Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-16
ONCE In FORTY YEARS.
The Cold Wave Of january, 1854, Almost
kquaued by the Preaept Cold SPELL

before since January, 1854, when the same
temperature was recorded by the late Dr.
Thomas N. Logan, the than meteorologist
of this city. For the sake of comparison,
| visited the city's Free Library to find q
copy of the old Sacramento Union for jan
uary, 1854, but there were no copies so early
az that date in the library, of that particular
paper. There was copy of the Sacra-
mento Daily Democratic State Journal. From
the columns of its local news l find con-
siderable very interesting reading. just at
present, for the citizens OF our city. If the
dates were left out, the articles would very
well refer to the present almost unprece
dented cold weather. The articles copied
from the sbove-named paper are as fol-
lows:
Saturday, January T. 1S54-Yesterday
was clesr, calm, cold day. We were shown
ice yesterday morning one and e-quarter
OF an inch thick. the thickest ever seen, we
believe, in Sacramento. The night of
Thursday 9th was unusually cold"
The following would do for good de-
scription of the last three days of our pres
ent cold spell:
Monday, January 8, 1S54-The weather
has been unusually cold the past three
days. Yesterday, in riding ashort distance
in the country, We noticed as late in the
day as O'Clock ice in considerable ouanti-
ties in the marshes by the roadside. Such
an occurrence was never noted before"
To show that the cold wave of 1854 did
not stop at Sacramento the following article
from the Democrat will prove:
Wednesday, January IL, 1854 The
Stockton Journal has been shown piece of
ice three inches thick that was formed on
Thursday (5th) night last"
The following certainly is applicable to
our present cold spell; in fact. change the
date TO January 16, 1888, and the same
words will apply to Sacramento now:
" Friday. January 20, 1Sj4-This season
is one of most extraordinary severity.
From all we can learn never has its equal
been known, even 10 that antiguated indi-
vidual the Oldest inhabitant The ground
yesterday morning (l9th) was frozen at
least two inches in depth, and ice was
formed from one-halt to one and one half
inches in thickness. Even The sun scarcely
melted the ice, and the moment it ceased
to shine upon any one spot freezing COM
menced. The air was clear, and the noun
tains doomed up, covered to an immense
hight with snow. Indeed everything
looked and felt like winter. We hope such
unpleasant weather will not continue
long"
Boys were skating yesterday January Is,
1883, back of the round-house. Read the
following, dated Saturday, January 81,
1854:
Skating in Sacramento.-The frost OF
night before last was by far the heaviest
we have seen in this valley; the implanted
levee became as firm as the planked streets.
Crystal formations were everywhere that
damp had of late been, and to cap the eli
max ,beheld, when we arose yesterday morn
ing, numerous little boys disporting them
selves on pond in Second street, by cut
ting their names with their skates on the
ice. How the ice got there we could &C
count for, and where the boys came from
we could imagine, but when we thought OF
the skates we came to a full stop. Whose
speculative spirit thought of bringing
skates to SacramentOp"
Monday, January %, 1854.-After q
succession of most extraordinary cold days
the weather moderated yesterday after
noon"
From the same paper and the same date
clip the following:
Frozen over.-Sutter lake was frozen
over Saturday night and remained SO all
day yesterday; the ice was from one halt
to one inch thick. This never happened
before-at least TO the knowledge Of any
person now hvingin this region"
Stockton slough was frozen over ON Satur,
day night (21sD so that the steamer Clay
had to beat her way through the ice. The
like was never before known in that
vicinity"
Wednesday. January %, 854-The
suspension of heavy and hard frost for the
past two weeks have enabled our Water
Works contractor to proceed with the res
ervoir."
Wednesday, January %, 1S54.-The
recent cold weather caused quite rise in
the price of ducks, geese, etc, owing to
ponds being frozen over SO as to prevent
them getting their accustomed food"
The following notes must mean Nevada
county and not the State of Nevada, for
much colder weather than that is expert
enced in the Sagebrush State:
Wednesday, January %, lS54.-The
people of Nevada may well complain OF
the cold, as the following from Young
America will show: On Friday last the
thermometer stood at 2:30 N, 10 below
zero; 5 A. M, $50 below zero; $50 A. M, 70
below zero. This we believe is the coolest
weather yet recorded in California. Ice
formed four inches thick"
The above numerous though brief notes
from the Daily Democratic State Journal
show that the cold spell of January, 1854,
lasted upwards of two weeks. Although
the paper did not give any temperature
| figures, we find by referring to the record
| of DR.. Logan for that month that he
records minimum temperature Of 19o
| which is our minimum for Saturday and
Yesterday. 1t can be safely said that we
are liable TO an extremely cold wave along
| the entire Pacific coast of the United State.
every thirty or forty years.
| The average temperature on Saturday
and yesterday was 80, Saturday being 1S'
colder than the normal for that day, anC
Yesterday 17s colder than the normal
| The highest and lowest temperature wa
for Saturday $50 and 1872, and yesterday 81
and l9o, with high northerly winds or
! Saturday, and brisk 10 gentle northerly
| winds yesterday.
An abstract from Or. Logun's meteoro
logical table for the month of January
1854, (faken from the Daily Union of Jan
uary 30th), shows that during the weel
from the 7ih to the l4th, the maximum
temperature was 80, the minimum so
and there were no rainy days during III,
week. From the 14Ih to the Dist Their,
were three rainy days. The highest TEN
perature was $50 and the loves 320, tn,
prevailing winds being from the south anC
southeast. The following week the wine
ranged from southeast to northwest, an,
there were two rainy days. The highes
temperature was 400 and the lowest 1870, OF
| the morning of the Dist. During the las
week the thermometer ranged from 560 L
2So with two rainy days and the prevailing
winds were from the north and northw west
In his remarks DR.. Logan says: " Tn,
! thermometer used for these observations i
hung in still air of northern exposure
| and protected from the influence OF wine
| or sun. The observations are made at
A. NJ, p NJ and 10 P. NJ. The minimum
| therefore, which generally occurs durini
tbs night, has not been obtained. Tue de
gree of cold experienced during the monrl
is unprecedented. Suffer Lake was frozeI
over on the 9Th and on the 21st, and re
manned so all the day of the 22d. Ic
formed in the city from the thickness O
one to two and half inches. The effect o
such weather upon the health manifested
itself in the extinguishment of intermit
ent fevers, which had been previously s.
prevalent. and an increase of catarrhal an
other inhammatory affections of the re
| spiratory organs"
ICE ON THE sLoUGHS.
Ice formed on Lake Como. alias Chin
Slough, during the recent cold spell to tn
depth of nearly an inch near the shore. ant
the whole surface of the slough was frozel
over except space of about so feet squar
near the eastern end. The mud-hens an,
ducks were forced into this small space