Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-02-24
THE FRIGID EAST.
Joe Miller Writes a Cosby Letter
From Washington Descriptive
Of the Great Storm.
He Finds the South More Uncomforta-
BILE in the Winter Season Than
North Dakota.
Washington, Feb. ID.

Washington, Feb. ID.
EDITOR TRIBuNE:-The weather in
this region for weeks has reminded me
so forcibly Of, old-time Dakota billiards.
that l must in self defense relieve my
mind and tell the readers of thoTR1BuNE
how hard it is to keep warm in this
land Of sunshine and flowers the year
round (Which l used to imagine before 1
came south.) The house which we &C.
cupy is a six room brick like thousands
of others here, and we're running at
forced draft two heavy weight latrobes,
"a cross between aheating stove, a fire.
place and a %furnace) kitchen range, and
an extra gas range, and still we don't
feel comfortable, incredible as it may
seem. In the morning when I hustle
out would find plenty If frost on
my whiskers-if I had apy-to say
nothing Of tunneling a way through the
snow to reach the sidewalk, which must
also be cleared by every house occupant
under penalty of law.
1t is not stretching the truth to say
that this winter has been and is still a
revelation to the oldest i%nhabitant, to
whom we should always dotf our hats
when questions of bygone days arise.
The mercury Q5 degrees below is the
coolest recorded by the weather bureau
since that important Office was created.
The historic Potomac is frozen as it
never was before, and there is plenty of
sport on the ice for those who can brave
the chilly blasts. For three weeks the
ground has been covered with a solid
bed of snow, and the hereto
fore occasional merry jingle
of sleigh bells is getting to be quite a
common thing, only there arc not enough
sleighs to meet to unprecedented de-
mand. Five dollars per hour is the
usual price for such luxury when YOU
have to hire your own CONVEYANCE, and
people will sleigh ride no matter how
cold. Snow shovels and coal carts are
much sought after, and the suffering
among the poor is worse than ever,
though they fare much better at the
nations capital than in other large
cities, doubtless owing to the generosity
OF the thousands of government en-
ployes here who are comfortably housed
with good salaries and short working
hours.
In all the dreariness and blucness of
this cold snap | can extract huge chunks
OF comfort when the bulletins spread the
news that such and such a place in
North Dakota was the coolest spot in
the United States today, etc. That
makes me swell with state pride, be-
cause know we can't be outdone in
anything. especially zero weather. But
laying all jokes aside, l want to say that
the winters here are Just about as tough
as the tough ones in the far northwest,
and if anything, they are more severe, as
we are not prepared for them, and some
times we have the unusual spectacle of
a laundering, big thunder storm as Il
side issue.
The district authorities now have a
problem on hand that they never faced
before. How to get rid of this
vast accumulation of snow is
the all absorbing question. A
special appropriation of $1,000 has been
asked from congress with which to re-
move snow and ice, the usual funds for
such purpose having been long ago ex.
hausted, and the commissioners are
powerless without the aid of or
private sources. In the event of a sud
den thaw the damage to property would
be almost incalculable.
I have eagerly read the newspaper re-
ports of the Philippine troubles and find
the North Dakota regiment to the fore
in the mix-up as usual. 1 know nearly
every boy that joined the Bismarck com
pany, and have read some of their pub
lished letters with much interest. I hope
they'll come marching home soon.
The other day I called on Senator
Hansbrough at his committee room. He
was then busily engaged in the senate in
the peace treaty discussion, and so I pro
ceeded to bore his genial secretary, Fred
bennett. who vas vigorously humping
a typewriter and more vigorously blow
ing the chill off his fingers at regular in
t%ervals, Notwithstanding a roaring log
fire in the CRATE and the usual steam
heat which Uncle Sam supplies. I also
met Alex Capehart. who sacrificed his
~favorite cigar long enough to turn back
the pages of time and tell me happen
ings here rs years ago when he used to
stick type in the government office as l
am doing nov Cape must have been
very young then or very old now. At all
events, if he's old he doesn't show it,
and I hope he will take this compliment
with the spirit in which it is given.
From the descriptions I hear about the
TR1BUNE's new plant it must be a peach,
as they say, and when the fall of 1900
rolls around l expect to make a visit.
CONGRATULATIONS tn orr now conafor