The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-26
COLD Is FRIGHTFUL
ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES ITS
INFLUENCE FELT.

INFLUENCE FELT.
Even in the Sunny South There Is All the
Way From Frost to Solid Ice and Cali
fornia Is Billed for a Cool Breath,
While From Boston to Bismarck and
Farther West Record Figures Have
Become Commonplace Chicaso's
Coolest Day-Reports From Canada-A
Day to Date Events From.
Chicago. Jan. 26.-With minimum Of
20 degrees below zero, and a maximum of
10 below, today was the coolest day in
the history of Chicago. The mercury
hung at the twenty mark from o'clock
to O'Clock, with a persistency worthy a
better cause Not until ) o'clock p. m,
were the hearts Of the crowd that how
ered over the thermometer in front of the
iewelry stores gladdened by the sight OF
the mercury ascending and touching the
first turn mark. But it touched il Slight
iy and hung trembling there for three
hours, and then, at O'Clock started on
Us downward career again. At 8 O'Clock
The thermometer showed u below and
continued falling through the night.
The mean temperature yesterday was
10 below zero, which is quite the lowest
Chic2go ever experienced. While there
laTe been days when the thermometer in
Chicago was 20 below or lower, the max
mum tempera lures upon those occasions
nave been so much higher than the max
mum temperature yesterday that the
dubious distinction of being the coolest
day in the history of :he city viii re-
main with January %, 1897.
Chicago, Jan. 25.-The cold wave
struck Chicago worse today than either
Yesterday or the day before. going ma
.erialy under the lowest point Sunday
when the records of twenty-six years
were broken. At a. m. today the sig
nal service reported a temperature 20 de-
srees below zero, with no relief in sight.
Al o'clock the temperature was exact
y the same. The heavy fog from the
axe which enveloped the downtown dis
rict, made the cold doubly dangerous
Frozen fingers, noses and ears were Of
common occurrence. and numerous cases
81 more serious character were report
ed
realizing that during this severe wea-
her delay in offering relief TO the desti-
tuie might be fatal in many cases, Mayor
Swift has called upon the police force of
The city TO aid in the work of gathering
information concerning the urgent needs
of the thousands of suffering poor OF
Chicago. Through the complete organ
lzation of the force, covering the entire
city by divisions and precincts, and the
elaborate telephone system by which
each precinct may be in ready commune
cation with the headquarters of the de
payment. the mayor hopes to prevent the
loas of life which might ensue through a
more tardy means of dealing with the
urgent cases 1t is the mayors purpose,
pending the time when the work of relief
through the intelligence gathered by the
police can be put into organized form TO
De personally responsible for whatever
sums il may benecessary to expend to re-
heve cases of extreme need and save the
poor from freezing orstarving. Fifteen
hundredhomelesSmen partook of the hos
pitality Of the city last night, and slept
under the roofs of the police stations
Fifty-three persons were listed as over
come by the terrible cold in Chicago yes
terday, and were rescued in a partly fro
zen condition. One death occurred. which
was due to the cold. and a number Of
,rozen limbs from exposure. Most of the
sufferers succpmbed to the cold while
about their usual tasks, but a number of
the victims were homeless wanderers.
Only one death had been reported TO
The police up to noon, that of Fred A
Busch, years old, who succumbed as
The result ofe Xpoure. The ambulances,
however, were kept busy conveying peo-
pie 10 the hospitals with their feet and
hands frozen
George Grant was foud in a freight car
near North street, almost dead, and
with his feet badly frozen. They will
have TO be amputated. The work of clear
ng the down-tGwnstreets has been ahan-
doned on account Of the intensity OF the
cold. Many of the men had no gloves or
oVercoats and more than 400 of them
were severely frost bitten.
Joseph Fey, driver on a snow plow Of
The STRENGTHENING department. had his
body and limbs so badly frozen that he
will probably die. Many OF the men were
removed 10 their homes or the hospitals
in the ambulances. On some lines pas
sengers on the street cars suffered badly
Miss Emma Smith. while riding from
ThIrty-fourth street to Madison on
Clark street car, became unconscious and
was only resuscitated after nearly an
hours hard work by physicians.
All the police stations were crowded
to their utmost capacity. the Harrison
strees station alone sheltering over 800
urfortunates. The Salvation Army bar
racks on West Madison street were kept
open al night, and many were taken
care of there.
The policed apartment has been turned
into vast relief corps. Chief of Police
BadAnech has issued orders 10 every off,
Ger in the city 10 make personal investi-
CATION OF all cases of restitution on his
beat, and report the same at once. Help
Is sent Immediately, and every patrol wa
Son and inspector is being used for the
purpose. One pitiful case of suffering
was reported 10 the Hyde Park station
today At the home of Edwin Martin