The morning news., 1888-10-01
JACK FRosTs EARLY CALL.
Mercury Down to Forty seven Degrees
Effect on the Fever.

Effect on the Fever.
/ Savannah and the cotton belt is ex-
perienclng a cold wave such as is believed
! 20 be uunrecedented at this season of the
wear. Traces Of light frost were reported
here yesterday morning, and on
the high lands around the
CITY. aud the indications were
! favorable at midnight last ght for a light
! frost this morning. At o'clock yesterday
morning the mercury went down 10 Al.
The highest recorded temperature yester-
! day was 65, the mean temperature bel 8
! lG6 below the normal For the past eight
| davs there has been an average of ID below
! the normal and yesterday was the coolest
| dav of the season. At 10 o'clock last night
the mercury had dropped to 81. The
highest temperature reached for the past
three DAYS is as follows: Friday 7GS'. Satur-
day r. L, and yesterday 64.S'. AT Atlanta
the maximum was 6S', minimum AZ.
The minimum temperature Saturday
night at Charlotte, n. c., was 3s', with
frost 42' at Augusta, with frost, 40 at Nor
folk, 54' at Jacksonville, and 46' at Mont
gomery. The day was the coldest of the
season in the Savannah district, the average
maximum being but 72', and the average
minimum being 46', or l5' colder than the
lowest point reached at Savannah. East
man was the coldest the mercury dropping
Signal Observer benson said last night
that killing frosts will visit the New Eng
land states this morning. The barometer
has fallen considerably throughout the
north and northwest IN the past forty-eight
hours, going down 3 Of an inch in some
places, while it was falling slightly here
last night This indicates, said Observer
benson, that the hight of the cool wave
will be reached this morning
Passengers arriving by Ihe CefltraI mil
road yesterday report frosts in Atlanta aud
Marietta, and at ali points along the Cen
tral railroad from Macon down to Oconee.
There was a heavy frost in Griffin yester-
day morning. Frost is also reported III
Americas and along the line of the South
western railroad as far up as Macon.
A physician was asked last night what
effect the cold will have in the fever dis
tricts. He replied that it will be likely to
decrease the number Of new cases and swell
the mortality list 1t will be bracing and
invigorating for the well, but bad for the
sick whose vitality has been decreased by
the ravages of disease. He remarked that
in cold weather houses are closed, and the
air in dwellings is contaminated by the dis
ease. For this reason smallpox is more
insidious in cold weather. The air in a well
ventilated room tends to dissipate noxious
accumulations, but in a cold spell such as
this has been it IS enervating to the sick and
wasting vitality will render treatment more
difficult and doubtful. Such weather will
not destroy the fever germs. That will re-
quire killing frost.
The doctor went on to say that he
believes that the fever had reached its
climax in Jacksonville, but that it will not
go down with jump. 1t may be expected
rather to rise and fall spasmodically, and
possibly there may be one or more days
when it will go up nearly as high, and per
haps as high as the maximum Of new cases
heretofore reported, but there will not be
any steady continuation of new cases such
as have been daily reported. The fever is
on the wane, he thinks, although he is pre-
pared to hear of an increase in the percent
age of fatalities.