Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-18
Augusta Has Taste Of
Arctic Weather, Thursday.
Temperature Ranges From s.
to 40 Degrees Below Zero.
Ears and nozes Hipped, and Water
Pipes Frozen.

1t is q cold day when the alcohol i'll
the tube of the thermometer on the
front Of p. w. Means drug store goes
down out Of sight. but that is what it
did yesterday morning. and one of the
straps which holds the tube to the
board bearing the scale had to be re-
moved before the whereabouts of the
fluid could be discovered. This fluid,
which is the color of circus lemonade,
registers tho depression of temperature
down to 81 degrees below zero. but
when the cold reaches a greater inten-
sity than 80 the fluid ceases to register
the degrees and IS about all in-the
bulb.
That was the condition of affairs
which existed at Z o'clock yesterday
morning and while the alcohol was not
entirely within the bulb. had the scale
been carried down to the point where
the fluid rested in the tube it would
have registered about 80 below zero. 1t
was cold morning, in fact the coolest
morning that Augusta citizens had
awakened to in years. The only morn
ing 10 be recalled in the memories OF
some of the older inha bitants which
would approach yesterday morning IN
temperature was that of New Years $.
1891. when old Granite hall was Quilted
by fire. On that occasion the mercury
is said to have crawled down to - or
"A below zero. but it would hardly COM
pare with that of yesterday.
REPORTS from the different parts OF
the city yesterday morning varied. as
might be expected. The coolest report
ed was 40 degrees below zero, winch
| was at the old Williams place on Maple
street on the east side OF the river
while the report from the shoe factory
on Gage street was 81 degrees. Reports
| from either sections of the city varied
| from a to so degrees. and as Maple
| street is known as one of the coolest
sections of the city the report mat tre
| temperature was 90 degrees in that VIC
| initv can easily be believed.
| That the morning was Il singer was
| evidenced in many ways. Noses were
| ninnc1 and cars were frozen some OF
them being as white as the ears OF a
Venus de Milo, and some of the milk
| men who came into the city early III
the morning had their cheeks touched
bv the frost. Another indication of the
cold was the increased activity on the
I
which was much more noticeable after
they had got a glimpse OF therhlohle-
Ter or some one had told them just how
cold it was. Sedate individuals OF 90 Oh
go summers sped along with the agility
| Of school boys, and seemed 10 nave
been specially charged with oxygen Ioi
| the occasion, and no one seemed u
have business which kept them q SEei,'
while at a time in the outer ar. ~
these little indications pointed 10 one
fact-that it was cold.
II takes long while for the mercury
TO get back to zero after II has journey
ed IS or 40 degrees below. and the cole
prevailed during the day. 1t rose YER!
slowly until o'clock in the Afternoon
and then dropped " degrees between
that hour and O'Clock. after which
commenced to rise once more, continu
ing into the night.
According to the thermometer a
Means store the temperature during
the dav was as follows: About 81 de
grees below at : a. NJ. 80 degrees a
, 20 % degrees at 10. u degrees at 1O.3t
10 degrees at II. I degrees at noon,
degrees at P. NJ, degrees at 4, 81
degrees at 6, 81. degrees at I, degree
AT 9.
Taken all in all. yesterday mornin
will probably go on record as the coid
est in the history of the city. Their
, NAV have been mornings that wer
; colder. but 10 one seems to remembe
the occasion, and until some one pro
ducns the record that of yesterday wi
have to stand. There are places in tn
State where the temperature runs low
err but when it gets down to 40 degree
below zero in Augusta it is certainl
going some. and no one seems to hav
, any desire to have it go any lower.