Evening star., 1899-03-07
ON THE OUTER EDGE
Washington's Relative Position in
Storm at Noon Today.
THE UNEXPECTED THAT HAPPENED
Weather Bureau Couldn't Stand
Against the Conditions.
THE LOCAL SITUATION


yesterday evening with a prediction of
generally fair weather, giving them sup
posed assurance of a pleasant morrow.
The same folks awoke this morning TO
find nearly five inches of snow covering
the ground. The wind was blowing at
velocity of forty miles hour, sending
the snow swirling. curling and scurrying
through space. The scene presented to the
early riser was a repetition, with slight
notifications of the blizzard of n few
weeks past. The storm came Unheralded,
as most of the disturbances of the winter
have done, and was much of a surprise
to the weather bureau officials as to any
of their constituents who read the daily
forecasts issued from the bureau on NJ
street The bureau is entitled to some
credit, however. for its prediction of colder
weather was fully realized. the thermome-
ter dropping from forty-six degrees, regis
tered yesterday. to sighteen degrees this
morning. The storm is OF passing
ferceness, and is now at an end, so far as
this section of the country is concerned. At
IL o'clock this morning the disagreeable
weather was central in New York and
moving up into New England.
The weather bureau prognosticators have
an ability of explaining freaks of the
weather that is proverbial. They are sell
very contrary forecasts. In such cases
there is always something out of the ordi-
nary that happened, and the officials are
ever ready to pull out their maps of the
day previous to show how they could not
have predicted otherwise. Last nights
promise of fair weather. resulting, as it
did. in the second heaviest snow storm Of
the season. was perhaps the most fragrant
violation of the rules of veracity ever per-
petrated upon an unsuspecing people. But
the weather man. with an elegant suavity,
explained il all this morning. when inter-
viewed at HIS work.
What Caused 1t All.
The reason of Washington's disturbance
runs like this:
Yesterday morning there was slight de
preston in middle Tennessee 1t was very
slight. however, and hadn't the appearance
of storm of any great proportions. This
area of low barometer moved eastward
slowly. and last night at IL o clock was on
the North Carolina coast, apparently NOV
ing on out to sea When this condition Of
things reported to the bureau here
the forecast for fair weather was at once
made out, as il was believed the North
Carolina disturbance would not be heard
from again Just here is where the wise
men were taken advantage of by nature.
. Instead OF continuing its leisurely journey
toward the east, the storm at midnight
turned at right angles and proceeded up
the Atlantic coast with increasing velocity
and intensity. 1t struck Washington be-
tween and o'clock this morning. and the
first precipitation was in the shape of a
fine rain. This soon changed to snow and
the latter continued to descend until after
10 o'clock, when the clouds broke or thin
ned out, and the sun shone through to cheer
the storm-maddened population of the
globe.
The sharp and sudden turn Of the storm
in North Carolina is not yet explained 1t
is believed, however, that area of high
pressure was lowering off the coast. This,
proving stronger than the low. sent the
storm in the path of the least resistance.
There was another high in the northwest.
The storm could not go thence, and accord
ingly in the natural sequence of things
proceeded up the Atlantic coast. The snow
the conditions between Washington and the
cities of those states practically the
same here.
High Gales Prevail.
Gales of high velocity have continued
throughout the day. 1t is promised, how
ever. that the Washington winds will di-
m.nish this evening. taking away with them
the clouds that have lowered over the city
for the past twenty-four hours. Colder
weather. resembling in fact a cold wave.
will prevail tonight and tomorrow morning.
The cold weather Will not be for long. as
there is warmer temperature in the west
which will make Itself felt here very soon.
The general conditions will be fair. At
noon Washington was in the outer edge Cf
the clearing
n.
In Tennessee, northern Georgia, western
North Carolina and extreme southwestern
Virginia, the temperatures are from to II
degrees below any previous record for the
same season OF the year. The freezing
. line extends almost to the gulf coast. In
the west the temperatures are rising. In
some places the rise has been as marked as
AZ degrees
Minimum In Washington.
In Washington the minimum for the last
fua fN--f dso At
the mercury was up to "A degrees. The
snow is beginning to thaw already. Lying,
as it does, upon a wet foundation laid by
the rain during the earlier stages of the
storm, il is not expected to remain vary
long, and very little trouble is ANTICIPATED
In removing it. The District Commission
ers reserved a small portion of the snow
appropriation made by Congress for such
an emergency ths present.
The conditions out OF doors have ap-
preached several occasions during the
day the ferceness of the late blizzard. The
- high winds. blowing the snow at "a singing
rate In the faces of pedestrians. has made
walking most disagreeable. While the Snow
was but five inches on the level it was
drifted in mary places TO a depth of eigh-
teen inches or more. The drifts have been
heaviest on the north sides of streets run
ming from east to west. In a number OF
places the wind has swept streets and side
walks almost clear Of snow only TO pile II
up in greater depth in some more ed
spot
street Railroads Inconyeniepced
The suddenness and severity of the morn
ing's storm proved a considerable handicap
TO the street railroads. The heavy wind
kept the snow swirling into drifts and II
was not long after the plows and sweep-
, ers passed on before the tracks were again
covered Pulling was very heavy. and CON
sequently anything like schedule time was
out OF the question.
Shortly before o'clock am. a rnotormsp
Of the Metropolitan line ran a car on the
wrong track at the power house which
caused a tie up for some time just ar the
hour when department clerks were Office
bound
The Capital Traction cars were far apart
and slow I'm progress in the early hours
and the snow drifting in the deep cut of
the City and Suburban road at lexington
caused a tie up on that section The horses
on the Belt cars were increased from pair
TO four. and the service was kept going
BY noon all lines We're running in prctt,
good shape, although there was much