The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-15
Mercury Drops to Six
Tenths of One Degree
Below Zero.
COOLEST SINCE
FEBRUARY, 1899
No Immediate Relief Promised
by Bureau, Storm Still Holding
Whole Country in Its Grasp.
Snow Comes With Dark
ness-More Promised.
Suffering Intense.

When the official thermometer a. thu
weather Bureau on Chimborazo Hill
went down to six-tenths OF degree
below zero at $50 o'clock yesterday
morning and halted there, it registered
the coolest weather experienced In
Richmond in thirteen years. The most
| severe weather ever known in the his
tory of the bureau was OH Februarv 10, 8
1923, the mercury on that date drop-
ping to degrees below That
storm lives In history. The present
storm is making It, while the whole
city IS suffering and shivering and hop
ing that the end Is near.
director Evans was of the opInlon
last night that the backbone OF tho
storm is broken. although washington
az II o'clock last night sent this pre-.
diction for to-day:
Tearing Monday, probably preceded
ny snow In cnrly morning; colder nj
night; Tuesday, fnir nn,l calder. mod,
crate. variable winds, becoming bri,ye
northwest.
First Snow still Here.
me hrst edge OF the present cold
wave struck Richmond on January ;,
since which time there has been llttle
change for tho better The first snow
IS stu on the ground-only il has
turned To Ice At o'clock last right
Hneh snow began falling again. a
s.sh OF relief went NJ, for the snow
p.oren that the weather had turned
warmer. The fall continued for about
an hour. fully an inch being measured
from all parts of the city there cana
the same story OF trouble and suffer-
ms Water pipes and gas pipes ara
| frozen. hundreds of, homes ore rom Il
piete!y cut or the tele phone servIcs
IN many sections is crippled and there
10 mighty vail OF distress avcrv-
where Plumbers agreed that IL Womb (
| take fully two weeks to restore con-
altions TO normal, with the most press.
ing demands from all quarters which
must take their turn. The James Rivnr
Is almost ice-bound, only the night
steamers of the Old Dominion linz
oeinS able to plow their way through
while the city tug has been bnttlinr
TOT days to keep the channel clear.
Inc fre scare has male paople nm
usually cautious but the entire d..
partnent was on duty yesterday ready
TOT any emergency. The call from Gin
ter Park at o'clock last night brought
immediate help, and while nearby nron
erty was saved. the residence OF Charles
flames. VIC
Problem to Help POOR.
me Associated Charities as usual
worked hard to relieve distress, but
mat organization has depleted its
q
from the citizens If II must continue
to save those who cannot save them
selves lust one man has frozen IN
death in this town In seventeen years
and the Associated Charities is doing
us best 10 protect others from a SINH
| lar tate while this terrible weather
continues. $50
In most OF the churches yesterday
services were held IA usual. but many
OF the night meetings were called on.
and in some instances Sunday school
plans were abandoned. The streets
department has hailed handful OF
people to court for falling to clean
the sidewalks In front OF their homes.
practically no attention has been paid
TO the law. and It Is only in a rars
spot that person can walk in per-
feet safety
To add to the troubles, already piled
nigh. 1t was impossible In many homes
yesterday to prepare breakfast Cooks
FAILED to appear and frozen water
pipes made kitchen outh, useless.
There were a number OF explosions,
but tho damage was trifiing and no
fatalities We're reported.
Watch Gas and Water.
Superintendent Davis. of the Water
Department. and Supt Knowles. of the
Gas Department. kept close eve on
the situation, their reports last night
Surviving tiiat ConiiloAS were slightly
better than on Saturday. Mr.. Knowles
said he had more pressure but so
| much gas was being consumed that
| 1t vas difficult for him 10 supply tha
demand. South Richmond had its usual
water supply. and was relieved OF tina
| fear which grippcd it on Saturday.
Director Evans was cut off from all
| communication with the city by tole-
! phone. although hundreds of people
| tried to get his ofHce to find the low
est mark reached by the mercury.
| There will he no balmy spring wealth
! err to-day, but II can hardly be OK
| pccted 10 Guido the damage already
| recorded.
what Records Show.
The most severc period of cold
| weather ever recorded by the Weather
/ Bureau at Richmond set in on Feb
| ruary .. 1899, and continued for twelve
| days. ending with change 10 normal
| on February II. Tho lowest tempera.
| ture observed during that period wan
| degrees below zero. on February 10,
! ana the average for all hours In tks
| entire ten days was Is degrees.
| Up TO o'clock last night the present
cold spell has not been so severe either
| IN point of the absolute degree OF cold
| recorded. nor the average OF the en-
tire period. tho lowest reading being
/ siX-tenths OF ii degree below zero. al
s:20 \. NJ. yesterday. and the average
| OF the period a3 degrees. This average,
however. Is computed from tho record.
! OF thirteen days III successive cold. aa
| compared with twelve successive days
: Of the 1889 record. SO tnat In aoint OF