The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-18
From the Milwaukee wisconsin.

From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.
IN o person lives beyond the age of
~ seventy without having vivid
recollections of cold winters. One
of the fiercest in our memory was the
winter of '63 and "a. The winter had been
very mild up to and beyond Christmas.
The writer was on the train from Chicago
to st. Louis In the morning the weather
was almost that of summer, but in
few hours after leaving Chicago a change
occurred. A raging snowstorm COM
menced. which developed into blizzard
and by the time we reached Alton the
train was stalled in the snow,
and we had to stop in Alton over
night During the night the mercury
sank to twenty-four below zero. The no.
tel was crowded, and another man occu-
pied the same bed. Neither of us took off
any of our clohting, even keeping on our
boots. We kept on our fur mittens all
night in bed, and though there was
coal fire burning in our room it was UNI
comfortably cold. That was the coolest
night we ever experienced in this lati-
tude. At the close of the next day we
arrived at st. Louis. We crossed the
river on the ice. The mercury marked
twenty below at st. Louis.
We were on our way to New Orleans,
and we tarried at ST. Louis four or five
days. The weather soon moderated, and
we had to walk across the Mississippi
river at extreme, peril, as no guide would
consent to run the hazard. After we
reached the cars we were off for Cairo.
Ills. When we got down to Cairo we
found it to be the biggest mudhole in this
country. In day or more we got off
for New Orleans on a steamboat, and
there could not have been a happier man
aliYe than the writer when he put his
feet on the deck of the steamboat There
was no suffering as the cabins were warm
The only thing the passengers feared was
shot and shell from the rebel bands along
the river. Fortunately our steamer passed
all the dangerous points without being
fired into. and we arrived at New Or
leans in more comfort than seemed pos
sible when we left Cairo. vicksburg had
surrendered the previous Fourth of July,
and the great river was open to the gulf.
We tarried there for the most of the
winter. Bituminous coal was s24 ton at
New Orleans. The weather was so cold
that some fire every day was needed.
Fortunately the writer had a relative who
was an officer in the army, and used to
walk to his office every morning to warm
himself with government coal
After remaining in New Orleans until
March we concluded TO visit Cuba. which
was our original destination. We were
two weeks on the island. visiting Havana,
Matanzas,- and Cardenas. OF course it
was very hot there under a tropical sun,
and in two weeks we were pleased 20
leave Havana for New York. We arrived
there in the midst of a snowstorm, and
we can add with truth that the climate
of New York was more agreeabel to us
than the burning climate of Cuba. Ever
since that time we have concluded that
our northern climate for a years resi-
dence is more healthful and more agreea-
Bile than a years residence in the West
Indies.
AT that time Havana was very much
overrun with visitors from the northern
states, and good accommodations were
scarce and expensive. In order to in
crease their business the hotels adver-