The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
Frozen Pipes and Piercing Winds Added to Yester-
 days DiScomfortS
MERCURY CONTINUED
 TO FALL LAST NIGHT
Weather Man Believes It May Get Down to Within 10 Degrees of Zero During the Day.
 Worst to Cmoe.

January behaved like a lamb until along about the very shank of the month, when 1t took violent turn, in consequence of which the entire country is shivering and Birmingham and the surrounding dis trict are doing their full share of the shaking. The balmy spring weather of few days ago has been routed before violent. chilled blasts and information from the official at the United States weather bureau here is to the effect that the worst is yet to come.
 Yesterday morning the cold wave which was predicted settled down over the dis trict in earnest. The piercing, biting wind out of the northwest twisted itself into knots and hurled itself up the streets and around the corners until it assumed the proportions of a small gale, and all the willie pipes were freezing up, signs and awnings were blowing away. the icy blasts assumed the upper hold and Bir mingham Is now somewhat at the mercy of the worst spell of cold weather it has experienced in number of years
 Yesterday morning between and 6 o'clock the official thermometer at the weather bureau registered 21 degrees above zero. During the morning hours the weather moderated just tiny bit, and at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon the cold gave way a little, and the mercury did it's best and climbed to 27 degrees. After this hour however the cold wave took a running start again and gradually pushed the thermometer back and it looks now as if the bottom might drop out
 At g o'clock last night communications with the weather bureau were to the eff feet that the thermometer was standing at 1s degrees above zero. but Boreas was gaining ground, and in the absence of Old Sol was taking a hold which he may be able to retain for several days.
 severely cold wave is riding out of the northwest and the prediction is that the thermometer will drop to 12 or possi- bly, 10 degrees above zero today If such proves the case Birmingham will experi- ence the coldest wave 1t has undergone since December 20. 1901, when the ther- mometer registered degrees above zero. The coldest weather on record at the local weather bureau was on February F, 1899, when the mercury dropped to 10 degrees below zero and when East Lake froze over. On December 20, 1901, the thermometer was degrees above zero; on December 15, 1901 1t was degrees above, and on January 2S. 1897. it was 10 degrees above One day last February the temperature was 17 degrees above zero, the coldest weather since 1901 So today will, it is predicted, prove the cold est day experienced here during the past eight years.
 The present weather is exceptional for this section. It is very seldom that zero weather Is approached by 10 degrees here Yesterday was made a novel day by the wind and biting cold. For the first time in several years general preparations were made for the coming of ice. Fruit on the street stands was covered up taken in and the cold wave came over Birming- ham without any monstrous welcome
 Old Boreas took the bit in his teeth and it was a rip shorter.
 The first spectacular stunt of the winds for decade struck Birmingham's fancy for the novel in a tender spot, and a few people rejoiced in the unusual as they do in Honolulu when the day is pleasant, or in Montgomery when it's busy.
 The day was cold throughout In the dawning it was cold and the early riser found his hydrant running nothing, and his blood cool and unsympathetic. At noon when the sun made valiant efforts to overcome the disasters of the weather, the wind took new reef in it's sails, and scurried all the faster. The breezes around the s<yscrapers resounded with a whistle the like of which the '.latiron' never heard Towards the shank of the evening with the sun still shining with all its feeble intensity. the winds main- tained their speed. racing across the face of the heavens as scurrying clouds at sea.
 The night came on with Boreas still on deck The weather man says the thermometer will fall to 15 or even 10 before the coatless shirt can supplant the muffler. and holds out the warning to turn the water off and keep the fires a-burning
 So unusual is a genuine cold day in Birmingham, that the people enjoyed the change somewhat. The streets were filled from morn to night, and tossing hats, flying skirts, unkempt locks, and shrill peals of laughter furnished never-ceas- ing panorama. It was a hard day for the fairer sex, but the fairer sex made up it's average of 50 per cent on the thoroughfares. It was almost an inn possibility for a lady to cross from Par ker's drug store to the corner of the Brown-Marx building, but the element of daring and risk was too strong for re- sistance. Many were the women who made the thrilling passage, and the efforts of the swimmer of the Hellespont ad- duced no more warm words of praise than these.
 But one serious cry of distress dis turbed the day. At S:Os o'clock. Col Jim Boggan burst upon the lonesomeness of Mayor Ward with the startling informa- ton that the radiator in the rear of the city hall was out of whack
 Each moment" he shouted, ''she cold CT grows"
 Then Chief Bennett made the passage from the buildings rear to the buildings front, and his complaint was not con- corning a low water pressure. nor prevalence of fire bugs and incendiares.
 ''It is growing colder, believe was his comment, as he rubbed himself against the Mayors radiator.