The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-16
COOLEST OF WINTER
Only Four Colder February Days Re
corded in the Last Twelve
Years.
Twas "a Below Here, but North
Dakota Points Were Still
Colder. Us +,

The mercury made frantic effort to
break some records last night, and while
the government thermometer at the fed
eral building fell several degrees short
of recording the coolest weather for Min.
neapolis, 1T did show, minus "a degrees
Fahrenheit, the lowest temperature OF the
winter, and with four exceptions, the low
est recorded for February in the last
twelve. years. This, is also the lowest
temperature known here in the second
decade of February.
The intense cold Of the last two days
has not been confined to the twin Cities
nor to Minneapolis. Low temperatures
are the rule in the whole region between
the Rocky mountains and the Mississippi
valley and the lake region. Zero weather
has been experienced within the last
twenty -four hours as far south as New
Mexico and Oklahoma. In Minnesota and
eastern South Dakota generally, 20 below
has been recorded, while North Dakota
has Jared even worse, the mercury at the
government stations in that's state ranging
from 80 to 40 below The coolest weather
| in this section is reported by Williston and
! Battleford, N. D., which scored AZ be-
I. low about Z this morning. Dodge City,
Kan, cheerfully owns to 16 on the wrong
! side Of the zero mark
The drop in temperature started Feb. TO-
! and last nights fall probably will prove
| the final effort of Jack Frost. Slightly
|
row. After Saturday night the mercury
rose little yesterday, and didil't get with
in less than 5 degrees Of the zero marx
| From p. m. Sunday until 8Iosclock thi:
morning the fall was steady, ranging from
=! 1 to 2 degrees every hour. The tempera
ture for the last tWenty-four hours fol
lows: t..r.-,...
{ Noon, Sunday, -12; 2 p. M, 10; pm.
%; p. M, g; g. p. M, .; 10 p. m.
I'll; midnight, 10; a. M, III; a. m.
is; a. m, 20; a. M, PA; 10 a
M, %; noon, Monday, IA.
The minimum for December, 1902, wa
20 and the minimum for last Jan
uary, -13.5. This mornings record
PA is, consequently, the lowest of tn
winter. 3 80 - &
Since 1890 the mercury has only gon
under 20 below once, in the second tel
days of this month. That was on Feb
IL, 1899, when 81 below was recorded
This is the only time such intense coll
has been experienced SO late in tn
month. In 1898, q below was RECORDED
during the first ten days of February
in 1895, 26 below, and in 1899, 80 below
These are the only instances of colde
weather than to-day's in the history Q
the local weather bureau
Fuel Shortage Is Acute.
Really the first unfortunate combina
ton of circumstances affecting the fue
business came this morning when a short
age Of fuel and a cold wave made stimuli
> taneous dates for Minneapolis.
One company has about 400 tons c
coal on track, but the cars have nc
reached the yards and the cold weathe
delays switching. Last week some 1,5C
families received coal in small. quantities
u large enough to carry them through tn
present wave, whose crest will hay
5 passed by morning
s Persons who, only as long ago as Las
: Friday, were rather captious in the
g demands for certain kinds of fuel an
= who could not think of burning any
Il thing but anthracite, are down on the
i marrow bones to-day and accept any
u thing that will burn, from wood to 1
y linois soft coal. The trade is active tt
J., day in all kinds of fuel. The deman
u cannot be supplied at once, however, {
. the cold weather knocked out a good mar
u delivery teams.
- Suffering Among the Poor.
e The effect of the sudden cold spell upc
" the poor people of Minnea polls became al
parent this morning when dozens of u
gent requests for fuel began to come in
the poor department. The distress si
nails were answered as rapidly as poss
be loads of wood being at once di
patched.
y 1--WE will be able to prevent any acu
suffering by giving the situation prom
attention." said Superintendent w:
e Johnson, 'but the cold snap forces ma
5. poor people to ask additional assistan
,r who would otherwise have been able
d get along Independently of this depal
l. ment in respect to fuel for the remand
'e Of the winter"