New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-26
WEA THEIR RUNS THE GAMUT.
ALL KINDS OF 1T IN A FEW HOURS,
CLOSING WITH SEVERE COLD.

Although this winter has been the whole
unusually mild, the elements have now and then
asserted themselves with unpleasant emphasis.
They did this yesterday, and from dawn TO dark
ness New-York was the playground of a gale
from the northwest that was bullying in its
bluster and bitter in its icy coIdness. 1t was
bad day for pedestrians. and blue noses and
frozen ears were an effective deterrent to the
Sunday constitutional" People who had to be
out of doors will not be surprised to hear that
since January l there has been only one day
colder than yesterday. That was February :.
when the lowest temperature recorded by the
local Weather Bureau was degrees above zero
Yesterday the bureau recorded temperature Of
s degrees above zero at a. m which was the
lowest of the day. The gale, which blew over
the city at the average rate of sixty miles an
hour and at one time at the rate of sixty-eight
miles an hour drove the biting air through the
warmest of clothes and made the cold seem the
more intense.
The cold wave swooped down upon the city
with meteoric suddenness. At midnight on
Saturday the mercury stood at A. and it
was raining. BY o'clock Sunday morning
the cold wave which had been rushing over
the region of the Great Lakes and down
the ST. Lawrence Valley had struck the city.
and the rain had changed to snow, while
the mercury had dropped from 45 TO %. The
sudden change caused electric display which
noticed by persons in several different
places. lightning in a snowstOrm is a caprice
which Dame Nature is not given TO perpetratins
upon unsuspectlng humanity. but without doubt
she played the trick early yesterday morning.
AS the morning wore on the snow slackened,
ceasing altogether at o'clock and the mercury
went lower and lower, until the limit of 8 de-
grees was reached at o'clock. The temperature
then rose, and averaged IA through the rest Of
the day.
To-day there will be fair weather and station
ary temperature. according TO the local Weather
Bureau.
Cold and windy weather does not tie up things
ashore the way a storm does. but at sea its ef-
feet is just as bad that Of storm. The
bowling gale which swept the harbor yesterday
kept most mariners ashore. The ferryboats ran
as usual but there were few other craft abroad.
The stretch of water between the Battery and
Governors Island which is generally a crowded
avenue OF marine traffic, almost deserted
yesterday. The waves piled high there, and
when wind and tide were together the lane or
water was turned into such angry, foaming
milrace that navigation through it was as dan
gerous as II was unnviting. No steamer that
came into port yesterday tried to get to her
| pier All dropped anchor and waited. They
were not entirely safe even in this. for there
was much dragging Of anchors.
The sailing vessels below Liberty Island and
off Red Hook al dragged their anchors more or
less and those in the Lower Bay were worse
off stiu. Three coal barges anchored down
| there dragged their anchors in the morning, and
one went ashore in the Horseshoe, near the old
railroad pier just north of Camp Low. The life
| savers from the Sandy Hook and Spermacetti
! Cove stations took off the crew in safety. The
! other two barges seemed to be holding up to a
! dam S1L
near the beach. No other accidents were re-
/ ported.
/ A most brilliant electric storm for this time
/ of the year startled many OF the residents of
/ Long Island late Saturday night. according TO
/ a number OF reports received from that section
of the State yesterday. 1t is said that peals of
| thunder were loud that many persons We're
unable to sleep. and that the lightning flashes
| were as vivid as those that light up the sky in
! summer Most of the residents of Long Island
especially those living along the shores have eX-
| perienced many sudden changes Of the weather
] in a day but ii is seldom they are visited by a
| heavy ranstorm followed by an electric storm
| that would have been considered severe several
! months later and then treated to a good fall OF
| snow that was piled UP in drifts against fences
and gates and other things by wind of hurri-
/ cane velocity. Such remarkable change of
1 weather they experienced on Saturday night in
! a few hours Their lot was even worse than
this for after the rain, electric and snow storms
/ had passed away and the sun rose they were
made them shiver and hasten indoors as soon
/ as possible
| The electric storm especially brilliant al
/ Northport Long Island. Similar displays were
! reported to have been seen at Long Branch and
| in Boston