Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-02-21
COOLEST PLACE ON EARTH

thought by sclehllsls w NO III OoA''"'
Northern Siberia or Central Northern
Alaska. 1t is a popular fallacy that
at the farthest north are found the
lowest temperatures. A few years
ago the United States government
sent two parties to Northern Alaska
to determine the eastern boundary OF
that territory One of these parties
spent the winter near the Arctic ocean
and the other renamed in the interior
couple of hundred miles south.
Both parties kept records of the tenn
peratureq, and it was found that those
IN the interion experienced weather
thirteen degrees colder than those
farther north nearer the coast.
Walter W. Davis, an attorney OF
this city, who has an Office in rooms
3O7 800 Long building, was assistant
astronomer in the party which went
to Northern Alaska, Speaking OF his
trip to-day, Mr., Davis saldl
My journal was kept in the winter
of 1890 81, which was an unusually
mild one in all parts of North Amer
lea. The record of temperatures was
officially kept from standard spirit
thermometers. The last day OF
autumn on which The thermometer
succeeded in getting above the
freezing point was the Il OF No
yember From that time to the fol-
lowing April the temperature was
constantly below free zing, as shown
by the maximum tbermometeFs' From
tho 9th of November until the 10TH OF
March there were only nine days on
which the Thermometer did not regis
ter below zpry. The longest severe
y cold extended from December 10 tt
a January 10. During this period there
r were more days colder than 30 de
r e,sss below zero than there were day.
which were waEper. In three months
t between November 70 aa4 Februar!
It 90 there we're 81 days on which tn
= thermometer showed temperature
t. lower than ~ degrees below zeroi ~
It days during that perio4 were colde
n than 30 degrees below zero, or coll
It enough to freeze mercury, and on =
7 days the spirits showed 1t worse tha
At 40 below zero. Though the tempera
10 ture often reached At or more belo'
Il zero, there were only three days @
Y, which so degrees were reached; th'
It was on the 14th, 18th and 10th c
m Jjanua.y, On the last of these day
oe the ether Registered fo5 degrees b'
Is low zero. So far as official leGorc
o. show, that was the coolest temper
oil ture on earth that winter.
ID In 1856 the regular station Of tt
id signal service at Poplar river, Mo-
id, tana, reported CD degrees below ger
Dr. but In 1891 the same station reeqrdt
ne only So degrees below zero for tt
| lowest; and Alaska showed Temp
GU allure Is degrees colder No otticl
I'VE observations were taken in Alaska
on 1885, but two of the Alaska Comp
ore nv's traders, AL Mayo and Jack M
eat Ouesten, who spent that winter in
am interior on the Yukon river, decit
W that the spirits fell to 50 or So degr'
,at below the zero point, If we can
ak. fer anything from comparisons W
ind other places, it would seem tn
To traders are not far from the truth
But the difference in cold between Nj
oed tana and Northern Alaska was
oln same in '85 that it was in W, 1t m
nan have reached the unprecedented
But gree of IS below zero.
oex- when the temperature stood a.
r Il degrees below zero, the governm
nav surveyors made some interesting
title periments. A bottle of ether
ings placed out of doors and fine featf
some precipitate was seen to rise to
arm surface. 10 bottle OF chlorofor
hing; white feathery precipltate formed
w. I settled to the bottom. No chi
so 7 was noticed in a bottle OF alec
If it even though few drops OF "
,dre1 were added; but brandy and wi
more froze to a solid mass Coal oil BET
id I like hard tallow and a glass b
,re 7 felt to the touch like red hot
A plate of mercury froze solid
hands was removed from the plate
q NV passed from hand to hand IN
NV room for several seconds befo
Yonr melted. The human breath era
an Tho cold air like steam from o