Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-03-14

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nary Dilemma Of . Lovers Leavetakins in
the Intense Cold.
EDITOR STANDARDS:
Having read various accounts OF the
severe weather in Western Washing.
ton and especially in the Puget Sound
districts during the winter now pass
ing, thought you might not be alto
gether uninterested in an Olympian's
report of Montana's temperature and
playful billiards for a couple Of
months back. Ensconced Is we are
in the foothills OF the Rockies we are
quite shut of from the ameliorating
influences of the broad Pacific which
so tenderly laves your own shores.
The seasons here are much more
marked than in Western Washington.
Spring. Summer, Autumn and Winter,
are as distinct from each other as are
the polar circles and tropics which in
our own hemisphere designate their
boundaries.
But 1. was going to tell you some.
thing about our winter. During a pc.
riod Of about six weeks in which came
our "cold weather." the mercury Huc-
tuated between Is and &c degrees be-
low zero, according to location and va.
rious influencing factors in the case.
In our own valley, here. between the
Missouls and Bitter Root rivers, the
temperature was considerably lower,
the mercury ranging from 10 to Is de-
grees below zero, according TO the
time OF day aud direction of the wind.
Once only was 80 degrees registered
here in town.
The water mains Of this city are
buried six feet below the street grade,
but for about two weeks the water in
them was frozen solid and people had
to procure supplies from the river by
chopping holes through ice Is inches
thick. The mains were finally
cleared by passing a current OF cleo
tricity through them from the power
house.
We have enjoyed six weeks Of excel.
lent sleighing and for about half that
length Of time skating has been fine
on the river and smaller streams.
With the temperature 20 degrees be.
low zero, crowds of people have turned
night into day upon the ice, occasion
ally stopping to warm their shins be-
fore big bonfire.
During all our coolest weather the
hens in the rural districts have been
laying frozen eggs. But 60 far from
proving an injury to the astOnished
biddies or their owners. the curious
episode caused big boom in the cold
storage business. Dealers in cold
storage goods ransacked the country
with every available conveyance and
bought up the frozen hen fruit a. fast
as it could be turned out, paying big
prices for the product. One rancher
cleared $500 on the frozen eggs his
hens laid during the cold snap. Five
Car loads of these natural cold stor-
age eggs were shipped from this place
to Chicago. When deposited by the
hens, these eggs were solid from CEN
ter TO circumference, beautifully
smooth and without cracks in the
shells. They were gathered from the
nests in baskets and poured into big
boxes like 80 many pebbles. l threw
one OF these eggs with all my strength
against stone wall and it rebounded
like q big playing marble, showing
only slight abrasion on the polished
shell. 1t was found, however, that
whenever the thermometer showed .
temperature anywhere above minus
20 the eggs laid by the same hens
were in q normal condition.
1t was notable fact that no cack-
ling was heard as the hens came from
their nests, for the reason that the
sound waves were frozen the instant
they came from the throats OF the
birds into the keen frosty air; but it
was most amusing to see the big zoos
ters crane their necks with open beaks
in the act of Growing. OF course, not
q sound was heard, but in every in
stance large white shaft of frost pro-
truded from their mouths three feet
into the air. Upon investigation /
found this shaft to be the CONCEALED
breath OF the bipeds.
But by far the most serio-comical
antic perpetrated by Jack Frost re.
mains to be told. One bitterly cold
night while the mercury had gone to
sleep almost down to the bulb, or, as
the saying goes here, "away down
among the dead men," worthy young
man was visiting his best girl in the
parlor of her parents house. Towards
the solemn midnight hour Augustus
arose to leave and Jemimy followed
him out upon the veranda. Well, -
is usually the case, for we have all
been there, the young couple stopped
to talk few minutes in the cruel
cold which at that hour had become
exceedingly intensified. The town
clock presently began TO strike and
they FASTENED to perform good.
night kiss. Az Byron puts it in Don