The New York herald., 1922-01-03
GALE SWEEPS CITY,
MERCURY 6 ABOVE
Many Overcome by Cold and
Suffering Among the Poor
Is General.
13O FIRES ARE RECORDED
Ice Forms Half Across Hudson
Ship Hits He'll Gate
Rocks.
80 FIRES ARE RECORDED

Excessive cold. riding on a sixty
seven mile gale in the wake of a storm
at sea, swept down on New York yes
terday and sent the thermometer down
TO 6 degrees above zero last midnight.
The dropping temperature brought
suffering to hundreds. some of whom
reached the Municipal Lodging House
in condition of collapse. and caused
the daily fire record for the city to
jump to total of 100. At Fire Depart
ment Headquarters last night 1t was
stated that the figure is a record
closely Appropriated only for one or
two Fourths of July in the days when
the use of fireworks was less restricted
Ice stretched half way across the Hud-
son river opposite Washington Heights
and navigation in waters about the city
Was hazardous both an account of the
| ice and on account of the wind. The
United States Shipping Board steamship
Westward Ho was driven on the rocks at
Eell Gate and had to be towed to dock
for emergency repairs to keep her from
going to the bottom.
| Six English starlings that made a
winter home in the pedestal of the statue
! of Justice In front of The Bronx county
court house. 161st street and Third
avenue. were found on the pavement
overcome by cold. They were taken to
Morrisania police station and placed be-
side radiator to thaw out. Unfortu-
nately, Pete, the station house cat.
found them in a comatose condition and
ate all six before the house detective
| discovered him.
In up State sections the weather was
much more severe than In New York
city. At Gens Falls the thermometer
registered 20 degrees below zero last
night Reports of like nature came
from other localities. The present cold
snap. according to the Weather Bureau,
was caused by a storm off the Atlantic
coast. which last night had travelled
northward to Newfoundland.
People rushing to work yesterday
morning at o'clock were invigorated
] by a bracing seven degrees. During
the day the temperature rose to six
! teen at 3 80 in the afternoon. By 4
o'clock a sharp decline had set in which
reached six degrees by midnight. The
wind rushed along at forty and fifty
miles all day long, and at times reached
a velocity of sixty-seven miles an hour.
The weather forecast to-day is for
moderation of temperature and an over
cast sky. Rain or snow Is predicted
for this afternoon or tonight.
The suffering was intense. The Mu-
nicipal Lodging House in East Twenty
fifth street reported early last night that
II had given shelter to $50 men. eighteen
women and one child. The number was
! a record for persons asking shelter since
the cold wave set In.
Some of the men reached the house
staggering, with exhaustion from cold
and lack of food. They said they had
been wandering the streets for hours
seeking a warm place and something to
eat.
The usual meal OF bread and coffee
was changed to bowls of mutton stew
with plenty of bread.
The sudden jump in fires was trace
able directly TO the drop In tempera-
ture. Many of the fires were caused
from defective gas heaters and flues
pressed. into extraordinary use by tho
Geld. The wind helped to spread sparks
| Half dozen alarms resulted from
breaking OF frozen sprinkler system
Pipes. There were fifty alarms In Man
| haitian, thirteen in The Bronx. sixty
one in Brooklyn and Queens and six or
Staten Island.