The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-02-12
HOW THE ICE KING NOW
RULES OVER ATL ANITA FOLK

local weather observer has received
no reports from the northeast or
southwest, so that the causes and ex-
tent of the weather conditions are
unknown.
Conditions Like 1905.
I'VE have no way of telling where
the storm center is" said Mr.. Mar
bury, land so We cannot yet tell
whether the worst is over. This much
is certain, however, that the condi-
tons now are identical with those
which developed the big freeze of
February, 1905. We have q high ba-
rometer in the southwest with cold
portheasterly winds. This Is the state
OF affairs that brings our most dread
ed weather And 1t is a notable fact,
too, that the present sleet began on
the very day, almost the very hour,
on which the sleet came three years
ago"
The ice which now letters the city
was as unexpected as it has proved
severe. Sunday morning broke with
slaty skies but with moderate temper
allure, and the weather bureau had
received no warning of what was to
come Toward 5 O'clock Sunday af-
terEOon, however, the air grew crisp
err and somewhat moist Housecats
began whining at the doors to be let
in to rne fire and the few birds that
are wintering here squinted their
eyes suspiciUoSfy skyward and mud
died together. under the gable caves.
A little later, the sIeet began rafting
through the trees and by o'clock
/ the evening the whole town lay
still and white in it's mantle of ice.
Wires, Snapped.
by this time telephone and tele-
graph wires were swapping. At 1920
o clock nearly all the trolley cars had
been forced back to the barns and
at H:3u every spark of electricity,
with the exception of the Alabama
street station, had been called in. A
few electric lights sputtered on in the
downtown districts. but everywhere
else they were dark. Then the wind
whipped out of the northeast and
began galVanizing the s1eet and rain
that chung in big clusters to trees and
wires and house tops All night long
the icy particles gathered tighter and
thicker. At daylight their work was
accomplished. They had noiselessIy
conquered the town.
All Monday Atlanta remained a.
prisoner. The few children who went
to school were dismissed early in the
morning. No trolley cars were run
and no electric currents beyond the
ire limits were turned on. The en-
tire force OF the street car company
and the telephone and telegraph com
pany and the telephone and telegraph
companies have been set to repairing
the nights wreckage and in clearing
the streets Of the fallen trees. Even
the faithful grocery wagon made one
or two trips and then went home and
when sunset came Atlanta looked
more like Herculaneum than herself.
Trees Badly Damaged.
Trees and shrubbery are badly dam
aged by the sleet all over the civ
In the resident section many hand
some trees have been badly broken.
while in some of the suburbs the
streets are strewn with limbs snap-
ped OF by the heavy burden of ice.
Opposite the Aragon hotel on East
Ellis street, two big trees were nm
roted and are lying in the middle Of
the street. The ice was SO heavv
that the roots of the trees were torn
out OF the ground making two deem
holes in the sidewalks.
On West Peachtree street. inst
below Baker street, several large trees
have been broken. Some of the side
walks are practically impossible as