, 1881-03-20
CHICAGO.
THE WORST OF TIE LOT.

Not only the worst, but at the same time
the most utterly unexpected snow-st0rm Of
the season. ruled the city yesterday, and
placed what 1t is hoped will be the climax
upon the monumental series OF storms which
have made the present winter the most ex-
traordinary of its kind. Friday evening there
was no reason to look for 4 display OF eccen-
tricity on the part of the weather. The sun-
set was obscured By the usual bank Of dim
clouds which usually spoil the sunsets Of
big cities, but overhead the sky was bright
and blue, with here and there cirrus cloud
that conveyed no token Of the cotnini.
trouble. Better than these symptoms, which
cannot always be relied upon, the supervisor
Of the weather at Washington thought fit to
predict "fair weather for the Upper Lake
region,'' so that, take It altogether, the pros
poets Friday evening for continuation of
the delightful spring weather which has pre-
vailed Of late were exceedingly favorable.
Saturday mornings realities, however,
were sadly at odds with Friday nights
probabilities. Sucn people as rose at the
reasonable hour of somewhere between 7
O'Clock in the morning were made once
more alive to the fact that the beautiful
yet much obiurgated snow was again assert
lnS its might; that the front gallery was COW
cred with ii, and that the days coal
could not be removed from the cellar
until q way for the cellar-do0r to
swing back OIL had been dug for the-well,
say 1llrtieth time this winter. They were,
perhaps, not prepared for the other illcon-
yeniences that awaited them, but as before
breakfast Indication OF the unpleasant posi-
biitles Of nid-March snow-storm this was
quite sufficient for the time being.
Hardly too much can be said in Teprehen-
sion of this utterly unwarrantablc prolonga-
ton of this perfectly aboninable winter.
Previous St. Patrick:s days, if recollection
serves correctly, it will be remembered, have
often been disagreeable OIL account Of the
extreme dustiness of the streets and tho al
most unbearable heat of the sun, and here
the city is suffering from weather that would,
as {. rule, disgrace 3Ii idle Minnesota
at this time Of the year. Tile wagon
roads lie underneath from six solid
inches to a foot IT lce,-tie result of sil e.
cessiye snow-talls, and tllaws and freezilgs,
and on top Of this rest four inches Of the
danpast, tenscst, most uncomfortable snow
that ever clogged the thoroughfares OF any
city.
have the prediction If not the regulation of
the weather under their control, had tn be
seen On the subject OF Yesterdays abnormal
display, a1,d the visit to their s:llctun OH the
top story Of the Major Block was all tile more
interesting from the fact that the probabili-
ties announced the day before from Wash
ington had given no hint OF the coming
trouble.
'Why didn't you prepare us for this 2" the
reporter asked Ut the operator in charge.
The gentleman acknowledged that to 4 cet
tain extert-he would allow nothing further
--the authorities were wrong for once, and
set to work in a very satisfactory manner
to show where they were right; but the re-
porter abandoned the criticism OF the Depart
melt's mystical lore and asked for inforula-
ti6n rs to the realities of the occasion.
The observer said that the fall of the
barometer accompanying the storm l,ad been
| remarkable. Fron, 10:ls p. N. Friday to
G:lS 4. n. Saturday the fall had been
s7-10o Of an inch. The storm had
| been preceded by few indications of
I Its coming. At 9 o'clock Friday evening
the weather was cloudy, and the northeast
| wind, which accompanied the storm through
ont its duration. began to set i'll ut the very
| moderate rate of seven miles all hour. This
Increased in velocity steadily until at 7:30
! Saturday morning the tyale w;ls tearing along
at tho rate OF thirty-fiye miles an hour, sub
I seQuently falling TO thirty miles, about which
speed it maintained during the greater Part
Of the day.
The extent of the storm was very large
It had its centre at Louisville. Ky, extended
| west Us far as the Rocky Mountains. north
= r as St Paul. and east as far as Buffalo,
The snow began to fall in Chicago at $40
a. H., when it was very light, but by G:1S a.
III. the fall was very heavy, it having at that
time assumed the shape which it kept up
during the rest Of the day,
It was the peculiar character of the indi-
Tidual snowflake, rather than the ecceutrici-