Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-12
Every Effort Being Made to Keep the
Stream Open to Navigation.
THE CAR LINES CHOKED UP.
snow-Plows Brought Dat to Clear
the TracIss-FueI Dealers Unable to
Meet the Dcmand-Much Suffering
Among the Poor-Pipes and wires.

The cold wave with its attendant train
| Of evils gives little or no sign of abate-
! ment
The storm centre in the Northwest con-
tinues with undated vigor, the tempera-
tire ranging from 80 to IS degrees below
zero. The weather-wise say that SO long
as the storm remains in the Northwest
the conditions in Richmond will remain as
they are at present.
4 small cloud of hope is upon the hori-
ION. however, for the storm which was
conferred in the Gulf yesterday is moving
towards the "hgh" in the Northwest,
and the effect of the collision and conse-
quent disturbance Of the high which
win then move in an easterly direction
will be warmer weather in this section.
The snow which fen yesterday after
noon in Richmond is the edge Of the Gulf
storm. The storm itself will pass either
| to the west or the southeast of this city;
| if it takes the former direction there Will
be warmer weather here, if the latter
then the present conditions will reign
! supreme until the two storms have met
| and joined issues.
IT is COLD EVERYWHERE.
There is "a melancholy satisfaction in
! the fact that Richmond has had lots Of
company i'm her misery. The coolest
! weather east Of the mississippi Valley
yesterday morning was reported from
! Washington, d. c.. where it was IA de-
| gIees below zero. At Philadelphia and New
| York the thermometer registered degrees
below. and at Boston degrees. In the
! Upper Mississippi Valley the temperature
was 30 degrees below zero al ST. Paul.
| Mimi. and y below al Davenport. The
coolest point i'm the Ohio Valley was
/ Pttsburg. Pa. where il was degrees
| below, while at Cincinnati Il was only 4
degrees warmer. In the Lake Region the
temperature ranged troa degrees below
/ zero. at Chicago and Buffalo, TO % below
| at Marquette, Mich. II was coolest OF all
/ in the Missouri Valley, however, where
/ it ranged from 1C degrees below zero, in
Kansas City, TO 80 degrees below at
Huron.
The weather in Richmond yesterday
was but little milder than on friday
| The mean temperature for the day. from
| 6 a. NJ. 20 9 p. A.. was but les degrees
| higher The figures for the two days. ac-
/ cording to the thermometer i'm front OF the
/ Dispatch building was as follows:
AM A. NJ. ~ P. NJ. p. NJ. Mid. Ave
5 yaapy J ! { % Il i Z !! 10 30
From this it VIII b. seen that it was
warmer during the early afternoon o.
| Friday but colder Ia the morning and eve
ming. The mercury went down to zero al
! $ 4. NJ. Yesterday. but did not go lower.
! While most people thought 1t was not 50
/ cold after the snow began go fal-abolt
/ g O'Clock iu The afternoon-the thermome-
/ ter shows that the temperature fell ! de-
/ grees between then and midnight.
EFFECT OF THE SNOW.
/ The snow-storm was by no means an
| uumixed evil II was, 90 be sure. accom-
/ panied By "a wind. which blew b. in aN
directions. and made umbrellas SUI
/ perduous. 1t seriously in.eriered with
/ trave! bv street-cars but 70 ciOaked the
slippery places. and one was lao longer
/ compelled 10 walk at a tension. with
mind. nerves. and eyesight rlyeied on
/ each footstep.
There were q good many people In
! Richmond last night who did not care
/ 10 wander from their own fresides.' Tor
/ tho streets were almost deserted diter
! sunset. The markets were closed early 10
| the evening partly because there were no
/ customers. but mainly because the ven
ders preferred not to brave the elements
which were as conspicuous by their pres
| ence as the purchasers we're by thelr
! absence.
To The credit OF tho many merchants
Of Richmond be il said that fewer teams
were seen at work upon the streets yes
terday than for very many moons. me
officers of the Society for the Prevention
Of Cruelty 10 Animals have beer diligeni
in their efforts to secure fair play for the
dumb animals and have protested
against overlooking TO good effect Ana
IT was so cold that it was hard 10 get
the drivers out.
The key Of that familiar jingle, How'd
Won like 10 BE- tAo !cemau?" which has
Lesr SING and Nhisted through the
streets for the past two weeks. has been
changed to a very disma. diree, How'd
Won ike TO be the cOal-man:" for wood
has gone I'D TO So COrG. and can with
difficulty be secured even at such prce.
while coal has at least. in some quarters,
gone up in a corresponding degree.
The plumbers are now the busiest men
in the city. and they will have even more
10 do when the thaw comes. There has
already been much damage 10 pipes.
The old plan of leaving the water run
ming TO prevent the water freezing in
the pipes has proved unayailing during
the past few days, for I'm many known
instances where this expedient has been
tried the stream has frozen solid.
MUCH ICE IN THE RIVER
There is an immense quantity or hoat-
ing ice I'm the river and fears are enter
tanned that navigation will be seriously
impeded unless relief should come. Inc
upper reaches OF the river are FROZEN
from bank 10 bank, but the ice Is coming
down the stream is great quantity. lnere
does not seem 10 be any immediate uan-
ger OF gorge, but the tug Thomas Gun
ningham. Sr, was kept on the move
throughout the night, and VIII WORK al
through to-day TO keep the channel clear.
The Pocahontas made her whart last
night with little or no diihculty' thoush
she reported much floating Ice III 'us
river ali the way from Norfolk.
The old Dominion steamer whlch was
10 have sailed for New YORK yesterday
af,ernoon az 3 O'Clock. left at noon, the
owners fearing that she might not get
out OF the river IL longer delayed. rhe
philadelphia boat left early In the morn
ing and was reported on city POINT