Evening star., 1948-01-18
Truman Cuts0i
For U. 5. Offices;
More Cold Due
g. Degree Limit Hits
One Loree Building
In District Area

While the District prepared for
much colder weather with some
snow. President Truman yester-
day directed that working
hour" temperatures in Govern
ment buildings using fuel oil
be reduced to So degrees and
that Government automobiles
move no faster than 40 miles ar,
hour. Customary heating tenn
iperatures have ranged from 70
to "a degrees.
The bitter cold wave, the worst
in years in some areas, hit the
Midwest and Southern sections of
the country particularly hard. At
least i6 were dead over the Nation
and II Of the deaths were attrib-
uted to exposure. Five were caused
by accidents on icy or snow COW
cred pavements.
The presidential fuel conserva-
ton order applies only to structures
using fuel oil but covers residences,
including the White House, as well
as buildings owned, operated or
controlled by the Government.
Naval Annex Affected.
The only large Government build
ing affected in this area is the
Naval Annex in Arlington, Deputy
Commissioner Charles E. Peters Of
the Public Buildings Administration
said. Most OF the others use coal.
Early this morning the Weather
Bureau chung to its prediction Of
snow that might reach q depth OF
two inches. Snow fiurries we're re-
ported in the city and nearby areas
last night, but no appreciable amount
fell before midnight, the forecast
was for clearing and cold weather
this afternoon.
Early last night. the temperature
dropped to the freezing point and
was headed slowly downward toward
a predicted 20 degree minimum
early today. The coolest day of the
winter thus far here was last Thurs
day, with 13 above zero.
Thousands of wockers were left
idle by cold weather in the South
and some schools closed In Kansas
when industrial use of natural gas
was ordered halted or curtailed to
conserve fuel for home use.
The arctic blasts sent the mercury
skidding to the Nations minimum
of 81 degrees below zero at Gordon,
Wis, tying the all-time low recorded
in that State in 1922. The country's
second coldest spot was Moose Lake.
Mipn., which had AZ below.A
Snow and Cold In South.
The South felt the twin lashes Of
cold and snow. The worst blizzard
since 1899 dumped nearly IL inches
OF snow on Memphis, Tenn, and
sent the mercury skidding to de-
grees. Nashville, Tenn, had seven
| inches of snow. The snow extended
as far south as Alexandria, La, and
Meridian, Miss The storm blank
eted Arkansas, Northern Louisiana,
western Tennessee, Northern Mis-
sissippi and Northern Alabama. and
swept northeastward to the Atlantic
Seaboard. ....
A woman was frozen to death
at Fort Ripley, Mimi. when she
left friends wedding anniversary
party without her coat in 26 below
zero temperatures, following q quar-
rel. An aged man froze to death
in field near his home In Bradford,
Pa. In Chicago, an aged man be-
came i'll ON a street, collapsed and
froze to death before passerby
found him. Other States reporting
deaths from freezing were South
Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri.
Tennessee and Wisconsin.
BY contrast, the Yukon Is ex-
periencjng such balmy weather that
the Army's exercise Yukon" for
training men and testing equipment
under arctic conditions, has run into
difficulties. Galena, scene OF one
phase of the maneuvers, had 81
above zero. The lowest at Big Delta
Friday was 10 above. Temperatures
in the interior of Alaska usually are
Is to IS below zero at this time Of
year.
More Snow For New York.
New York City, which has spent
more than $4,000 900 to remove part
of the 25.8 inch snow fall that par
alyzed the city December 26, last
1See WEATHER page A-61