The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-03
Mayor.

"ob the snow, the beautiful snow
Railing all day long and all night long
IN the homes of the living,
And the graves of the dead
With the month of December comes
tho first touch of winter and the people
~ Raleigh awake this morning TO hha
some twelve inches of snow on the gfouilu
and the white flakes still a-falllns' ~
anv rate that is the condition OF affairs
predicted last night by Forecast Ofnchi
Won Hermann,
The autumn months have been unpre-
cadantedly mild-so warm that the ar
conditions were unhealthy. During tne
whole of November, which is usuaiiy
cbara cterized by cold, nasty weather anu
hitting winds, the people sweIerea III
their fannels and contracted sudden colds
or felt feverish. 1t is partly this fact that
makes the present cold wave seem SO
much severer than it would otherwise.
While the people in this section
x,,oro living in sunshine and amid bloom
ing flower gardens and poisoning COTTON
fields. on the plains west of the Mlssls-
sinni snow-storms and gales were blow
ing. In the Dakotas, Minnesota, INDIANA
and adjoining States, there has been sev-
eral falls of snow, and at Bismarck the
thermometer has been 70 degrees below
zero. At Richmond and north Of that
CITY there has also been snow, but with
the exception of a light fall of snow last
week in Western North Carolina, this mas
been the first snow-storm this year south
of the Potomac.
The present cold wave was fofetold
Monday by Observer Won Hermann, anu
Tuesday morning he said the falling tenn
perature would be accompanied by snow.
II had no idea, however, until this
morning" he said, that it would be so
severe. 1t win snow all night and prob
ably in the early forenoon tomorrow.
After that it will clear off and be very
crisp and cold. There is no prospect Just
now of any more warm weather The
ground will be covered to a depth of at
least IL inches before it stops.
II have just received the following
special telegram from Mr.. Willis L..
Moore, Chief Of Weather Bureau, at
Washington:
High winds, likely to cause drifting
snow, which may interfere with railroad
travel in the States along the middle and
south Atlantic coast. Storm will be very
severe on the coast
1.-THE storm began here at $50 o'clock
this morning." continued Mr.. Won Herr
mann 1T was showing at Charlotte at
o'clock, but at some points still further
west it began as early as o'clock and
has been steadily falling ever since. This
morning the centre of the storm was over
Florida; at o'clock this afternoon it
was at Charleston, s. G. Tonight it will
reach Raleigh and go on UP the Atlantic
coast to New England. When it reaches
Nova Scotia 1t will branch off to the
northeast and expend its fury upon the
Northern seas.
'rhe prevailing wind during the day
has been from north to northeast 1t
was blowing this morning at the rate
of Is miles per hour. This increased
during the day to the velocity of % miles
an hour. OF course tonight, as the
stomr centre comes nearer, the velocity
the wind will become greater, and cause
much drifting Of the snow. During the
morning the storm moved very slowly
but tonight it will pass very rapidly
northward, greatly endangering shipping
along the coast"
There is also great danger of all rail-
road traffic being stored. The snow
flakes are very fine and dry and the high
wind drifts them rapidly from place TO
place II the storm, therefore, continues
through the night and this morning 1t
viii be impossible for the trains to pass
through many Of the cuts where heavy
drifts have been piled by the wind. This
would be quite an unusual thing for
North Carolina. Probably not for Il
quatrer of century have the trains
been stopped by snow-storm.
Despite the storm yesterday, however,
all the trains came in as usual, being
only about an hour behind time. Last
night all the outgoing trains went out
on time, but pulling fewer cars than
usual.
The stomr is confined entirely to the
Atlantic coast In the inland and
throughout the Northwest it is clear and
cold. The coolest point yesterday was
Bismarck, Dakota.
Ahout 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon