Evening star., 1951-02-03
Snow and Ice Grin
Nation as Far South
AS Sunny Florida
BY the Associoted Press


Winter held the usually Sunny
South in frigid embrace today
after staggering the area with her
hardest blows in more than a
decade. Even Florida had ice and
snow.
Most of the rest of the Nation
suffered the same punishment, too
but Dixie, prepared for only
mild winters, appeared the worst
hurt.
A six-day coat of ice and snow
has taken 80 lives in the South.
broken power lines serving thou
sands of families, closed schools
and isolated dozens of COM
munities.
For the entire Nation, the num-
Der OF winter deaths rose to IT'S.
These include those dying from
exposure, motor vehicle accidents
and related causes.
Crop Damage in Millions.
Crops over the country suffered
millions of dollars worth of losses.
The total damage won't be known
for days. And more likely is
in store.
Illinois lost its 1851 peach crop,
SIS million disaster. In Indiana,
the bitter cold killed not only
buds but the fruit trees.
Seed beds for Georgia's $l0O
million tobacco crop, frosted for
the second night in a row, likely
will be heavily slashed and set
back many weeks. Many farmers
will have to replant altogether
In Florida. the $l06 million citrus
crop was in peril, also Florida's
winter truck crop area which
produces much of the Nations
vegetables this time of year.
Natural gas, used by millions
for warming their homes, became
critically short. In Ohio, Toledo,
Cincinnati. Dayton and Columbus
suffered Gripping shortages. Bir-
mingham, Ala. Nashville and
Memphis. Tenn. and Atlanta,
Ga, also were hit among dozens
of other cities.
Louisiana Short of Gas
Even cities in Louisiana-where
large part of the countrys gas
comes from-Were short, notably
Lake Charles.
Some relief for the Midwest and
the South, except Florida, was in
store today, but not too much. The
mass of cold air that enveloped
most of the central part of the
country moved eastward and tenn
peratures began moderating
Two inches of snow fell last
night on st. Augustine, Fla, the
Nations Oldest city. And flakes
came down on the Tampa-St.
Petersburg area for the first time
in memory.
Far heavier falls in the stretch
from Arkansas to Georgia have not
melted and are more serious.
Communications lines were wreck
ed by the coat of ice and snow.
Many cities have been isolated
from all but radio communication
most of the week
Road conditions have improved
in Alabama where highway traffic
was practically non-existent ear
lier. Louisiana. Arkansas, Ten
nessee and Mississippi also had
slightly improved conditions. but
there were still isolated sections.
Early morning temperatures to-
day were around or below the zero
mark over much of the South.
Lone Rock, Wis. was the coldest
spot in the country yesterday with
AZ below zero. Greensburg. in In
diana, had 35-below reading, the
coldest ever known in that State.
Subzero Temperatures.
Other frigid places included:
Henderson, KY, -23, the lowest
since 1882 Shepherdsville, KY,
80; Marble Hill, Mo-, 80; De-
corah, Iowa, -38; Dayton, Ohio,
-16, and Chicago, is.
In the South, Louisville, KY,
felt the sting of -19. At Mem
phis, it was IL. Atlanta had 8
above.
Early today below-zero weather
blanketed most of Tennessee.
Nashville had A at 1901 am.
and the thermometer kept falling.
The city was faced with further
shortage of food supplies in stores.
Restaurants closed down for lack
of food deliveries and for thou
sands it was another day of frigid
shelter in homes left heatless by
broken power lines.
Many heatless homes were indi-
Gated in Ohio today. City Man
ager Arnold Finch of Toledo said
his town had the worst gas emer-
gency in history. Because of
dwindling gas pressure, he planned
to begin evacuating Its families
from the Point Place section of
town.
States of emergency also were
declared in Columbus and Parma,
suburb of Cleveland. At Cincin-
natl, City Manager w. r. Kellogg
said if gas users don't cut down he
will declare an emergency and
close all commercial and business