The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-22
COLD WEATHER SUFFERERS.
Continued from Page Twenty-rour.

Continued from Page Twenty-four.
room accommodates a. dozen men and
women who sit around the open fire
place. Sitting in chairs and on the
floor they sleep together because it
is much warmer than a bed probably
without any covering. The poorer
classes OF negroes suffer more from the
cold than do the whites, while just the;
reverse is the case with heat. During
the freezing weather all of the money
that many OF them can scrape togeth,
er, by begging. borrowing or stealing,
Is spent for. drink, and a very small
part of it for wood. More frequently
the wood is stolen and the money goes
for something to warm the inner man.
In some sections of the East Side and
West Side they live like rats
in a garrett and suffer a great deal
more. They manage to get along fair
ly we'll as long as they stay together
around a piece of smouldering oak or
blazing box, and suffer the most
when they go to. the corner grocery
take very many of the brand
they drink to cause the unfortunate
consumer to roll over In the street and
go to sleep. The awakening, usually
is in front of the big stove at
the police station house, where frozen
DRINKS are thawed out, and the vic
tim is presented to the Recorder al
the next session of Police Court In
cases where the intoxicated man is
able to navigate, and reaches the fire
surrounded by fellow unforeunates, the
result is apt to be serious. While the
present freeze has not been accom-
panied by any homicides, the police call
attention to the fact that it is not yet
over.
The suffering amongst the poorer
class OF whites is of an altogether diff
ferent nature. In many cases it is
through no fault of their own. The
Kings Daughters, at all times active,
do much to relieve the suffering and
appear at the houses whenever it comes
TO their attention that help is needed.
They seek the poor and leave sunshine
in their wake. They search for shivSr-
ing and hungry families, and where
they find black clouds of sorrow they
leave the bright sunshine of happiness.
The members of the circles are not idle
during the present freeze and are ac-
complishing. much good.
The police and firemen suffer along
with others who are forced to expose
themselves to the cold. The guardians
of the peace who are on during the
day do seven hours duty, while those
who patrol the streets at night are on
duty ten hours. The men are changed
about every fifteen days and all share
alike. The mounted men suffer the
most. but the lot of none is happy
While the severe weather keeps many
people off the streets it causes more
drunkenness, and necessarily a larger
number of arrests.
The firemen are also sufferers and
are not happy when the weather is
extremely cold. Around the stoves in
the fire stations they are comfortable,
but the answering of alarms is diff
ferent sort of thing. Probably standing
in water and drenched to the skin they
fight the flames, perhaps for hours. The
men must roll out of bed and jump on
their machines at the first sound of
the bell. After they have gone to bed
and have to answer a call they par
TALLY dress themselves while dashing
through the streets. The cold weather
too is responsible for the sounding of
many alarms and makes the lot of
the fireman harder. The building of
fires in dwellings shows UP defective
flues, and many blazes are started in
that way
The trolley car men are other suffer-
ers, and are forced to face not only the
natural temperature, but the keen
wind. While the passengers on the in
side are complaining of the cold the
motorHlan and conductor are shivering,
but remembering that there is some
body little worse off, and more thinly
clad.
Animals are also suffering from the
cold weather. but their complaints
cannot be heard. The cab horse is
probably the greatest sufferer and
without any protection he is forced to
stand in the streets. while the driver
is snugly wrapped up.
The present freeze has caused con-
siderable damage To flower gardens,
and many rose bushes have been killed.
Unless the young trees are wrapped
carefully the freeze is fatal to them,
and experience is responsible for the
fact that the damage at the present
time is not as great as it has been
heretofore.
The street corner fruit men have al
SO suffered. The fruit displayed on
the sidewalks cannot stand much
freezing weather, and the dealers have
no way TO protect their stock Bananas
suffer the most and when once frozen
are practically worthless. Some Of the
fruit men build fires around their fruit.
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