The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-12
Ice Floe Extends to Light House First Time Since 1893 - Local Harbor
 Kept Open By Tugs
Steamer Park City Ice Bound at Port Jefferson Cannot Cross Sound for at Least a Week-Longest Cold Spell In Years.
Especial from United Press.)


 New Haven, Feb. 12-Forecast: gem erally cloudy with snow fIurries, to-
 night, and Tuesday. Colder. Moder-
 ate northwest to north winds.
 A slight disturbance central, this
 morning, over Ohio is producing
 cloudy and unsettled weather with
 light snow in the Ohio valley and the
 southern portion of the lake region.
 A long ridge of low pressure, extend-
 ing from New Mexico northward to Montana, is producing unsettled tween the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi river. The temperature
 continues low east of the Mississippi river with freezing temperatures as
 Conditions favor for this vicinity in creasing cloudiness with probably snow Tuesday when the disturbance now over Ohio moves eastward,
 With every port from Bridgeport to New London closed to navigation by condition such as has not been known in a score of years. Commencing Christmas week and continuing until today the therm om eter along the Con- necticut coast has kept up a protract- ed irritation with the zero mark and in consequence navigation along Long Island sound has been seriously re- tarded. That our own harbor has not been frozen solid has been due to the vigilance and good work of the of fcials of the Bridgeport Towing com pany.
 Capt. John Ferrett, superintendent of the company has kept his two boats going during the coldest days breaking ice in the channel and in consequence Bridgeport has afforded a harbor of refuge for sound going craft who have found weather condi- tionS too severe. This morning after trying for three days to make this port the Fall River tug, Cora Stap' e. ton put in here and the chances are that she will remain until there is a decided change in the thern1ometer.
 The harbor is frozen out to the light house the first time since the winter of 1893. The tugs of the Bridgeport Towing company have succeeded in breaking the ice and keeping the channel clear up Yellow Mill pond to the dock of the City Ice and Coal company but in Cedar Creek it is estimated that the channel is frozen at least five feet thick. The tow boats have gone through there day after day since the cold wave set in until the last week. The constant breaking and churning up of the ice has sent the cakes one on top of the shifted the broken ice cakes and set tied them back until caught under the wave of Jack .F'ros7ts icy wand last week, they crystaIized into a solid ] mass which will be exceedingly diff | cult to disturb.
 The entrance to the Housatonic riv- | CT at Stratford is frozen solid. Capt. l Theodore Judson, keeper of the | Stratford light house said this morn | ing that it had been several weeks | since he or his assistants had seen | any open water on the sound in their | of the light.
 Last Friday Capt. -Judson found two | ducks frozen stiff on the breakwater | near the light It is estimated that | at least one hundred black ducks have sought shelter along this break ! water and finding no food have been | this morning that while various sport | ing organizations in Connecticut have | been spending much money in pro- Dagating Hungarian cartridges with put receiving any returns, he thought 1t would be good policy for some of he sportsmen to do som ething for he wild ducks in a situation like the present.
 Capt. ,Judson says that thousands of wild ducks are starving because all he creeks and inlets along the sound frozen up and they are unable to ob- ain food. The broadbilI ducks seem lble to endure the present weather conditions but the black ducks are sests that the sportin~ associations scatter corn along the ice so that lays that along the banks of the 1ousatonic near the sound, wild ducks lave been found in poultry yards eat ng corn that has been scattered out or the chickens.
 The lowest temperature recoroed at he Stratford light house was below ero at 12 o'clock Saturday night. This rose to above on Sunday morn ng and since then the weather has moderated but the mercury still hov- ITS around the freezing point.
 In the last forty-eight hours the herm ometer has not fallen below ero in Main street. From 8 o'clock unday morning until 6 o'clock the elf registering thermometer at F. ,yman's optical store in Main street 1 hows an average temperature of , bove. Yesterday at noon the ther- nom eter registered 25 above. At clock last night the temperature had hanged to 12 above and it continued l t that point until 8 o'clock this lorning. Then it rose steadily until ! egistered 6 above at o'clock this ! lorning and at noon it had reached he point of 20 above as yesterday
 An idea of weather conditions along he sound may be obtained from a lessag ge which has come to this port rom Port Jefferson, L. l., saying that he steamer Park City is frozen in 'ort Jefferson harbor and will not be | b1 fn hR hi