Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-07
MERCURY,s TUMBLE.
The Coolest Day Except One in Thirteen
Years - The Damage on the Truck
Farms-The Freezing and Bursting of
Water Pipes.

The Coolest Day Except One in Thirteen
Years - The Damage on the Truck
Farms-The Freezing and Bursting of
Water Pipes.
The 9TH and 9th of January, 1884, will
be remembered as two of the coolest
DAYS that this section Of the country has
experienced since the Both of December,
1880. when the thermometer indicated 10
degrees above zero. Yesterday morning
about O'Clock the thermometer at the
Signal office indicated 1875 degrees. These
conditions of temperature have only been
observed in this city at one other time DUR
ing the Dast thirteen years, that is to say
on the 10Th of January, 1873, when the
thermometer indicated Is degrees.
The fall in the temperature on Saturday
and Yesterday is more severely felt by the
residents of this vicinity on account of
the short spell of comparatively warm
weather which preceded it. Last Monday
and Tuesday the weather was quite warm,
when'rain followed and the atmosphere
became mnch colder. The succeed
ing days were cold and some
what windy, but on saturday
morning it was generally thought that a
higher temperature would follow. During
the middle of the day, however, mercury
began to tumble, and by 4 O'Clock in
the afternoon it became evident
that this section was on the verge
of an exceedingly cold wave,
and that the warmest of clothing was
necessary to comfort. Owners of exposed
tender shrubbery FASTENED to dress their
choice and smaller trees with blankets
and large sheets of thick paper. Where
there are so many plants and ever
greens as there are in Savannah
it was impossible to secure all of them
from injury, and it is believed that many
in the park and in some private yards
have been destroyed at the root. Out
side of the city limits are
large truck farms, MANY of
them showing quite an extended growth
of cabbages. tits thought these vegetables
have been killed, and that considerable
damage has been done. On Saturday
night at O'Clock the mercury fell two
degrees below the freezing point, and
during the night ice formed in the foun-
tain basins in Chippewa square and
FORSYTH Park and on the Ogeechee canal.
Although it was Of but little thickness,
the ice was not perceptibly melted during
the day. Water pipes were generally
frozen when left exposed, and there
was an active call on plumbers
to turn off the supply of
water from boilers connected with ranges
in private residences. The stand pipe on
the east side of the market was cracked
by the ice formed within it, and during
the day the street in the
vicinity was wet with the escaped
water. The flags which were hoisted at
the Signal office on Saturday were ordered
down at 20 a. m. yesterday. They con-
stituted the off shore or northwest wind
signal, and were justified at this point as to
direction, but not as to the velocity of the
wind. When the wind blows at the rate
of % miles per hour they are justified as
to velocity. The greatest velocity attained
here was 10 miles. The observer at Bruins
wick reported 40 miles at that station.
Many persons mistOok the signal here for
the cautionary signal. This signal is red
flag with a large black square in the cen
tire. The signal displayed on Saturday was
composed of two flags-One white and one
red. Mr.. II. w, Ford, Observer at this
port, has cOurteOusly furnished the MORN
ING NEWS a tabular statement showing
the observed dates of the cold spells dur
ing the months of December and January
from 1871 (the year in which the station
was founded to the present time, as fol-