The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-30
COLDEST DAY OF
 YEAR YESTERDAY Mercury Fell Rapidly All Dur
 ing the Night HERE FOR SEVERAL DAYS With Slight Let-up Friday Old Boreas Will Return Saturday
 and Remain For Some
 Time.
HERE FOR SEVERAL DAYS

Last night was the coldest yet At 10 o'clock the thermometers about the city recorded a temperature Of + de- grees above zero and the mercury was still galloping down the little glass tubes in the most helter-skelter sort of way. bound for a point somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 degrees, according to the official prognosticator of the weather bureau.
 Yesterday was the kind of day that made people hug their fires and yearn for the return of summer, dear old sum mer. and the weather last night was of the kind that fairly tried the souls or those exposed to it's violence. The at mosphere was clear and the sky was bright So far, so good, but the air was like lee and as sharp as a knife and this frigidity of currents ably dis counted the desirable features of the weather.
 Local Weather Observer ". F. Leh- man denies emphatically any respons.- bility whatever for conditions and at the same time he throws out an able defense for Willis L. Moore, chief of the United States bureau at Washing ton, who was abused so thanklessly when he missed the calculations concerning tho weather on that eventful day of Presi- dent Tafts inauguration in Washing ton. It's serious business, from all MT. Lehman can observe from his official sanctum on the pinnacle of Fountain Heights, and the weather man can't hg- ure out joke about the matter to save his life.
 MT. Lehman stated last night that it was cold. bitter cold, and he didn't even grin when he said that 1t was going to be colder, and much colder. too. At T o'clock old Boreas had choked the ther- mometer down to 20 degrees and still held on with a disagreeably firm grip. The cold wave was bouncing over into Jones valley from the peaks of neigh boring hills with all the friskiness If a young colt, wherewith it settled over this section apparently as if it were planting itself here for sojourn of sev- eral days. so evidently all there is to do this morning is to be pleasant about 1t and say: Greetings, Boreas:" But it is improbable that there will be brass bands out to greet the aforesaid General Boreas.
 Long before darkness began to hover over the city last night little pools of water observed about the city had be- gun to assume a solid condition and it was evident that before morning the ponds would be frozen. Comparatively few people ventured out last night for the sake of the sport there was in it and the streets presented an unusually barren appearance. The cold wave had made itself felt long before midnight and the downtown section was virtually depopulated
 The weather man knows how 1t all happened and he is willing to explain how. why and wherefore the icy currents originated if anybody thinks he can un- derstand it. but let 1t be repeated that he disclaims any responsibility. It seems that high eastern wind became involved considerably with northwestern ice breezes and the frozen gales from off the great lakes, causing high atmospheric pressure all over the country. in conse- quence of which the cold wave was brewed. and there you are.
 MT. Lehman offers only partial relief If the instruments at the weather bureau tell no false tales this fancy weather Is here to stay for a few days. The wealth mans best judgment is that the tenn perature will rise slightly today, al. though it may not top yesterdays maxi mum temperature of 27 degrees. MT. Leh- man states that it will probably be a lit- tie warmer here during Friday It is presumed that Old Boreas is going away to attend to business elsewhere for day, but he will leave his first assistant ice- maker here and return to relieve him on Saturday. After Friday, MT. Leman states, the mercury will crawl downward again, and there will be more cold weather.
 The cold wave seems to have spread it. eelf promiscuously over the entire country. It was predicted last night that the freezing temperature would extend to the coast, hence all of Alabama will experience exceedingly chilly breezes to- day. Clear weather is predicted in this and adjoining states for today.
 Relative to weather conditions in other sections of the country the following bull letin was put out by the local weather bu- reau yesterday:
 'The eastern depression has moved sea- ward. and it's rear covers the Atlantic states, upper Ohio valley, and lower lake region this morning, with snow falling fin the northern sections Temperatures are moderately low on the coasts but de- crease rapidly toward the north-central portion of the country and the middle Rocky mountain section, the centers of the two western high pressure areas. A minimum temperature of 20 be- low zero prevails in eastern South Dakota slight depression sep arates the highs and extends from west ern Texas to Montana, with lowest baro- meter and increasing temperature and cloudiness over the latter state.
 with the pasAng of the central high pressure area over this section continued fair and cold weather Is expected in this vicinity for the next 36 hours"