Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-19
This Morning the Coolest Of
the Season.
The WAVE WIDESPREAD
MOST SEVERE WEATHER SINCE
THE 1899 BLIZZARD.
It is Expected That the Mercury Will
Go Up Tonight and Tomorrow
Prof. Tyndalps Theory.

At O'Clock this morning the Their
mometer dropped into the bottom OF the
tube, and, according to the figures beside
the mercury, the frost registered two de-
grees above the nothing mark. This is not
only the coolest weather Washington has
felt this winter, but it is the lowest point
touched by the Fahrenheit since 1899, ac-
cording to the records of the weather
bureau. The coolest previous weather this
winter was on the 5th of the present month,
when the liquid metal dropped to three de-
grees above zero.
The cold wave covers the Atlantic coast
area, and there Is another following 1t
along the lakes which may reach Washing
ton In a few days, or may be detected and
pass to the north toward the st. Lawrence.
By this evening there will be decided
change in the temperature, some ten or
twelve degrees being added to the height
of the mercury in the tube, but there will
be no call for lawn gowns and linen suits
for some time yet. The moisture in the
atmosphere is not likely to be precipitated
in the form of snow, though furry or two
would not be surprise to the weather
forecaster at the bureau. The atmosphere
will, under the kindly influence of the sun,
ing the next day or two, and If the next
cold wave does not come south we may
look for considerable moderation by the
end of the week.
The Mercury Rises.
At noon the official thermometers at the
weather bureau registered Is degrees and
at o'clock had risen to 10, the latter be-
ing probably the highest point touched by
the mercury during the day. Thermome-
tiers on the street varied according to their
position on the north or south side. The
large one in front of Affleck's, upon which
pedestrians are in the habit Of depending,
registered degrees at 1880 this morning
17a al noon and 20 at 2 o'clock. But this
instrument is on the north side of Pennsyl-
vania avenue, in the sun, and since the
beginning of the cold weather the awning
has been raised, thus giving the sun a
full chance to work on the mercury. Other
thermometers about town registered gen.
orally about what the official ones at the
weather bureau did.
The absence of wind prevented the cold
from getting in its worst work of causing
suffering among those who were forced by
circumstances to brave the rigors of the
arctic day, otherwise the day would, no
doubt, have been an eventful one for tho
poor and scantily clad and sheltered. With
in day or SO the weather will moderate.
so that muff1ers may once more be stored
in inside pockets, but it will not be advis-
able for their owners to permanently put
them away. Another stratum of frozen air
may drop down from the region of British
Columbia and all the furs and wraps that
can be conveniently worn will not be found
uncomfortable.
Reports from thousands of miles in every
direction agree that the past week has
witnessed a cold wave of unusual width
and intensity Ships have been buffeted at
sea, game is winter killed. In the Adiron-
dack and Pennsylvania woods, tempera-
lures of IS and 40 below zero have been re-
corded in Maine and northern New York.
Tyndall Theory Regarding Cold and
Heat.
cold wave many years ago helped make
Russia. Prof. Tyndall says that the heat
shed by the sun upon the earth is always
a constant quantity. Hence, if one place
gets less than its share some other place
is getting more. Early In the last century
western Europe had a cold wave that
lasted over two years and hurt the crops
badly. During these years Russia had fine
sunny weather, and much grain was ex-
ported from Odessa. The start that port
thus got as a feeder of Europe it has never
lost
The same cold wave that hit western Eu-
rope so hard gave this country the famous
summers of 1916 and 1917. In 1916 the
wheat crop was almost a total failure
There was frost in almost every month in
southern Vermont, then the granary of
New York city. The following year was
cold, but not quite SO bad.
Every cold wave, upon the Tyndall
theory means more warmth sooner or later
somewhere; only the other fellow may get
1t. But observations of the thermometer
for years do seem to prove that the average
neat or any one year Is pretty much the
same as another. Cold at one time Is bal
anced by heat at another time.
Extent Of the Wava
The area of high pressure that was central
over Ontario Monday morning has moved
southeastward. increasing in intensity, and
this morning lay over the Atlantic coast dis
tricts with maximum pressure of 81 %
inches at Mortified, VT The southeastward
movement of the high has been accom-
panied by decided fall in temperature
over New England. eastern New York and
the middle Atlantic states The tempera-
ture reported tn morning from Northfield
was 81 degrees below zero, and from east
ern New York reading Of % degrees be-
low was recorded at B.nghamton. The west
ern depression has moved eastward to the
upper Mississippi valley diminishing great
ly> in intens ty. A second high has moved
rapidly from Alberta to the Dakotas in the
last twenty-four hours.
No precipitation of consequence has &C.
CURED, except on the north Pacific coast
and over the northern plateau.
1t is warmer in the Miss ssippi valley and
much colder in the northwest, the middle
Atlantic states and New England.
Warmer weather will prevail during the
next thirty-siX hours in the Ohio valley,
the lower lake region and the middle At
lantic states. 1t will also be warmer in the
south Atlantic states, except in Florida
Snow is probable in the lower lake region
and the Ohio valley and rain in the lower
Mississippi valley
The winds along the middle and south At
lantic coast will be mostly light to fresh
northeasterly, becoming southeasterly on
the south Atlantic coast on Wednesday; on
the east gulf coast the winds will be fresh
east to southeast
VARIABLE WINDS.