The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-02-02
A RANK NORTHERN BREATH
II Knocks the Spots Out Of Our Fine
Italian Climate.
The Ground Hog once More Retircs
He Is Disgusted with the Wet
coroiogi.ai Prospects.

Inc Dananh Dclt Is ueclNcdlN urutf the
weather. in fact is suffering from severe
cold which has been hanging on for about
a week. and according to Weather Prog
| nosticator Ground Hog Eve do not mean
sausage), there is no likelihood OF its
being better for some time. The temper
atnre Of the patient has varied not only
| in reality but according TO the various
thermometers, the cheap ones being in
clined to register much lower than those
that were costly enough to have been
| tested.
To speak seriously, the week has been
a tough one, and the weather the coolest
for number OF years. The storm start
ed way up north somewhere. about the
north pole, judging from its severity, and
must have been caused by a collision be-
tween glacier and a cold-snap. although
the poets would probably have given it
pleasanter origin. 1t began with snow,
generously interlarded with wind. which
tlouted and danced, and twirled and twist
ed, butall the time coming down. The
wind caught it up and sometimes played
with it and sometimes fought with it. Be-
reas made beautiful wreaths aud lovelyfan
tasticisms of the fakes for those who were
indoors or otherwise well protected, and
made crystallized shivers and packed it in
to the cars and dropped it down the necks
OF those who were forced to lie out with
out the necessary wraps and mufilers.
There wasn't such heavy snowfall in
this section-some four or five inches
enough to make fine seghing, but it has
been so nippngly cold as to take away
all the pleasure from this sport. The
lowest temperature rs shown by the gov
eminent thermometer in charge OF III. Il.
Scudder, on the Mckee, was this, Thurs
day, morning when it registed % degrees
below zero. The previous low registra-
tions were on Wednesday morning IA de-
grees; Tuesday morning, Is degrees. In
he city it has not been quite so cold, the
lowest temperature being % degree below
this morning at 8 O'Clock. Notwithstand-
WHO CAbICulC NOiu AHt optuCu
pleasantly with the sun sufficiently bright
to enable the ground hog to become
| frightened at his shadow-the md of
February being his day of observation.
What the future will give forth in the
way Of weather is hard to predict. Ayers
Almanac has been remarkably correct for
the last month, but it is question
whether for the future it can consistently
set itself up as an authority against the
Ind Of February prophet who has retired
within his hole for the next sixty days to
await the gladstone spring time.
| Some of The HERALD's readers may be
grumpy enough to claim that this subject
OF the weather is being overhauled for the
purpose of filling space, and they wouldn't
be far out of the way either, for there is
always so many columns to fill whether
there is news or not, and this week has
been utterly devoid of anything of inter
est outside OF the weather and its con-
Meeting mishaps. We could tell of this
man having his ears or nose nipped, of
the mercury dropping into the bulb OF the
thermometer in hard finished house, of
frozen water pipes, etc., but these Incl
dents are all covered by giving record
OF the temperature.
Up to date no serious harm has been
done. The trains with the mails have
been delayed six or eight hours the
wood and coal bills have piled up too fast
to suit slender purses, and business has
been practically at standstill. But to
the country at large, and central Wash
ington especially. the winter will prove of
great benefit. There has been enough
snow on the ground to protect the hop
roots and the fruit trees the cattle.
horses and sheep are all up aud being
fed; there is sufficient snow in the noun
tains to put beyond peradventnre any
shortage Of water for irrigation; the Horse
Heaven and like arid sections will have
strong assurances of crop through the
heavy mantle of snow, and everything
points to the blessing OF bountiful har.
vest season.
On the west side of the mountains
while the mercury has been lowering on
the good side OF zero the hardships from
cold have been felt probably to as great
degree as on this side, on account OF the
moisture. There the snowfall in four
days amounted to twenty-six inches and
the beautiful was still coming down at
last accounts. The wind blew gale and
much injury was done to the shipping.
The Puyallup river was frozen over;
street car lines blocked, and there was
skating on lakes Washington and Union.
On Wednesday the following records OF
temperature we're reported: Mt. Vernon,
II below; Spokane, IA below; Rogers
Pass, 3. c., 80 below; Donald, B. c., 45
below; Seattle, above; Helena. AZ be-
low; Glendale, N. d.. IA below, and
Huron, S. D., 80 below.
-
j. ii. Bradford, Jr., who has been
spending several months past with his
parents at West Robbery, Mass, leaves
to-day for Yakima to look after his
Mckee hop ranch.