The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-25
CHICAGO.
The Recent Visit ofthe King Of the North
Pois-Incidsnts. Personal Notes,
Amusement Gossip, Etc.

CHICAGO, Jan. 23-Is 1t . contretemps, or
the result Of preconcerted action on the
Part OF the clerk of the weather and old King
Enseo, who IL supposed to cit upon the tip
Pest toppest end of the north pole, s-swing-
Ing "a icy sceptre, to either lessen the ninety
degrees of difference between his kineship
and the equatorial line, or in some way place
Chicago and suburbs very nearly vertical IA
fhat northern extremity? whichever way
1t was. We are having the biggest kind of q
cold snap. Some of the ten cent thermome-
4srs froze mp, medium priced ones ran won
dsrfully near the last notch. and the real, old
Btandby's said 1t was 80 degrees below zero
ON Monday morning, IS degrees below
on Tuesday, 10 degrees below on Wednes-
day, is degrees below on Thursday, and to-
day the cold seems Just as as cold, the ice as
Icy, and the etinging wind has lost none OF
Ats raspishness. and the windows of snow
piled in the cutters 'twixt street and walk
1re as adsmantine as . rock. On the street
one sees the youthful moustache and the
beard of an older growth fringed equally a.
white with the wintry frost. Red-faced
tsamsters look out from muffiers and yarn
knit hood CAPS Men brave the tempeature
but women are less numerously visible. The
newsboys cry their latest in quaking, half
nrriculated tones because Of shivering bodies.
Fewer beegsn are seen on the street. The
notion vendors pack mp early, and pocket
books and Jews-harps remain unsold.
Fruit stands have grown numerously
less, as goods as we'll as fingers
n,e liable to damage. The wheels of traffic
squeak dry!y a. they trundls through icy
face of the Chicago River is pesrly white.
not ripping stream flowing outward to the
aafe, but sort OF o crazy-quilt covering of
White, made up of all sizes and shapes of
thin. thick-tumbled and piled-broken
pieces of ice. You see, traffic, transporta-
ZION. etc., demands that the river be kept
open, so an overgrown tug, or q sort of a
model barge, plows up and down the stream
from the mouth to some point unknown to
the writer, entirely running the ice for ska +
ing and the safety Of would-be river pedes-
TRANS. and making Q swarth for steamers to
follow:
this is A COLD WAVE"
remarked policeman standing on the cor
ner of State and Lake streets this morning
to passing friend.
''Yes. sir, and hope the wave win find an
outlet pretty soon" responded the man.
Ditto to that" says / in my mind, aud,
wondered Why they didn't roof over that
great place up in thu mountains from
whence the Weather Bureau tells rs of what
1he cold waves are saying. and antedate the
state OF the temperature. Let Us get up q
fund to start an expedition of medium-tem.
pered earthites to interview the magnates of
law In the cold wave country.and effect some
sort OF compromise or negotiation whereby
1he waves may be more equally distributed
Southerly a. well ss Northerly; or else to
bottle them up for future generations, when
1ne growing inventive genius of the world
VIII nave devised some means of utilizing
them for the good of humanity rather than
the discomfort, distress and dismay of the
worthy million.
We have change in governmental adj
minissering this year, which we hope will
result In good to the Nation; so let Us strike
while the iron Is hot with the white fioers of
singing frost for an appropriation whereby
Inc wave system can be made to wave less
freely, just - the millions are spent for
deepening Lao roads that nature furrowed
in the beds of mighty rivers aud straighten-
ing the God-lain channels In lake, harbor
and stream.
took ride on q street car dav bsfore
yesterday morning, and the car ap.
preached shiver of dread ran into my very
mittens because the windows were white as
snew and the horses were covered with an
extra coat OF brissling frost, all OF which
suggested anything but comfort
Entering found q seat by great, fat,
good.natured man, who shortly said:
You may share my stove, IL you ike
was amused, Is the first thought sug-
eested BY bis happy, warm presence. and I
= little body, was, that needn't sit so near
the entrance; but he stopped and pulled
rom under the seat great stone jug full of
hot water and placed 1t by my feet. was
grateful, having stood on the corner waiting
for thu. tardy car until quite chilled
Then be told me how he Lived on the
plains which he crossed sometime in the
Blxtiee. when mercury was farther below
zero than on that morning: how he lived out
OF doors, IN . covered wagon, and slept on
Suffer at all.
By the time the point ct which to alisht
water, : timers charcoal furnace, a little
little oil stove, sn iron kettle OF glowing
GOALS with sheet iron cover. with hole in
1t, wedged over the top and the funniest
kind OF an old-fashioned sheet metal
foot stove full of hot Goals, had been brought
IN and was ranged along between rows of
little, big, stylish or brogandy feet. Soon
fhs foot or more Of hay on the floor of the
car began to send up scorchy odor and
the conductor reminded the stove carrier to
s'look out there, don't set the hay a-fire."
The matter Of warming the street cars has
been sgitated and experimental upon for q
long time. 1t may be that if the people
were to take it in charge, the innovation
could be brought about at ne expense to the
companies.
CHICAGO is Full OF SIGHTS.
Even its own magnitude loses its import
ance in the contemplation of its incidental
make ups.
vast sheet Of whiteness stretches out to
The sbreak-water' on the lake. One drive
along the connecting boulevards surround
ing the city affords . continuous sleigh ride
of thirty mileA But you and / will post
nome the pleasrrable trip until the silver
line shall have marked temperate weather.
One meandering through streets and
alleys, enc peering into saloon and rock.
den and hovel. shed and out of the way
place reveals 10, 900 unfortunates.
want into the Chicago Public Reading
Room. corner of Dearborn and Lake streets,
this morning. three hundred men were
there: al ostensibly to read, but the nodding
heads. the lack of overcoats, the absence of
vests. with but one frock coat on, the look of
chilled vitality told the real cause of their
presence. The rooms were warm; many of
fhe men untiGy, unkempt and unwashed the
oir soon became unbearable. and we were
RIsd to sniff the zeroed atmosphere once
more.
As I came ont Of . place Of meeting the
pther evening Q fAir-fsced man stepped up to
my companion and asked for money to buy