The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-01-24
FELL DOWN TO SIX.
BOREAS BEARS DOWN ON OUR CELE-
DRAFTED ITALIAN CLIMATE.
One Of the Coolest Nights Expert,
enced in Wichita for Many
Years-The Streets De.
Serted-U n d o u bted
Suffering Among
Strip Settlers.

The backbone of our fine Italian climat,
received a severe wreDching yesterda,
from old King Boreas
The mercury fell down to degrees be
low zero at 7:15 last evening, and from The
whistling winds and the frosted window.
and the sad and mournful voices that cam,
through keyholes and window crevices a,
midnight it must be down to about 10 al
that hour.
Everything was frozen but the electric
lights, and even the wires that conveyed
that element or force whIrred and shivered
with the cold.
1t was terrible night.
The streets were deserted at O'Clock
and from that hour everything looked
bleak and desolate aud lonely II one
| happened to be out he went from place to
place on the iDstallment plan, finding
refuge in every third or fourth doorway to
| examine his nose and ears to find out
whether they were still doing business at
| the old stand.
1t Was night that offered temptation
to man to break his New Years pledge
and turn to hard drinking. The only OBJ
stacle against this was that it was too cold
How many men reflected on the DISPOSE
ton they made of their summers wages
will never be known, but it is quite Ger
tain that not u few of them recapitulated
the items of small change they spent on
cigars, etc.. that should have been saved
and invested in wind-proot ulster
1t Was great nigut to teach one the
comforts and advantages OF home life and
the happiness one could acquire by being a
millionaire.
The Salvation Army soup house was like
Chicago beer garden during a Democratic
convention. 1t Was thronged all day and
far into the night, aud still the poor fel.
lows clamored for a bowl of the hot fluid
extract OF jack rabbit.
The wayside lodging house for homeless
and houseless wanderers, on South Law
renee avenue. was packed like sardine
box all night. They slept on the floor and
ON the bnnks, and the poor unfortunates
lay Oh raw and dreamed of castles and
mansions and blankets and blazing base
burners till morning.
1t would be interesting to ascertain
the thoughts that fitted through their
minds as they lay on their hard but well
come bed waiting for generous Morpheus
to fold them tightly and comfortably in
her arms. Many of them doubtless
thought of their fathers homes and ire
sides and wished to be back there once
more, even though there Was no fatted
calf feast ia the proposition.
The police station was the mecca OF
many aud the cage domicile beneath con-
tanned not few ragged peers of the ma.
ton who were blown in there before the
northern gale. The town Was practically
left to the mercy of few policeman, hack
drivers and reporters and in their I'M
usually ipfrequeut rounds they met one |
another, retired to some stairway and be- |
moaned the fate that made them toilers |!
instead of Jay Goulds and Mackeys aud |
Carnrigie's and Vandecbilts and such |
hated scious of plutocracy.
The poor fellows of the Cherokee strip !
suffered.
Parties who came up on the late trains |
a terrific biizz ,rd raging over
the cherries prairies. Many of them, in
fact nearly all, are but lily prepared for
such storm. They have been pinning
their faith to the power which Lawrence
Sterne says tempers the winds to
the shorn lambs. Their houses are prin-
cipally shells, aud outside of the dugouts
few If any of them could resist The biting
blizzard of last night. That great suffer-
ing is prevailing there no one who
knows the condition of the country
doubts. Tomorrow and the day after will
confirm this, and not few Cases of perish
ng may be expected.