Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-11-18
THE FIRST BLIZZARD
TIE MERCURY TAKES A DROP OF THlRTY-FVE
DEGREES
And it Rains and Blows and Shows at 8 Great Rate
Colder Weather Predicted for
To-Day-7hs Record.

The average cit izen, as ne reIlreu "
bed, Monday night, laughed to scorn
the prediction of the weather depart
ment of the government, that there was
going TO be ''cold wave" in Wheeine
within the following twelve hours.
Last evening these same citizens were
disposed to admit that the despiseo
weather bureau was right about 1t,
and that there was a cold wave on hand
AS wea Their prognosticator, the ou'
reau rose a good many points in popu'
lar estlm alton, and it is safe to say thai
the next time the "cold wave" signal
is flown it will receive pretty much all
the respect to which it was entitled
Yesterday.
As a matter Of fact, the mercury
dropped just thirty-six degrees between
ten o'clock Monday night and the same
hour last night, while the wind got up
at times to q speed Of twenty or thirty
miles an hour. Snow squalls SUCCEEDED
one another with considerable rapldlty
last evening, and by eight o'clock the
ground was covered to a depth oil
half an inch or so, rendering walking
very dangerous.
Tha first noticeable change In the
weather was observed about half-past
eleven o'clock Monday night, when a
light rain began to fall. This was kept
up at intervals until about two O'CLOCK
in the morning, when the rain settled
into steady down-pour, which gradu-
ally grew heavier until about nVe
in the morning. As the rain increased
the wind which had been coming In
gentle puffs from the south all during
Monday evening, veered around 10 the
west and by four o'clock in the morning
it was blowing stiff and very Irregular
gale. There was no noticeable change ID
the temperature until about haif-paSt nYe
when the mercury began to fall, and al
seven o'clock it was AZ degrees. Al
nine in the morning it was 80. and
scurries of snow began to lily through the
air. At noon the mercury was 80, ana
at three D. m. it was 80, with continu'
ance of the efforts to snow, and what
SdllOI hOulu btl III
After three o'clock the fall in the tenn
perature was more rapid, and at seven
o'clock it was 90, and two hours later
but 20. There were several lively little
snowstorms between seven and half-past
eight, but after that hour the sky
cleared up and it settled down to get
colder at the rate of about degree OF
so an hour. Mr.. Schnepf received q
telegram from the weather authorities
during the day predicting colder weather
for to-day, with local SHOWS during the
night and this morning, and it Is not
likely that there will be much OF rise
in the thermometer before tomorrow.
While the change in the temperature
was one OF the most sudden on record,
and therefore very severely felt by all
classes Of citizens, it was very welcome
to most people, and will have great
and beneficial effect upon most depart
ments of business. Warm and dry
weather, such as has been vouchsafed
US so far during the season, had q ten
dency to keek farmers at home, instead
Of bringing their produce to town and
spending the price thereof in shopping,
and the sales of many sorts Of goods,
such as clothing, dry goods, boots and
shoes, hats, ETC., was thereby much
retarded. A few such days as
yesterday and last night will
make a brisk demand for heavy
clothing, coal, ETC., and will en-
liven the markets in many lines. An
other good thing TO be almost inevitably
brought about by the change in the
weather is the rise to be expected in
the river. Boats have now been laid W
for three months and more, but with
rains and SHOWS will come aH increase
In the figures representing the amount
of water in the channel, and the long
enforced idleness in this important de.
partment OF commerce will come to an
end.
The half inch or so OF snow on the
sidewalks made them very slippery, last
night, and there were number Of very
hard falls. Henry Burtell fell on Mar
ket street, just below Pollock's flour
mill, about eight O'Clock, diSlocating his
right leg at the hip joint. He was taken
into the Mark Twain saloon, AID the
patrol wagon being called, he was re-
moved to the hospital, where he received
medical treatment. Burtell was only
discharged from PittSburg hospital q
couple of days ago, he having been in
jured in railroad accident.