Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-09

water, salt and slush lay thick. There are
no street crossings-the Paris streets are
so perfect there Is usually no need for
them. The consequence has been hourly
accidents on every street
The horses suffered most, being smooth
shod. 1t Is claimed that the sailed slush
injured their feet. Certainly they found it
difficult to navigate. Night after hight the
wet streets would freeze over, producing
what is called the verglas. The smooth
shod horses would simply slip, scarcely
being able to advance their vehicles. The
cabmen would accept no fares. They lad
to lead their horses, and horse and man
together seemed to be working a treadmill,
making wonderful noise on the sonorous
advance a single block. No one who had
not seen this sight would believe 1t pos
sible. This was not every day, of course.
The great complaint has been that this
winter, when 1t was most cruelty needed,
the cab companies have not heated the
cabs. The companies replied that the po-
lice had forbidden them to continue the
use of the old style foot warmers, on the
ground of their having asphy xiated such
numbers of citizens N preceding winters.
The foot warmer is a flat and very heavy
can of zinc, sometimes containing red-hot
charcoal (Which was objected to-, some
alb and sometimes being heated by chem
ical combustion (Which was always getting
out of order. rs your cab heated?"
was during the earlier part of the winter.
But during the past two months it has
been: us your cab heated?' NO" What
an accused government"
Another curious "actuality" has been the
rumor, spreading over all Paris among the
lower classes, that the end of the world
is fixed for next Friday. Last week, when
the cold was at it's height, having endur-
ed for two full weeks without let-up, this
canard caused popular rneasiness and was
the one topic Of conversation. "They say
that the world will be destroyed by freez-
| ing" who says sop 'Everybodyp' How
can that be?' THE earth is falling away
from the sum- Something of this may be
traceable to the popular reading of F'lam-
marions End of the World" now out in
cheap edition, with illustrations. hut its
true start was probably in the reawakened
interest of the old prophecies of Philippe
Olivarius. This document is claimed to
have been printed in 1914" and found
doubt, for it may be found in the Journal
deS Nllles ct des Campaigns for that year
Even. supposing it to have been concocted
In 1889 only, 1T Is prodigious. Its guesses
OF Louis Philippe it prophes,ed: The Cock
will efface the White Flower A great
One, calling himself the King of the Pao-
pie. will cause great commotion because
his crown Will be placed on his head by
the hands of workingmen." OF the year
1871 it said: Woe to thee, great city! Be-
hold the kings armed by the Lord" But
it is with the present times that we are
concerned. These are the words of the
Prophecy of Orval for 1.-The year 1885,"
Paris will disappear and never be seen
again."
Whether or not the end of the world in
general VIII come so soon, 1t Is certain
that the particular end of the world for a
great many individuals has taken place
| during this terrible winter in Paris The
sudden deaths have been Of three kinds,
from freezing or exhaustion, from conges-
| tons and from grip. "Congestions" are
something we know little of in America. A
| man may be sitting on the top of an omni-
bus ana chatting. The next moment he
will tall over, gaspng. In three hours he
may be dead. 1t is quicker than the gal
| Looping pneumonia and Is said to lie not the
same thing a: all. The congestion Is most