The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-02-14
ACENERkL BREAKING UP.
Elm Coolest Weather Ever Experienced
Here,
EXPLANATION OF THERMOMETER READINGS
The Demand ON the water Works.
Now Pumping from the BIAS ou--No
Pressure for Fires.

Tho severe weather that struck Hous-
ton Saturday and continued through sun
day commenced to moderate yesterday
and the thermometer, which went unconi-
fcrtably close TO the zero mark, was
gradually on the ascending scale all day
yesterday, and the ice. except In shady
pisces, yielded TO the thermal Influence
Of the sun, and In thnwlng left the street
crossings muddy and sloppy, and tile |
hard frozen ground Ct Sunday relaxed |
trto A soft surface, of consistency gen
orally designated as mud.
Mr.. Nc Nabb the United States weather
observer at this point, comes to the ne-
Tense OF his thermometer which Registered
a minimum OF only 6.2 above zero dur
ing the blizzard, and which The Post
animated might be Il little on, us sew
eral other thermometers In the city went
several degrees lower. MY thermometer
readings" said MIR. McNabb, are taken
each morning at o'clock. This covers
the preceding twenty -ofur hours AZ a.
IN. on February IL Sunday my ther-
,aouetets we're as follows: Maximum 40
degrees, minimum g. degrees. At Il.
~. On the l3th (Monday) the maximum
was 20 degrees and minimum 81 degrees,
mr. lust one-tenth colder than AT a. III.
ON February 18th. On Sunday evening
about p. m. read my maximum just
10 see how high the temperature hal
zone on SUNDAY, II recorded 20 degrees
srant - above zero This does not mean
that at !, D. m. on sunday the temperature
VS. 20 degrees but that ! read IL ut b
II. IN. and IL showed that 20 degftes was
The highest the thermometer had gone
during the entire day preceding p. IN
did ndi take the u, N, temperature,
but simply recorded tho maximum theh
ON February IL Sunday. when reset
my thermometers they recorded 6.2 as the
temueraturg at : a. M. showing mat the
coolest period on Sunday was Mt a IN.
AT a. nj on February -, when 4
asa.n reset my thermometers, they regis
tered a temperature 1T that moment OF
81 above zero, showing that IT had been
coolest before z Il. IN. on Monday. AT
/ %. m Monday (todayl the maximum
read 225 as against 20 at a. m
AS to my thermometers being protected,
all government bureau instruments oil that
Kind are protected, but only to the extent
that necessarily outside they must be pro-
1ectcd from rough weather and oreakage
thew being extremely delicate. The pro-
tecfjon does not really protect the iher-
nometers further than this, as the cover
inCs are well ventilated, permitting ires
circulation OF air. MY ~
self-registering and check each other IheS
can not make a mistake unless broken
When the temperature falls the minimum
thermometer falls with it ami by meant
OF an index Il shows the lowest POM
reached at any hour during :he twenty
four II It falls 10 , degrees or even U
zero there the index remains and 1t car
not again ascend until the thermometer !
readiusted The maximum thermometer /
made so that the index viii register a
high as the temperature reaches IN IN
twenty four hours aud Will remain thcr
until the jther;pnmeter If reset Very ley
people understand these automatic indo
thermometers or how arrive NJ the maxi
mum or minimum temperature withou
watching the thermometer every lnilut
during the twenty-four hours The gov
eminent standard thermometers are mao
very delicate and are first -class. moi mad
for toys as many are. My business rs
give fair average reading and not II
and pick out the coolest spot In the ccN'
try where owing to certain artificial coma
lions, the cold wind may blow strong'
than Mt any other point, The location
my thermometers has been inspected an
approved by the chief of the State weatht
bureau,
..Thc coolest day in February 1895, WI
50 degrees on February A.
~
The cold spell caused fearful demnr
10 be made upon the water works, so mu'
go that 1t was impossible to keep the star
pipes filled or to give any pressure for h
purposes, hence II was very fortunate tn
no Ares occurred while everything W
wide OPEN
THE greatest demand ever before ma
upon the waterworks, said Superintende
smith to Post reporter yesterday, ny
5000, 900 gallons In tweDty-four hours. III
time the demand Increased TO 10000
over double what IL had ever been befo
In the same period of time. We estimS
that there were between 5000 or 1000 "a
Gets open on Saturday and Sunday, Duri
that time we could not have done an
thing In case of fire. We could la
given no pressure whatever, and 40 no
Hed Chief Hussey Our wells have q
pacity of from 6OQo,000 to 100000
twenty four hours, hence II Is appar'
that We have been forced to give abb
half the water from the bayou. and I
will continue until the cold spell Is o.
~ and the faucets are turned on.
THE DEATH ROLL.