Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-26
BLANKET Of
WHITE OVER
ALL DIXIE
Mercury Forced Down to % as
Wind Whips Flakes Into
Faces of AtlantanS.

Atanta's first measurable snow
since Thanksgiving Day, 1912, began
falling at s o'clock Wednesday morn
ing and at 3 o'clock over an inch had
descended. with the thermometer well
below freezing, heavily clouded sky,
and prospects of the snowfall contin-
uing well along into the night.
The thermometer at the weather
bureau recorded a peculiarly abrupt
drop in temperature. At I o'clock the
mercury stood at 80 degrees. At 10
O'Clock, with the snowfall at its thick
est, the thermometer registered 29.9
degrees. Then it began very slowly
TO climb, and the weather director said
1t should be about at the freezing
point Thursday morning, with much
warmer weather in prospect fol
Thursday afternoon.
Forms Treaeherous Footing.
The first part of the snow having
fallen on pavements containing a
tight degree of warmth, It melted AMI
formed a treacherous base for the rest
of the snow, The sidewalks and pave
ments being slippery in the extreme.
Motor cars skidded dangerously, even
with chains-horses fell--there were
four down at once in the Marietta
street block leading out of Five Points
and pedestrians trudged cautiously
along, by no means immune from the
common danger.
AS soon as it was seen that the
snow meant business the street ca
company sent out sand cars over all
lines, roughening up the slippery rails
and preventing delay. except that
caused by fallen horses and mules on
the tracks downtown.
The Fill moisture in the atmos-
phere held the smoke well down near
the earth, and the city was blanketed
in a white pail of misty vapor,
through which a stiff gale vhirled the
snow in almost horizontal gusts.
During the night the velocity Of the
wind reached 80 mi'es an hour, and
a good part of that speed was re-
tanned throughout the morning. The
cold, however, seemed to have its edge
taken off by the snow, and was not
felt as much as temperatures aeveral
degrees higher the day before.
Other Shows This Winter.
Only three times previously has
snow fallen this winter, and then it
was only recorded as a trace" in the
weather mans books. The dates were
January 9, and February 13 and H..
Mr.. Won Hermann said that the
snowfall wednesday might possibly
exceed tive inches by night,
Following are the records in snow
falls for "a hours in Atlanta:
january IS, 1883, inches; De-
cember 2, 1886, 6.2 inches: February
10, 1895, Ga inches; February II.
1899, 90 inches, and January 28, 1904
rs inches. Twice in the history II
,the Atlanta weather bureau has snow
remained on the ground as long a.
ten days, and twice the five-day mark
has been reached.
Poor Appeal for Help.
The blanket of snow brought dozens
of women to the office of City Warden
Thomas Evans, in the City Hall,
Wednesday with appeals for help.
They told many pathetic stories
Of being out Of food and fuel and
Warden Evans had to call in assist
ants to help him, for he said this
would be his busiest day Of the year.
Snow always brings them" said
Warden Evans. There may be cold =
er days with fewer appeals. but the
fact that these people are urged by
a certain amount of sentimentality
10 call for aid when the ground is
white does not alter the facl that they
are in need We are doing the best
we can for them
Captain Bob" Clayton, Chief of
Continued IN Page 2. Column 5.