Tho cold Of the north croNpinr
doWnwards ovor Europo claiming as ica an;t
snow that which was leo and snow BEFORE bury.
ing our cities undo. fathons Of frczsn soa, AMI
utterly extinguishinR all present forms Of unilns!
life. 1t is long stretch, perhaps, from CHI.
blamed fingers to an ago of ice, but in tho con
alter al, 80 very distant. 1t forms a chapter e,
the moro recent history Of our world. and lnsy
even, indeed, have coincdod with the epoch o,
mans existence. How thlt peti9d cOmmentc,
has not, as We have already laid, boon deter
mined, but this much is boy ond all doubt-tha;
it commenced with hard frost. We wou't
not In romin ding tho public o: this signlcan,
TACT, wish to damp tho pleasures Of our skaters;
put 1t Is solcmnzng thought amid tho huah o.
the snoW.burled metropolis TO remember tnai
once upon tlmo our London parks and Eng
lsh waters were tho pleasure grounds of hrcti
animals and that thoy might become so again
II Inc lrost continues long enough. The grSndcs!
ana Vastest aggregatlons Of our human ITO sub
sst at the mercy Of a few degrees this or .hs;
SIDE OF zsro. An earthquake would not 60 Ut
terly destroy the great cities Of tao Garth a. y
slight fllip in ono direction or tho other Of tho
procession Of the equino1es."
LILO Is short at most and cur dniy is TO pro
long 1t. Uac, therefore, d.. Balls CcurI
Syrup for Coughs. Colds. Bronchitis, Hose
Nall d..