Evening star., 1925-03-03
VARIED WEATHER
MARKS |NAUGURALS
Prior to Civil War, Skies
Were Friendly But Since
Reverse Has Been True.

II has often been wondered why
our forefathers gave so little thought
to Inauguration day weather, as evil
Genced by the fact that only IN recent
years has there been urgent talk of
setting the day forward a month or
so in order to avoid March 1
weather"
The reason is readily apparent to
one who takes the trouble to delve
into the records. 1t is simply that
before the Civil War the majority OF
Inauguration days had been about as
desirable. from the weather stand
point, as could have been wished.
Since that time the average has
been just the reverse, with weather
blizzards.
Ladies' Were Indignant.
Washington, Adams. Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe. John Quincy Adams,
Jackson, Van Buren,, Buchanan. all
were blessed with smiling skies, al
though Monroe's second inaugural
was marred by snow and rain, and
Jackson's escorts marched up the
Avenue in mud left over from the
week before. William Henry Har-
rison, in 1s41, was greeted with cold
and cloudy weather, but the streets
were not muddy and the paraders en-
joyed the march. Polk, four years
later. rode to the Capitol in a cold
downpour of rain and over streets
that plastered the gay uniforms OF
the escort battalions with Pennsyl-
vanta avenue mud. Writers of the
time tell of the indignation of ladies
and their faultlessly attired gentle
men at being forced by obdurate
guards to dismount from their car
riages at the foot of the Capitol
grounds and walk through the rain
and mud up the hill to the ceremony.
Taylor's inaugural day dawned
bright and agreeable in 1s49, but
Pierce's, four years later. was less
favorable, with a raw wind and plenty
of slush to wade through on the
Avenue. 1t seems the street cleaning
department was not SO active in those
days.
Grants Inauguratfons Gloomy
Buchanan, in 1857, had a fine March
!, and SO did Lincoln on his first in
auguration in 1851, but four years
later the era of favorable inaugural
days began to wane. That year the
'treets were wet and muddy In 1869
Grants inaugural day was gloomy and
rainy, and in 1873 Grants second cere-
mony was the chilliest recorded up to
that time, with the temperature de-
greeS above zero, high winds roaring
along the line Of march and much suf-
fering rife among the marchers and
spectators.
From then until recent times the
majority OF March 4s have been
anything but springlike. Two out
standing examples were those of 1893,
when Cleveland went back into the
White House. and in 1909, when Taft
took office in the midst of one of the
worst billiards. Washington had ever
experienced.
Weather Mans Record.
Here, briefly, is how the weather
man treated the inaugurations of each
OF our Presidents:
Washington. April 80, 1889 (New
York;, good.
Washington. March 4, 1893 (Phila-
delphia), good.
Adams, March 4, 1897, good.
Jefferson, March 4, 1901, good.
Jefferson, March 4, 1906, good
Madison. March 4, 1909, good.
Madison, March 4. 1913, goods
Monroe, March 4, 1917, good.
Monroe, March 8, 1921, snow.
J. q. Adams, March 4, 1926, good.
Jackson, March 4, 1929, good.
jackson, March 4, 1888, good.
Van Buren, March 4, 1887, good.
w. H. Harrison, March 4, 1S41, cloudy,
cold.
Polk. March 4, 1s45, rain, cold.
Taylor, March 8. 184e, good.
Pierce, March 4, 1853, wind, slush.
Buchanan, March 4, 1857, good.
Lincoln. March 4, 1861, good.
Lincoln. March 4, 1865, muddy.
Grant. March 4, 1859, rainy
Grant March 4. 1873, cold wave.
Hayes, March S, 1877, rainy
Garfield. March 4. 1881, snowstorm.
Cleveland, March 4. 1885, clear.
Benjamin Harrison, March 4, 1889,
rainstorm.
Cleveland, March 4. 1893, snowstor1n.
Mckinley, March 4, 1897, clear
Mckinley, March 4, 1901, good.
Roosevelt, March 4, 1905, cold.
Taft, March 4. 1909. blizzard.
Wilson. March 4, 1918. cloudy, mild
Wilson, March 8, 1917, cloudy. cold.
Harding March 4, 1921, cold wave.