The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-11

Thermometers arc a great deal like
watches, in that no two are Just alike,
wet each will trust his own" The
figures above arc the record OF the
standard thermometer at @. schnepfs
Opera House corner pharmacy yester'
day at hourly intervals, AT some places
in town, notably at tho end OF the sus-
pension bridge and tho corner OF
Twelfth and Market streets, Their
mometers registered lower than zero,
but this may have bOen owing to local
influences.
schnepfs thermometer Monday even'
ing indicated 20 degrees above zero,
That was about tho time the telegram
was sent out from Washington saying
the mercury would fall twenty degrees
by morning. 1t was a rather striking
nIlilment OF this prediction that at 3 n.
IN. Yesterday the same Thermometer in-
dIcated exactly nine degrees above,
At 5p. IN. yesterday, exactly twenty
four hours after tho mercury had stood
ut twonty.nine degrees above, 1t indt-
Gated five degrees above, fall OF pre-
ciscly twonty-four degreea-something
in all probability unprecedented even
in this climate, subject as 1t is to sud-
den and decided changes oil tempera'
ture,
Cold as 1t was yesterday many people
were out in sleighs and sleds. Though
well wrapped up, their rod noses and
pinched faces indicated that much OF
their enjoyment came under tho head
oil pleasures OF the Imagination" Tho
coasting tracks were almost abandoned,
but skating was as popular rs ever.
It was hard to toll who proiited most
by the Intense cold, the people who sell
ear mulls-''ear lugs," as they seem to
be known in Wheeling-or the coal
merchants. Natural gas was still a lit
tie short, and coal and wood had to BIO
used to get up decent degree Of heat.
The ice dealers were not Mt all CRATE
ill for the continued spell OF winter.
One Of the leading ones told an INTELLT-
GENcER reporter yesterday that he had
not packed away pound OF ice, and
did not expect to.
"Why?" he was asked.
"Wel last veur | bought large
quantity Of lake ice. My customers
would not have 1t. They all preferred
the artificial ice.
"You SEQ, the purest natural ice, alter
YOU keep it awhile, is in very unshapely
blocks. The made leo ia always in
neat square edged piece, and there is
something, in ice as in everything else,
in the looks.
"lho difference Is most important to
saloon keepers, who are among our best
customers. A barkeeper mixes up
fine drink, and out OF the ice floats a
speck of dirt. 1t may be harmless
bit Of wood or straw, but the fastidious
customer doesn't like it, A leading go
loon keeper told me he would prefer to
pay ten cents q hundred moro for the
artificial leo than for lake ice. Well,
lake ice, Of course you know, is far and
away purer and better than our local
creek or river ice."
"What can the manufactured ice BIO
sold ior2"
q can handle it at % cents q hundred
to large consumers. That is cheap
enough. I would not deliver natural
ice at less il l could cut it the day 1
sold II"
This remark reminds one Of the way q
prominent newspaper man once illus
trated the sudden changes OF tempera-
ture here. He said he knew an ice
dealer in Wheeling who once started to
cut fine crop OF ice in the morning,
and by evening 1t was SO warm that he
had sold tho whole crop to private con-
sumors without putting 1t into the
house.
Yesterday people would approach
SChnepfs thermometer, look at 1t care
fully, murmur ooh, my" and with
their hands over thoir cars start on u
run for the nearest warm room.
1t looks MS II continuation of this
weather would close the river hero in a
day or two. 1t Is gorged above and be.
low, II 1t should freeze over 1t would
make the loveliest skating seen hero for
years.
Last night the weather was moderat-
inga little. At Top. m. 1t was again up
IN nina 1nnenrn ola,,n