The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-31
CREST Of COLD
WAVE HAS PASSED
Weather Bureau Made This
Cheering Announcement
Early Today
NEARER TO NORMAL
FOR NEXT FEW DAYS
Yesterdays s Temperature Readings Set
New Mark All Over New England -
Suffering Among Poor in Cities Was
Acute-Railroads Hampered.

BOSTON, Dee 3l-Whcn the temper
ature at Boston climbed to one degree be
low zero at 9.3o O'Clock today the weather
bureau sent forth the cheering news
that the crest Of the cold wave had passed
and that conditions more nearly approach
ing the mid-winter normal would prevail
during the next few days.
Reports from New England stations
this morning includcd Concord. y H.,
lG below; Hartford. Conn II below; Bar
linston, VI, 2i below
The coldcst weather since the govern
ment began keeping official temperature
readings y years ago srippod New Eng
land yesterday lr Boston the mercury
sank to It's lowest official mark. II degrees
below zcle. at S O'Clock in the morning.
For three hours it stuck at that point
and then began rising gradually until at
noon it vas three below By this time the
sun from a cloudlesS shy, forced back the
frost king and from o'clock in II" after
noon until ) o'clock the readings were
above zero. but al no time more than two
degrees By O'Clock IT was zero again,
and within the next three hours the
weather bureaus Thermometer recorded a
Z drop of frye degrees The lowest official
record previously was made January p
| 1889. with 4 reading of l3 degrees below
zero. Tho lowest previous December
/ reading was in 1883 with mark oi J.
/ below
Northheld vi, retained i,5 winter cham
pionshi1 title with 80 below, the lowest
official temperature reported at the
weather bureau from New England yes
tcrday At the other extreme of the dis
trict. Block Island had a temperature D
two below Portland, Me, broke its OK
treme low record with 81 below rs com
pared with these readings, Haliiax, \. ;.
whore the explosion OF the 9th wrecked
and damaged countless homes, had les
freid conditions, with minimum of two
degrees below zero.
Throughout New England the suifctiu.
among the poor was acute. In Boston po
lice and FIRE stations were thrown opel
10 those who had no coal. Many churche
made no attempt to keep open after tn
morning services. but others. which ha,
sufficient fuel. remained open TO affor,
shelter 70 the hundreds who were unatl
to keep warm at home Through som
misunderstanding between the state an
city fuel administrations coal yards whic
were 10 have been open hs usual 10 81.
lm-pound lots 10 those whose bins wer
empty were ordered closed Throng
shivering al the coal-lard gates wcr
taken care OF by churches IN the neighbo
hood which opened their doors to all.
Railroads trying to move great accuml
lations Of freight were badly handicappc
and trains were running far behind sche,
! uic1 Water transportation WAS cquall
affected Floating ice and dense vapo
made all ship movements difficult an
10000 tons Of coal badly needed by tran
portation and manufacturing lndustri,
were still held Up at various ports
: refuge along the coast No fishing School
!, | cIs Arrived and as receipts were light Ia
week il was said at The Boston fish pi,
that there was very little surplus &
hand.
Public officials throughout New Englar
have taken measures 10 care for some
the sufferers from the cold wave
u | New Bedford the schools were opened
the public, while Portland, Me, shelter
100 persons in city hall during the da