Evening star., 1926-03-31
MARCH LION READY
FOR ROARING EXIT
Traitor Spring Prepares for
More Snow in Paths of
Blizzard Areas.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, March 31.-Spring has
turned traitor to a large area of the
country.
March, refuting the old weather
adage, came in like lion. and Is
destined 10 depart in TIE same man
ner.
storms or blizzard proportions
which have ragged through the plat
eau area. Middle West and South :
west have blanketed large territories
with snow and brought, a return to
Winter conditions, with no immedl-
ate break in prospect. In TACT, the
weather predictions We're for, more
snow and continued cold weather
through most of the storm area,
with general rains in the Eastern
seaboard States.
No Relief in Sight.
"\o warm weather in sight was
the IaConic comment of the weather
man, who further predicted that
another disturbance in the Far West
Droha bly would cause snow or rain
in the great Plains States tonight or
Thursday. The possibility existed
that Easter Sunday might be clear
and warm but the proGnosticator
promised nothing. If the Easter sea-
son is to he bright, break must
come by Friday. it was stated.
The late March disturbance. a
freakish combination of snow. nail
lain and gales was directly or IN :
directly responsible for more than a
dozen deaths, with injury to three
score, caused some damage TO crops
and destroyed property valued at
more than a million dollars.
Deaths in Several States.
Two persons were killed near
Liberty. Tex, when nigh winds,
accompanied by heavy rains, cut "A
swath through the oil fields. A woman
met death near Crosby, Tex. when
her home was blown down, While a
fourth Texas death occurred at Beau
mont. Four were killed near Racine,
Wis. when the driver of an automo-
bile. blinded by snowstorm, ran into
n train: four met death in Chicago
street accidents; casualties at Detroit
numbered two during a sleetstorm,
and a plantation overseer at st.
Francisville, La, died of injuries when
his home was demolished
About 40 persons were injured in
Chicago when two elevated trains
collided after one had slowed down be-
cause of the storm, and a number OF
persons were injured in other parts OF
the storm territory.
Most of the property damages was
done in Texas. Houston, Beaumont,
Sealy and Orange being the chief suf'
ferers. Windows were broken, base
ments flooded. houses blown from
foundations and oil derricks wrecked
While the high winds which reached
velocity of 50 miles in some places,
disturbed wire communication.
twenty-five persons were injured
when 500 homes were unrooted al
Beaumont, he damage there being
estimated at 500 900. Houston suf-
fered a loss of half thai sum. The
Tuesday storm carried all along the
Gulf coast, unroofing houses in Lou
isiana, Mississippi and western Ala
bama. Heavy rains fell in Florida
and northward along the Atle ntic
coast.
A passe1E Tain was snowbound
ut Foraker, Okla, necessitating the
sending of two relief trains.
Air mail service throughout the
Middle West was suspended.
The heavy snowfall broke March
records in many localities. In the
Great Lakes region only three March
storms comparable to the present one
have visited the territory in quarter
of century. Six inches fell in Chi.
cago Puesday, bringing the total pre-
Clpitation for the month to nearly
10 inches. a March record At sCme
points in Texas the fall was 10 inches.
with the mark at Kansas City nearly
a foot.
Mercury Not So. Low.
While most of the country expert.
enced unreasonable cold weather
there We're few localities where the
mercury went below freezing. The rec
ord low spot at Z o'clock last night
was Is at Cheyenne. Wyo.: Dubuque.
Iowa; Greenhay, Wis. and Amarillo,
Tex, readings were "a. The co1dest
spot in the East was Buffalo. y. Y.
with 80
Agriculturists interpreted the storm
both as favorable and unfavorable
Winter, wheat was benefited, but
with wide areas covered with snow
there was prospect of a smaller Spring
wheat acreage. The Illinois Agricul-
tural Association said that the balated
return of Winter would prove a severe
hloW to many agricultural sections in
me state. It's report indicated that
the Spring wheat acreage would he
Increased, and also that unless tho
snow melted there would be a smaller
crop of oats sown.
Fruit growers were benefited as
the cold weather prevented trees
from budding, with possibility of in
: jury from late frosts. An optimistic
note came from ]. c. Mohler, secre-
tary OF the Kansas Board Of Agricul.
ture, VINO said the snow now exactly
suited the needs of the State. He pre-
ulcted a record crop of 200 000, 900
bushels of wheat may become an as.
sured fact"