Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-29
This Winter Hardest
in Last SO Years
Continued from Pase One


has it been. in fact. that many Of the
special" records have been shattered.
Similar periods of cold have not been
experienced for ninety.eight years.
The daily average temperature for
December and January so far has been
2G2 degrees This was only exceeded
once. in the winter of lSt9-20. when the
mercury averaged an even twenty-three
degrees for each day of the two months.
The weatherman paused a moment in
his calculations as there came a knock
at the door of his office. IT was n boy
with copy of the official forecast from
Washington. Cold today. II said, with
the lowest temperature tonight Of about
fifteen degrees continued cold tomorrow
and probably snow by night.
Encouraging, eh?" he asked.
|. He resumed his poring over the rec
ords.
Forty-three days in the last two
months when the daily average temper
ature fell below the freezing point, they
showed.
Another record gone to smash. Nor
mally there are but nineteen such days
in an entire winter season.
JANUARY SNOWFALL RECORD
| Then he turned to the records Of the
Q SNOWMAN ~ lOldl plt'ifiNdNioh VI "''-
inches for December and January, he
| found This is not a record, the win
ter of 1s9S-99 sending down fifty inches
of the downy flakes.
But he found one snow record, No
single month in the history of the
weother bureau since 1884, when the
l-snow records were first taken. showed
as much as January, 24S inches. The
closest tc this was in January, 1898,
when twenty inches fell.
Tn December 1909 there was snow
storm that put down a total of twenty
one inches on Christmas Day and the
day after. but that was about ali the
snow that fell that season
The forecaster then closed his rec
ords and glanced at the official ther-
mometer. The hour was noon. 1t reg.
istered 80 degrees. n rise of degrees
over the s o'clock temperature.
But it will get colder was his
pessimistic statement. Although the
mercury may go few degrees higher
this afternoon 1t is due to fall to about
Is tonight" And he ended up by say
| ing that it was to be cold again tomor-
rcw.
Although the huge bank of snow
standing on the streets form a big prob.
lem for city officials traffic Throughout
| Pniladelpnla was ABOUT normal To-Day. vi
course. there were the little delays, bu
that was all.
TRAIN SERVICE RESTORED
Train service again Is running t.
schedule and the =. Il, T. is experienc
ing little difficulty Some of the snow l.
being removed by the city. \ number
of teams are working in the centra
sections, and thirty-fve trucks of thu
Mccain Coal and Ice Company. Twelfth
street and Washington avenue. whic,
has a contract for the removal OF snow
from South Philadelphia streets arr
clearing up on South street near tn
water front. The snow is being dumped
into sewers.
The snow, however. is not being cart
cd away as rapidly as In former years
Obtaining the necessary men and team
is almost as much q problem to the cit!
as financing the operation. Directo
Date! nan, of the Department of Pub
lie Works, has requested Chairman Gaff
ney, of Councils Finance Committee. Z
appropriate s5O,00O for the removals
| No action was promised, and some per
sons are wondering where the money Il
coming from.