The National tribune., 1899-02-16

/ Illinois, the amount bding reduced from
| 500 to $50. TheTrepQIt saws of Gen.
Palmer: Nearly diways an ofIiceholder
and always strictly honest, he finds him
self now, in his S2d year, retired to private
life without means or income. broken in
health, blind IN one eye and rapidly losing
the sight of the otler.'h The report then
refers to his service at the head of the
Senate Pension Committee, his liberal
treatment OF the old soldiers, and yet his
opposition to large sentimental pensions
based on social position and political
report states, $50 per month is all that
Gen. Palmer himself will approve.
| 49,
The Weather Bureau has only been in
existence in Washington 20 years. AL
we know about the weather prior to that
| time is contained in the memories of
those unreliable boosters, the Oldest In
habitants. Some of them say that this
is something like the old times when
was a boy, and we had our regular Winter
weather, but the most Of them, as they
| Shiver around the radiators declare that
never was such cold seen in Washington
and it must be that the Gulf Stream, Il
whose vagaries is attributed all OF the
climatic eccentricities Of Washington, got
knocked off its base by Admiral Samp
sons cannonading. The Weather Bureau
official, simply say that il is the coolest
cold spell, AMI the longest cold spell OF
which they have any record.
| The grounding came out on time Feb
z, saw ii very pronounced shadow of him
self cast by the bright sunshine, and
prudently skipped back into his hole, dug
| II foot or so deeper, and put weather
strips on the door. Sunday morning,
three days later, the people woke UP To
find several inches OF snow on the ground
Those having the fear Of the law before
col 81 g.,
| off their sidewalks, while the others
| waited for the sun tn come out promptly,
as he has done every Winter but this, and
convert il into Slush. But the sun
seemed to have engagements elsewhere.
The next day the people were amazed to
see more snow. Sleighs and sleigh bells,
which gather rust in Washington about
3b3 days OF each year, suddenly became
valuai lie possessions, and Pennsylvania
avenue became a spirited race course,
with every man who had sleigh and a
fast horse showing them off, and those
who had not, collecting on the sidewalks
and enviouSIy watching them.
Then il turned bitterly cold. Thursday
morning saw the thermometer down to
degrees below zero, and n cutting wind
blowing out Of the northwest that would
have done credit To Chicago Friday saw
il still colder, with the mercury down to 10
below. This beat anything since 1881
oht utOIulilS DTOke I'LL TeCDTUS,
with the thermometer down to between IA
and Is degrees below zero. On Saturday
evening it warmed up enough tn let il re-
sumo showing, and by Sunday evening
the total fall for the eight days had been
Is inches. OF course the people up in
North Dakota and Montana, where they
build thermometers with Easements and
sub celia will smile at such little
Ting n rs d rces below zero making us
Incomff rt;lble. but Washington is warm
weather eI., where Is degrees below
means great discomfort to everybody, and
immense suffering tothe poorer people.
Still the blizzard d. not let up, rut
rather rev VIZ Monday morning
opr,ctl with a worse storm than any Of its
predecessors an lby evening the to al ( III
had reached the u 1pr ,cedented a ,g CO ,te
Of 20 inches. Everything in WASH gton
came To as near n stan 'Still as it is pos
sible for gre 't,eci v. The street cars
struggled for few hours, AMI then gave
up T aims ccrsed eDtcrin, the city.
Few wagons were ON the streets. Sleighs
b came a neccs 5ty. There was no ses-
sion of Congress because the S majors and
representatives. futi d MT ach the
Capitol Livery stable men refused To
let either horses 6r men 60 out. Dealers
could not deliver coal or pro, isio s, which
added greatly to the stiff ring. Il was an
experience th:u will lie l,ne rer'emhere
j. Washincit Mond night the Storm
ceased. and Tut sday morning dawned
very cold