Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-02
1T Is GROUND-HOG DAY.
He VIII See His shsdow-what the Signal
Service Predicts.

.
| The signal service is not going to offer an,
/ objections to the efforts of that famous quad
ruPed, the somewhat mythical ground hog, tc
/ become a weather prophet for this da.em only
/ In fact, it is giving the little fellow every
chance to make a record today and to cast re-
Elections upon its own reputrtion. Speaking
Of reflections, one is reminded of the fact that
/: Is merely matter of reflection, after ALL that
| gives the ground hog any advantage over the
| signal service There are 40 many prophets
whose brains go to make up the sum total oil
efficiency of the service that if their work was
case of shadow there would be a very much diff
fused sort Of weather given to the world. For
tlnately the work of the weather service can
go on whether or not the sun Shines and on all
other days than the I'd of February.
The real name for this day is not Ground-Hog
day, but Caadl2mas day, and somehow or
other the reputation of the little rodent has
been yerv much damaged since the light OF
science has been turned upon the world, for
his predictions have failed so many times that
people have, to a very large extent. lost conf
dence In his silen: scamperings for his hole
when he sees his own shadow over his shoulder.
HE WILL SEE MS SHADOW.
Today if he should come out from his long
sleep OF many weeks he has all the oppor-
tunity that could possibly be given him by
his able assistant, the sun, to make his annual
cut and run. At the present writing the sun is
shining a. though ii intended to keep OF doing
so all day long Should the hog wake up, and
should he so out of doors, and should he lock
over his shoulder. and should the sun happen
to be shining just then. and should the shadow
happen to be so that it can be seen, then all
tradition goes TO say that there are to be six
weeks of cold weather before spring opens up
al the old stand in the regular manner That
Is to say, If there Is no hitch in the ground
hogs regular program. as it has been laid down
In the pages OF folklore for ages past the signs
all go 10 show that the winter IS not over by
any means.
WEATHER IS UNCERTAIN.
But all the time it must be borne in mind
that even on a more scientific basis than that
of the befuddled instinct of a ground hog not
very famous for its general intelligence. which
has been asleep for some weeks and has not
fully awakened weather Is a much more urcer-
tain thing than the prophets of the signal
service even care to admit.
1t was The idea of the Prognosticstor of the
service for this month that we were to be
treated to a regular cold wave tonight. aud he
made his prediction accordingly. II was very
plain to him last night that there was plain
case of a drop of temperature visible in the
northwest, where the thermometers were going
down so low that it was positively disgraceful.
Near Manitoba there IL temperature of IS
degrees below zero, and all around the same
region the same condition of things prevailed.
he zero mark was really ''ous of sight and
the fashionable temperature was somewhere
down on the 20 mark, minus 80 that is to say.
COLD WAVE COMING.
Then. too. all the other conditions that were
in sight were such as to make it very probable
that there would be a cold wave sweep over the
country in such way that its effects would be
felt here tomorrow morning. 1t should fall at
least to twenty degrees by that time and spe-
cial bulletin, based on every probability of
truth, was sent out by Prof. Russell. who has
charge % the cold-wave work. to that effect
This morning be said TO STAR reporter that
some new conditions had developed themselves
and that the chances were that the real cold
weather would be DELAYED a day or two. Still
IL will fall about ten degrees as sor. of starter
and then it Will keep going down until no
one viii be able 10 complain that the winter is
too open.
In the meantime Lieut. Gassford. who il
doing the forecasting for February. is OF the
opinion that the weather will remain clear
and that there will be no immediate chance OF
large storm accompanying the drop in the
temperature.
Hence the indications of both tine weather
bureaus that of Mr.. Greedy and that OF Mr..
Hog, happen 20 be identical today az to the
prevalence of hard weather for at least short
time TO come.