Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-11

New York's recent snowstorm,
said to be the greatest in its history,
did not quite match the snowfall
that began in Washington on Janu-
airy ~, 1922, when the local storm
left behind . mantle Of snow rs
inches deep and tragedy that the
people of the District will not soon
forget. This storm was not as bad
as the one on February Is, 1899,
when 20.5 inches of snow fell on Is
inches already on the ground. Just
before this, on February 8, the tenn
perature dropped to degrees below
zero, the coolest day since 1851.
Three days later the thermometer
registered IS degrees below zero, q
record low for Washington.
There is not a great amount Of
information available regarding the
early climatic conditions Of the Dis
'trict of Columbia, although reports
on general weather conditions were
made as early as 1917 by registers
of land offices, supplemented q little
later by reports from medical ON
GERS at Army posts. BY l848 the
Smithsonian Institution was receiv-
ing weather reports from telegraph
operators throughout the country,
wherever the telegraph was avail
able. Little of this information,
however, has come down to us, and
even then in scattered form.
Fire in Alexandria
Richard P. jackson, little more
thoughtful than other writer's on
early local conditions, tells us In his
chronicles Of Georgetown:
1.-THE winter OF 1897 was Of re-
markable severity in this latitude.
Alexandria was nearly burned down
on the 18th day Of January OF
that year, and many citizens Of our
town skated on the ice to Alexan-
dria and assisted In extinguishing
the conflagration. The winter Of
1880 was very cold and, the ice
broke up with q freshet, carrying
away the schooner Washington from
Crittenden's wharf, where she had
been made fast with numerous Ca
bles, which were rent like pipe
stems, and the vessel carried down
the river until she grounded on
Easbys Point. At the same time the
Long Bridge was shattered to pieces
by the ice, IA gaps being made BY
the force Of the freshet. Congress
then purchased the remnant of the
bridge from the Potomac Bridge Co.
for $4,000. and afterward erected
the present. structure.
1.-THE winter Of 1872 was very
long and extremely cold. The
chronicler was at that time a schol-
ar at Prof. Hallowell's School, To-
Gated in Alexandria, and well re-
members the severe GOODNESS Of the
weather. The cold weather COM
menced in November, 1881; the Pc
tomac River was soon icebound and
the boys enjoyed fine skating. on
coming home to spend the Christ
mas holidays, we crossed the river
at the ferry near the aqueduct
and saw on the ice at the time q
wagon loaded with wood, being
drawn by four horses. The mer-
curry Tin the thermometer situated
constantly in the shade on the
west side Of our dwellinO indi-
Gated 4 degrees below zero. In the
first part of January, 1882, we had
thaw and the ice passed quietly
away, but in the latter part Of the
month the weather again turned
suddenly cold, and the Potomac was
frozen over. On the 28th Of jan
uary Of that winter, after two nights
freeze, attempted to come home
by way Of Long Bridge. On ar
irving at the bridge, I found nc
track broken for the ferryboat, and
to cross on the ice was considered
impossible, as the river is more than
a mile wide. Having my skates with
me, and not liking to turn back