Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1912 — Some Real Frigid Weather With Some Unpleasant Resulte. [ARTICLE]

Some Real Frigid Weather With Some Unpleasant Resulte.

The coldest weather for three or four years and possibly longer, was leached Saturday night, when the government thermometer kept at St. Joseph showed the mercury to have reached the minimum stage of IS below zero. Many local thermometers registered 20 below. The cold came on early Saturday evening and by 5 o’clock the thermometer showed the mercury at zero. At 7:30 Sunday morning it wass still 15 degrees below and it warmed up slowly, not getting much above zero during the day. Saturday night it was clear and calm and many did not realize that It was so cold. In Indianapolis the government weather bureau reported 16 below, which is the lowest mark since 1884.

Water pipes were frozen in many residences and basements that hal hitherto withstood the cold proved insufficient and many people found the water systems entirely frozen up. pipes byrated, etc. Plumbers worked all day Sunday and calls for aid" came in from all over the city. The boiler at the county farm, one at the Rens-> selaer Garage and one at the public library were bursted, with entailing expenses ranging fronT 375 to $l5O. It is thought by plumbers that losses may reach $2,000 in Rensselaer. E. D. Rhoades & Son and Cleve Eger were besieged all day Sunday for help. In i ome places pipes had burst inside houses and when they thawed out‘the water was sprayed all over the rooms where the breaks occurred, floors were flooded and basements had several inches of water in them. Leonard Rhoades worked almost aE day Sunday and becaSne wet and contracted a cold and is today unable to leave his house.

One of the worst damages occurred at the home of Chas. A. Roberts, where an all day effort was made Sunday to thaw out the pipes but without success. One plumber said he was satisfied that more trouble had occurred withjn the past week than ever before in this city. The broken boiler at the library forced the dismissal this morning of the primary grade of tho public schools, Ivhicii since last week has been meeting in the library basement. There is some suffering among poor people and ministers and others have , been giving these matters artention. If the cold weather considerable suffering is apt to result and all should respond liberally to any y appeal for charities that comes from proper organizations.