The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-26
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THE COLD WAVE.
1t Made a Record for Intensity and
Duration.

Sailors Found the Harbor Frozen Yester-
Thoroughfares to the Eastward Frozen
Some Thermometer Readings of the
Past and Present-Outlook for March.
Last evening there began to be signs
that the cold wave, which arrived from
the West Friday morning, was about to
depart. In duration and intensity it was
certainly the worst of this winter, and
will challenge comparisons with some of
the memorable winters of the past. For
almost three entire days and nights it
reigned, defying the thickest coats and
the heaviest fires.
Saturday morning and yesterday
morning were the cold mornings. The
thermometer ranged from Is to Is de-
grees below here in the city yesterday
morning. The harbor, which had with
stood Friday nights cold, was covered
with an ice coating yesterday morning,
which extended over the whole harbor
within the line from Breakwater Light
to Gorges, while the bay below was
frozen as far as the eye could reach.
This ice was quite thick.
The only vessel to come in during the
day was the revenue cutter Dallas, which
arrived from Rocllland. Her officers re-
ported very cold weather and all the
thoroughfares to the eastw ard frozen.
In the barge office the tars of the older
generation were telling OF the cold snaps
of the past. Besides the memorable
freeze of 1875, which is referred to be-
low, they recalled the time about 1850,
when the bark David Nichols was cut
through by the ice and sunk near Cush-
ing's Island. She had come in loaded
with molasses and anchored where the
current bore floating ice down upon her.
1t cut through her planking and sunk
her. Her captain was drowned while at
tempting to get ashore.
At noon yesterday the thermometer
reached about 10 degrees above. and as
night came on the temperature showed
signs of yielding in severity.
Saturday was bright ard very clear
with the lowest mercury of the winter
and the lowest for several years. The
Weather Bureaus thermometer indicat'
ed 13o below early in the morning, the
mercury rising to 70 above at noon and
falling again in the evening to 50 below
at 10 o'clock. Other thermometers in
different parts of the city varied from
100 to 200 below zero. The vessels that
came in were tremendously iced up.
This cold wave came comparatively un-
heralded from British Columbia and
spread all over the United States.
Some readings of the thermometer in
years past may be interesting. In 1875
there was no thaw even for an hour,
throughout the month of Janury. 1t
was the coolest winter Portland had
seen for many years. February sth the
citizens walked from point below the
Observatory, over the harbor to Hog
Island and thence to Peaks Island. On
February 14th horse and sleigh crossed
ou LIE iC0 IIOLu Ildl pSWCll " dllHoptul
Foreside, and the tug Tiger was frozen
in at Harpswell. On the 10th the OBJ
servatory reported sea of ice as far as
the eye could reach in every direction.
Men on skates carried the mails to and
from the Islands in the bay.
January 80. 1873, the mercury fell to
50 below. and January 26. 1874, to y be-
low. February I'd to 40 below. February
9th to 50 below. January Z. 1878, it was
50 below, and January Sth 14o below. In
1886 the readings were these below zero:
Janury 18th, %; 18th, 110; 18th, 0l3; Nth,
%; oath, 50; 25th, 90 February 4th. 50;
9Th. 50; 28th, j.. March 1st, 40; I'd, 80.
In 1887. January Sd, 80; 4th, 50; 9th, 20;
sth, 40; 9th, 50; 18th, 40; 10Th, 140; Goth,
zero. February 14th, %; 26th, i; March
LIST, zero; 5th, 10. In 1890, January 10th,
70; 18th, 60. February Dist, zero.
The Weather Has Been Set for March.
"You will pull your cap down over
your ears before March is over,' said a
weather-beaten old gentleman to PRESS
young man who was shivering in the
memorable north wind of last Friday
evening.
"Why?"
because this is the last Friday of the
month, and that day always sets the
weather for the next month