Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-04
FsIGID WEATHER
Weather 6uTsau Chief SEES No Rehei
Prom Lasgsss lgigid Spell
On Record.

I ucathtG ANAsa@ -4arA .eeS no keiiGi
Prom Longest lgigid Spell
On Recort.
At 7.30 this morning an Official
thermometer On the front porch OF the
residence OF Mr. Paul holly, Market
street, registered zero. Last night it
registered three degrees below.
This is one degree lower than the
mercury has fallen around Annapo-
lis for many years The outlook is
not promising.
The frigid weather has come to
/ stay, according to the Weather Bu-
reau's Chief at the headquarters in
Baltimore.
The mercury in the official ther-
mcmeter was again unable yesterday
to climb above the 17-degree mark
the highest for six days but il man
aged to drop one degree lower than
Wednesdays minimum
All of which means says the
Weather Man, that the end OF the
frigid spell is nol yet in sight 1t is
the longest cold spell in the history
OF Maryland. or at least since the
Weather Bureau was established
There have been days, and two-day
periods when the Thermometer reg
istered colder weather than ii has
registered during the last week, but
the records Of the Weather Man show
no spell OF frigidity lasting longer
than five days.
The artic-hke atmosphere still
hangs over the entire East, and last
night showed 10 signs OF lifting. In
fact, Il seemed TO settle down more
comfortably yesterday than for sew
eral days. At s O'Clock yesterday
morning, the mercury was down to
degrees. and the climb from that oint
to the maximum of the day, in mid
afternoon, was slow With the climb
came sharper winds, so pedestrians
felt little warmer with the maximum
temperature prevailing than they did
at o'clock in the morning.
Plumbers have about ten times as
much work as they can possibly at
tend to, and, with the continuance OF
the cold spell and the bursting of
hundreds more water pipes each day,
they are preparing for night and day
activity for some time to come. The
Consolidated Gas Company reported
that in the "a hours ended at noon
yesterday, 1900 gas meters and pipes
which had been frozen, had been at
tended~to by the company's force in
baltimore. City On the last day OF
the old year the highest mark was
reached, when calls came from 200
homes that the gas ipes were frozen.
While this cold spell lasts, too, the
ice jam in the harbor and the bay will
OF course continue, and all the
shipping viii suffer as a consequence.
At the present rate Of relief, it viii be
more than week before the ther-
mometer at any time during the day
registers above the freezing point
50 degrees. And the Weather Man
predicts that when the cold spell de-
cides 10 depart. 1t viii be moved by 3
gradual rising of the temperature,
and not by any sudden warm wave.
There is no warm wave in sight any
where in the country to move on the
East and drive the cold wave out into
the Atlantic
The whole eastern section of the
country is gripped in this severe
cold spell and while low tempera-
lures have prevailed here in previous
years, never before has there been
such prolonged frigid spell Not
only has 1t caused much suffering
throughout the city, practically every
householder in the city awoke this
morning to find the water pipes frozen
tight
In many instances pipes burst and
flooded kitchens and bathrooms, and
the plumbers were kept constantly on
the go endeayoring to relieve the re-
sulting conditions as far as possible
Many families whose homes are virtu-
ally like fcehouses in such weather as
this, suffered all kinds OF inconyen-
fences throughout the day And
where water pipes were frozen and
housewives were fearful Of using their
regular kitchen ranges lest further
trouble might develop More incon-
venience was suffered in the use Of
gas in cooking ranges, because Of the
horrible odors from the supply OF gas,
situation that has prevailed here for
many weeks. and does not seem to
better
The sight in the Chesapeake Bay is
an unprecedented one because Of the
great fields of ice In many places
there is a solid coating for miles,
and the ice boats are having all kinds
of trouble in keeping even narrow
channel open. Even then navigation
is dangerous and shipping is almost
completely tied up
REPORT OF THE