The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-03
CASHED In ZERO BETS
1t Was the Chilliest Morning
Jim 0'Leary Ever Saw.
WEATHER BOOK COST $4,000
Chicago Board of Trade Men Made
Tidy sum Covering JIm's PROPOSE
Touch ZerO-Diverse Effects of a
Temperature slump on the Talent.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
The man with the broad grin on his face
In jackson boulevard at La Sale street
yesterday morning was a board Of trade
operator. You wondered who he was.
You were cold, and you head was bowed
that you might not catch the full force of
the keen wind. Your teeth were chatter
ing and your hands were thrust deep into
your pockets You had forgotten your
manners, and when he just missed you
all you did was TO glare. But the man?
He stopped and begged your pardon, and
you looked at him. He didn't seem cold.
There was a smile upon his lips His
teeth were not chattering; they clinched
a large. black cigar.
His hands were thrust deep in his peck
cts, too but as you continued your way
the noise Of iingling coins came to your
ears. You heard him laugh as YOU start
cd on your way That was too much for
your curiosity. You stopped and turned.
Say why are you so happy on this cold
morning." You asked, and it seemed the
biting wind would chop off the words
The thermometer is below zero" he
/ answered.
Surprise After Leaving Car
You went your way, bordering. You got
on a Haisted street car and came upon a
! score Of men and women who were SILVER
/ ing just like yen. Il was impossible for
you to look out Of the windows for the
/ frost upon the panes. All you could DO
was to look at those who sat near you
OF course your journey had to come to an
end.
"Forty-hrst street. shouted the conduc-
/ tor.
| You arose and left the car You stop
/ ped when YOU reached the pavement. for
/ your attention was attracted by a man
who stood before a place that bore the
/ big sign. "OLeary's-"
! You never saw such a man in your life
I He looked like he might have been en-
/ gagged IN the clothing business but had
/ failed to pay rent. OF course, ne was
/ elected and. being compelled 20 leave in
( a hurry. placed all his stock on his back
/ You wondered whether he was seeking
/ location and attempting 10 save storage
and moving charges. II looked as if he
wore fourteen overcoats and you were
/ certain he was wearing al least six suits
/ Of underwear
( You advanced just as others had done
+ Then his thoughts seemed 10 wander. All
he talked about was horses. You heard
/ him say he hoped something awful would
f happen to him Il he ever made a book
I on the weather.
I He spoke Of FLIES and employed terms
/ you never had heard. You stood Il Just
as long as you could and then you
stepped up to him.
Zero Causes Trouble.
What's the mstter2" you queried.
"The thermometer went below zero" he
answered.
/ Then you wondered some more. Zero
( weather seemed 90 affect different people
/ in a different way. You couldn't under
stand until you saw a man greet the NOV
( ing clothing store anectionately and lead
him away.
Who is that?" you queried Of the first
man that passed.
"Oh. that's Jim OLeary."
/ What the trouble with him."
Hes been making a book on the
/ weather He bet the mercury would not
! reach zerc."
+ prophet Dir. OLeary doesn't think 50
/ now. His conversion was expensive, how
/ evcr-tO Jim O'LeaTy. il cost him some
thing Ike 5000. Upon the theory Of the
/ greatest good 10 the greatest number the
( coming OF zero weather was not bad
/ thing. Always excepting Mr. O'Leary.
/ For, while he was IN a sorrowful mood
and wondering why the elements had
joined the city officials 10 double cross
/ him. there was joy uncOnfined and IN
/ alleged on the board Of trade and in the
| yards"
And IL came about in this manner. Last
/ year 1IT. OLeaTy conceived the brilliant
/ scheme OF running G BOOK on the weather.
/ Il viii be remembered there was little else
running about Chicago that one could
make a book on. The operators on the
4 board Of trade discovered this and some
Of them visited Mr.. O'Leary's place. It
was the spirit Of antagonism that led
them TO bet Mr.. O'Leary he was wrong.
They received their information from a
reliable. weH-COnducJed government
weather department. and they didn't pro-
/ pose to have one man set himself I'D as
being superior 10 II. Naturally they
backed their pride with their money, and
when end Ct the winter came they re-
ceived what the sports would term a
trimming" That is, Mr.. O'Leary bet
that there would be no zero weather, and
as there was none he cashed.
That. of course. aroused the board OF
trade men. and when the winter opened
they sought Mr.. OLeary's place again
and covered his bets. The proposition was
still the same Mr. OLeary bet zero
would not be touched and the board Of
! trade operators bet il would
Mark Touched at Lest.
And 1t did It came at o'clock yester-
day morning For two hours the mercury
registered zero. That is. il did at the gov
eminent weather bureau. 1t didn't at Mr..
IOLeary's place He wouldn't let it. Ii
Travelled in a southerly direction, did the
governments mercury until it touched al
3 below at $50 in the morning.
Any one IN the neighborhood of Forty
first and Halsted streets at S O'Clock yes
fterday morning would have thought some
body was giving something for nothing
There were scores of men standing on the
pavement But they were not shivering.
They We're laughing and talking and so in
terested I'm what they would do with the
money they obtained they had no time to
think OF the cold.
Nothing doing yet" said Paddy
Smith. the majcr-domo.
WHY not2" demanded the men.
I'VE pay off on the ofncial returns. Wait
till the figures come from the weather
bureau.
They did, of course They waited until
l9 o'clock when word came that Prof
Bigelow's figures gave the minimum tenn
r,ara t11re as 2 degrees below zero mo-