Evening star., 1899-01-02
Mercury Takes a Tumble of Fifty
Four Degrees.
C0LDEST new YEAR BLAST Since 1881
Snow Falls to the Depth of Five
Inches.
WEATHER BUREAU RECORD

VINO nave not watched the rise ana fall
of the temperature with the aid of ther-
mometer.
IT'S the warmest zero weather I ever
felt" remarked one would-be sage today
after he had emitted little snort express
sive of disbelief.
The absence of wind, except of the very
lightest sort accounted for the apparent
mildness. Had Old Boreas whistled as he
did Saturday night or even yesterday morn
ing, there would have been very blue face
on the city today.
This is the record breaker for New Year
day since January l, 1881, when the wealth
er bureau records show 16 degrees below
zero was touched. Therefore it is unusual
but not phenomenal.
The exec aptional feature of the cold wave
was that it brought about a drop of fifty
four degrees in temperature within forty
eight hours. Saturday morning heavy over
coats were purdensome, with the mercury
at "a degrees. Then it dropped to 16 de-
grees yesterday morning and during last
night pushed its way to the jumpingof
point, where it held against all comers till
after o'clock this morning.
Now it is beating a retreat before the
sun and reinforcementS in the shape of a
low from the west. A rise of 20 degrees
may be expected and the moderating pro-
cess will keep going until another high
within a few days.
when 1t Got n Start.
The present wave started Thursday last
in the icy regions north of the Rocky
mountains and was evidently scheduled to
give old Mr.. 1898 a quick slide upon ice
into the past 1t had a 20 degrees below
zero gait up in the British northwest terri
tory but lost good deal of this speed in
climbing down into Nebraska and western
Wisconsin, which We're reached Friday
morning. There it was going at zero trot
A long stretch of level prairie country in
terVened and getting its second wind, the
wave went four degrees better. below
when it penetrated Milwaukee Saturday
morning.
Old Mr.. 1893 had been told by the wealth
er bureau several days before what was
coming to this section and he had mean
time spread a low all over the ocean states
and far into the middle region. He brought
in some reinforcing warm draughts from the
south and then stationed himself on top
OF the Washington monument to make OBJ
servations. Usually lows flee before highs,
but Mr.. 1898 had provided for this by call
ing out all his trained and seasoned lows
which wer2 calculated to resist to the last
And they did AS the high advanced the
low held its ground, but its ranks soon
began to thin out under the fierce attack
OF eighteen-m -mile-poWer discharges from Old
Boreas. who was making feBce flank on
slaughtS There was hail to payi Don't
mistake the word
Finally, the monument became the center
of conflict and then old Mr. 1898 became
benumbed and fell off his high perch
To quote a little from Julius Caesar:
''Oh what fall was there my countrymen.' -
Rain and hail and snow wrestled to catch
the old year far up in the air. and thou
sands of the white hosts fell from dizzy
heights to find burial place on Mother
Earth. Then borne by Old Boreas and
guarded by the high, the chilled and dying
year was swiftly launched into the past
the clocks rang the midnight hour
When the sun stole upon the battle field
yesterday morning the fallen snow lay to
a depth of four and a half inches over
everything.
Intensity of the Storm.
Coming down to the earthly point of view,
the intensity of the storm kept everybody
almost indoors, and watch meetings of
various sorts Saturday night were either
given up altogether or but sparsely attend.
ed. All the street railroad lines were in
difficulty mcst of the time, and the horse
cars were kept stationary where they hap
pened to be when caught by the visitation.
Cabs, carriages and public conveyances
that do not require tracks were entirely
useless for all practical purposes as the
smooth covering OF ice over the concrete
made foothold for horses virtually mpos
Sible.
The only redeeming feature about the
storm was that it prevented the general
observance of the annual custom of usher
ing in the new year with a hideous and
nerve-racking din of horns and guns and
giant crackers and demoniac yells.
The dawn of day Sunday brought joy to
the upper ten and woe to the lower five.
The clear sky, crisp air and dry, deep snow
invited the healthy, wealthy and wise out
of-doors. The poor and the i'll shvered and
quaked in houses where lights shone
through cracks.
The merry jingle of sleigh bells soon
came from every point. Sleighers, clad in
furs and wreathed in icy breath, sped their
horses down the avenue, and the vigilant
policeman smiled-when he could be seen.
Lads and lasseS brought out their seds
and tumbled down every incline. And
frozen ponds around the city bore crowds
of happy skaters. That it was the Sab
bath day kept many indoors, of course but
still there We're joyous hosts who reasoned
that the day was made for man, not man
for the day, and made merry while the sun
shone. Today there was no restraint and
the inviting snow was whipped into clouds
under the slippery runners of fast-fyfng
sleighs.
Bureau Record.
At the weather bureau today Forecast
Official Garriott said:
"A storm of considerable intensity mas
developed off the north Pacific coast Ia
coma reporting a pressure of 29.4O inches
and Portland a south wind of fifty-two
miles an hour. second storm appears to
be moving from the southern point of Flor
ida to the east gulf, Jupiter reporting a
south wind of thirty-Jwo miles an hour
The temperature has fallen in the At
iantic states, except in Florida, where there
has been no change, and has generally risen
from the upper lake region, the middle and
lower Mississippi valley to the plateau re-
gions. The temperature has remained sta
tionary on the Pacific coast. Rain or snow
has occurred in the middle and south At
lantic states and snow on the New England
coast and lower lake region.
THE weather will be fair followed by in
creasing cloudiness in the middle Atlantic
states and lower lake region; increasing
cloudiness and threatening weather in the
south Atlantic states, and it will be gener-
ally fair in the rorth Atlantic and middle
and west gulf states
The temperature will remain stationary
IN Florida, and it will generally grow
warmer in the remaining Atlantic states.
the lower lake region and the Ohio valley
Illness of Ex-Attorney General.
Ex-Attorney General Wayne McVeagh is
lying dangerously i'll at his residence in
this city, 1000 Vermont avenue, of pneu-