The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-02-15
ONLY TWO PLEASANT INAUGURATION
. DAYS IN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS
March a Usually Marked by
Storms, Freezing Tempera-
lures and High Winds.

point the thermometer reached was 20
degrees, and the lowest was only 4
degrees above zero.
President Hayes was inaugurated on
March S, 1877, the 18th being on Sun
day. He had unusually good weather,
considering the general average. The
skies were cloudy in the morning, but
cleared off in the afternoon. Light
southwest winds prevailed, and the
temperature ranged from 80 to 3S.
President Garfield came into office
in 1881 on a rainy day. The down
pour started on March 3 and contin-
ued to within an hour of noon on the
18th. Brisk northwest winds brought
a drop in the temperature in the after
noon, the mercury falling from SO to
20.
Grover Cleveland's first term began
in 1886 under balmy skies. There
were general south winds, and the
day was warm and pleasant. The
minimum temperature was So, while
the mercury at times rose as high as
So.
President Harrison was inaugurated
In 1889 in the rain. 1t was a raw.
dlsagreeable day, with the wind blow
ing from the north. There was a let
up in the rain shortly after 6 o'clock
in the morning, but it settled down
again at 8 o'clock and continued for
the remainder of the day. The tenn
perature ranged from 81 to AZ.
One Of the Worst Days.
President Cleveland's second inau-
guration was signalized by one of the
worst days on record in Washington.
March 4, 1898, opened with light snow,
which soon changed to a heavy fall
The wind blew from the northwest,
steadily increasing during the after
noon until it reached a velocity of
thirty-six miles per hour. The snow
stopped just before 1 o'clock in the
afternoon, but the temperature began
to go down and from a maximum of
80 dropped to "a. This freezing
weather, combined with the high
winds, caused intense suffering among
thousands of VISITORS
President Mckinley began his first
term in 1897. March 4 of that year
was a clear day with fresh northerly
winds, which shifted to the southwark
in the evening. The temperature rang
ed from 81 to II. On his second inau-
guration day, in 1901. Washington was
a sloppy town, although it was not par
ticularly cold. There had been a light
rain during the previous night, but it
ceased long enough to enable the cere-
monies to be held on the capitol steps.
During the inaugural parade, however.
1t rained almost continuously, not a
doWnpour. but drizzle. The Their
mometer registered temperatures which
varied from 36 to 81.
President Roosevelt was inaugurated
in 1905 on windy day, stiff blasts
coming out of the northwest. There
was an hour of light rain between 7
and o'clock in the morning. The tenn
perature varied from 20 to 49,
The Taft Inauguration.
The Taft Inauguration in 1909 is of
recent and bitter memory to thousands
of people. They had been informed
the day before by the weather bureau
that warm clear day could be ex-
pected, but seemingly out Of nowhere
came a ten inch snowfall. 1t began on
the night of the Sd and did not cease
until the afternoon of the 18th. In add
ton to the discomfort of a heavy blan-
ket of snow there were high winds and
low temperatures, the thermometer va
rying from 20 to IS.
The storm did so much damage to TEL
egraph wires that it was many hours
before the country knew what had real
~ happened in Washington Thou
sands of elaborate descriptions of the
inauguration ceremony were printed all
over the United States on the presump-
ton that the program arranged had
been carried out. 1t was not known
until the next day that the Inaugural
ton arrangements had been knocked
into cooked hat
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