The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-03-02
A Cold Day.

George A. Garden, who is connected
with the signal Office in Chicago. has
honor of having recorded the lowest
temperature ever noted in a civilized
country. Temperature G2 / below
zsro," was the message he sent frou,
Polar River, Montana Territory, on
New years morning, 1885. "The sta
tion." you must understand, said Mr.
Garden, twas simply a cabin 10 by p.
made of cottonwood logs pinned togeth
er, the chinks being plastered Will
mud. The roof also was mud, and tbe
floor was formed of cottonwoO boards
which having been put down green.
had shrunk tin they left cracks whieb
would eassly swallow up the legs OF the
only chair in the station. The ONLY
thing that made the room habita5ie was
the fact that the hut had banked NJ
with dirt that reached up halfway 20
the roof.
''Iu that little room I went 10 bed o.,
the night of December 81. 1884. TIE
bed was within arms length of BIZ,
drum-stove, large enough to receive
fOur-foot cordwood, as We dare not get
out in the cold to Keep up the fire.
had begun observations ct the place
year before, December Il. 1888, ana was
not much surprised on retiring the las
night of 1884 to and the spirit IN the
official thermometer down in the neigh
borhood of so below. had orcen re-
corded 30 Below before, but I thought
that night before IetiIing that a pretty
low temperature would be reached, a
the sir was painfully still, and the stars
looked brighter and nearer than ever.
tossed about all night, trying to keen
warm. The big stove kept nearly red
hot, but still the little room would not
get warm. 1t seemed as cold as the
outer air. Upon me had piled cover
ing equivalent to twenty thicknesses Of
! blankets. Army coats, everything H.
the shape of protection, was heapea
! upon my little bed, yet stlil I shiYereI
under it all. No one car form an idea
! OF the cold that night. l had to wear
the heaviest mittens and my seslskfn
cap pulled down over my ears. Once
reached my bare hand out of the bed TO
| throw another stick of wood on the fire
and before l could get the wood in ny
hand was so benumed that I had to drop
the stick. Mind you, all this time the
| fire was roaring and cracking.
Well, at last the night wore away
and about s O'Clock, guess it was,
| got up. l didn't have to dress, though
but just slipped on nv big, buffalo shoes
and made for the minimum thermome-
ter, There the alcohol spirit was on
the one-tenth line below the 90 mar
When l saw that my heart Jumped IA.
enough TO warm me up little. as
knew no other thermometer but mile
had eyer gone so low exceps in artic ez-
| ploratlon. That remarkable degree o..
cold was reached just about sunrise. /
never saw the air so clear as it was that
morning. The atmosphere itself seem
ed frozen, and my eye could see farth-
down the white snow glistening prair rs
than it ever had before. There was lot
a sound to break the stiffness, and l fe.t
-''AS VIZ ANAS CAplOlcI WHO SldDOS IN u e
silence of the eternal gnows. The or
ching that bound me TO civil: zat!on ",
the smoke shat came up from the d -
tant army post. for United States troojs
are stationed there to watch the Indi-
ans. That day the temperature rose to
about 80 below, and four days later j.
rained. In those four DAYS the rang
was 1OO0, the greatest range ever r,
corded
" A lower temperature was never b.
fore recorded" continued the yourg
man. excepting in the artie region
Lieut.. Greely recorded it only nine.
tentks of a degree colder than mine.
Mount Washington, which is considerel
the coldest place in the United States.
has only recorded as low as 4227."