Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-02-25
BITTER COLD WAVE.
COUNTRY is SWEPT BY wINTRY
BLAST.
Death and Destruction FoIIow;ng in
Wake of Worst Spell of Brightly in
Years Cyclone Sinks Steamer and
Twenty-three Are Drowned.

The country has recently experienced
the most bitter cold wave Of the season.
Thirty degrees below zero in the Da-
kotas, zero in Texas. within few de-
grees of the cipher in New York Their
mometers the entire country swept by
winds that add 10 the severity of the
cold, people frozen to death in Chicago.
Kansas, Georgia aud elsewhere-that
was Tuesdays chapter in the story of
the most widespread and lasting cold
wave known in years.
The other usual incidents of delay to
transportation of all sorts. added suffer
ing among the poor, injury to telephone
and telegraph wires and general MUIR,
to business interests, are reported from
all the area between the Atlantic coast
and the far western ranges of the Rocky
Mountains.
Railroads have been con6scating coal
consigned to firms and individuals at
such rate that two bills were intro
duced in the Kansas Legislature making
such action crime. Even by thus ap-
propriating shipments of fuel to their
own uses and running the risk of paying
big damages, many of the roads have
Some of the temperatures reported
Tuesday were:
bismarck. n. D.. -30St Louls .......-e
Duluth, Mimi PA Cleveland ........-4
Milwaukee ......-I5 Amarillo, Tex.
Chicago .........--i0I Louisville .....
Omaha ..........-10lNew York. II
The Eastern States got what seemed
more than their share of the storm In
central New York fifteen inches OF snow
fell. Gales swept the coast and enddn-
gered shipping, and fewer vessels ventur-
ed ont on account of storm warnings.
Pittsburg was in danger of n food. and
municipal election day in the State of
Pennsylvania saw only a fraction of yot-
ers willing to go to the polls.
The cold was general. East and west
from Chicago the country was frozen in
its clutch Near Chadron. Neb., six
trains were buried in snow drifts. the
| imprisoned passengers including a regi-
ment of United States cavalry In wy
oming the worst blockade of the winter
was reported while Kansas has been en-
during perhaps the lowest temperature
/ in rs history. Ohio reports bitter wealth
| 81 and serious shortage i'll natural gas,
which is adding greatly TO the suffering.
In Springfield, Ohio. the street gas jos
were eXtinguished to exc out the scanty
supply of artificial gas with which the
citizens were trying to keep from freez-
ing. 1t is estimated that 10000 persons
who depend on natural gas have suffered,
and many remained in ebed all day in
their efforts to keep warm.
With a temperature which sank to 10
degrees below zero at a. m. Tuesday
was the coolest day in Chicago since
Feb. ., 1899, when the Thermometer reg
istered q degrees below. Most of the
mail trains entering Chicago were late,
some of them being five hours behind
time.
The whole State of Wyoming has been
in the grasp of the fiercest blizzard of
the winter, and the railways are badly
crippled. Cuts have filed with snow,
and it may take days to clear them out.
A passenger train two snow plows, and
a freight train were sn0wbound forty
miles north of Cheyenne, on the Colorado
and Southern, seven passenger trains
were tied up at Laramie and points west
on the Union Pacific owing to blockade
near Medicine Bow Two passenger
trains and several freights were snow
bthilu IAillSS StdtIt VI WI int
Denver Pacific. In most cases the din
ing cars kept the imprisoned passengers
supplied with food. Where there we're
no diners the railroad companies have
sent provisions Reports of stock losses
are beginning to come in from the range,
but the losses will not be as heavy as
anticipated.
Many cities in Ohio among them
Springfield. Dayton. Urbana, Sidney,
Piqua and Troy. have been without nat
ural gas. 1t is estimated that 10000 per-
sons dependent upon this fuel for heat
have suffered severely. The gas in scores
of homes puffed out, owing to the low
pressure, and many families had narrow
escapes from asphyXiation, Valves had
been left open and the natural gas, when
it returned, escaped into the homes.
The cold wave which has swept over
southern California during the last four
or five days. bringing snow and frost,
is broken and orchariisis are giving their
attention to the work Of determining the
damage. 1t has been ascertained that
lemons suffered most In certain locali-
ties the entire lemon crop for the sum
mer was kill1d and in nearly all sections
of California there was more or less
damage. 1t Is conseryatiVely estimated
that the loss viii he between 10 and 20
upr cent of the put ire rrgD