Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1911 — SOME REAL COLD WEATHER [ARTICLE]

SOME REAL COLD WEATHER

Grocery Drummer Felt the Frigid Wave Coming and Took Precautionary Measures.

"Cold?” repeated the grocery drum* mer as he came Into the lobby of the hotel. “Where? When? What?" "But It’s zero weather,” was protested. • 1,.:

“Zero weather? My friends, do yon know what they would call this up in Winnipeg? Just a southern zephyr. The men would be out In their shirtr sleeves playing baseball, and the women would be wondering how soon the grasshoppers would be around." “You’ve been up there, have you?" was asked.

"Spent one whole winter there." “And how cold was It?” "Only 47 below most of the time. For a space of four days It reached 00, but that was exceptional. Don’t talk about zero weather to me!" “Many freeze to death?” “Hundreds. I 1 saw one man freeze to death while simply crossing the street.” “And you suffered ?”

"Not a frost-bite. When I found winter was setting in and no chance to get away I took my measures. Ob, no, I didn’t suffer." “But how did you escape?” “I first bought the hotel. Then I had steam heat put in. Then 1 ordered .300 tons of coal and employed three engineers. Then I had double windows put in all. the porches and ' verandas wrapped up in cotton batting. At every mekl we had mustard and tabasco sauce and other heating things. I also kept all the waiters swearing, and thus we pulled through with the loss of only one man.” "And how was that?” *

“Oh, he was an obstinate old cuss, who insisted on sleeping in a room with only five radiators going, and he was found frozen to death In his bed. Zero weather! Humph!"