The Portland daily press., 1891-01-10
THE MOST FROSTY WINTER FOR YEARS
Widespread Distress In England and
ihs Continent.
Lord Salisbury Is Satisfied With
Arbltr alton.
Crew Of an American Vessel MutIny
at Liverpool.

LONDON. January e.-It is now the sew
enth week Of the prevalence Of frost
throughout the United Kingdom, and there
| is no signs Of abatement In the severity Of
tho weather From John 0'Groat's house to
Lands End the country Is wrapped in snow.
The canals and streams are lce-bound, and
even a number Of tidal rivers are frozen fast
For the duration OF the frost period, this Is
the greatest winter of the century. In point
of severity the winters Of 1878 and 1914 alone
exceed 1t. Numerous deaths have resulted
from the extreme cold, several at the very
gates Of workhouses, where groups of poor
people are constantly waiting for shelter.
Midland newspapers declare that thousands
of persons In that region are In condition
Of semi-starvati0n. Many laoofers are com
pulsorlly idle and without fire or food. The
mayors Of cities, with the aid Of local boards
are directing an organized distribution Of
bread and coal aud starting relief kitchens
they fail to reach host Of cases OF distress
In every country on the Continent there Is
suffering because OF the severe weather. The
coasts Of Belgium, Holland and North Ger
many are blocked with Ice. At the North
German port Of Cuxhaven, 20 steamships are
Ice bound. Pilots are unable to commnni-
cate with vessels on account OF ice Hoes
sells have been struck by immense masses Of
floating ice. The hulls were so badly dam-
agsd that the bsats rapidly filled with water
and soon went to the bottom. In every In
stance the crews were saved from death with
great difficulty.
A number Of steamers are drifting help
lessly between Ottendorf and Brunsbuttel,
having lost their anchors.
At Hamburg navigation Is greatly imped-
ed by Immense blocks of ice which fill the
river, but no serious accidents are yet re-
ported.
At Antwerp 10000 workmen are thrown
out of employment, owing TO the unusually
severe weather prevailing. The misery
aused among the poorer classes In conse-
quence Is widespread and intense.
At Copenhagen several steamships lie Ice |
bound.
Dispatches from the German ports of Lu-
beck, Stettin and Swinemund al tell oil the
inaccessibility of their haroors on account OF
ice.
The HaItz railway is snow blocked. The
mails usually conveyed by trains are now
cred with snow. In the country between
the Danube aud the Alps the snow Is IL
inches deep. In certain localities along the
Rhine snow drifts are piled II feet high In
some spots.
In northern Italy snow began to fall Wed
nesday and did not cease till today. 1t is
feared that great number Of people per-
iShed In the storm.
A telegram from Madrid reports the prev
alence Of intensely cold weather In Valencia
where the orange groves were swept by the
storm, entailing heavy losses to owners.
AT Marseilles the hospitals are g0rged
with sufferers from various affections caused
by the cold weather.
A violent storm, accompanied by hail and
snow, extending a long distance inland, Is
reported from the seaport Of Algiers, North
Africa.
Adyices from Paris tell the same story Of |
that part of France.