More than five inches covered Seattle on March 11, 1903. Another excitement of the year was the continuing of the Alaska gold rush, and to serve its winners the opening on First Hill of an official Federal Assay Office.ġ903 MARCH RECORD At the south end of Green Lake on the trail from Fremont A Ravenna scene most likely from 1903 A twelve-year period of more-or-less continuous lowering of Denny Hill began on First Avenue north of Pike with a regrade in 1898. It seemed like a lot at the time, unless you had been living here in 1893 and the many who had been around then hardly noticed. 5, and through the winter 37 inches of snow fell. The thermometer reached 12 degrees on Feb. 1899 at the waterfront foot of Union Street on what was then still called Railroad Avenue Never before was there skating in November.”ġ898-99 HARDLY NOTICED Boys will be snowballers with snow brought to them from Stevens pass by the Great Northern Railroad. The temperature ranged from 12 degrees to 53 degrees, averaging 38 during the month. The rains were succeeded by snow, fifteen inches of which fell at Seattle during the last ten days of the month the ground remaining covered until the 2nd of December. Floods ensued in the country bridges were carried away roads washed out fences, woodpiles and in some cases houses swept off railroads damaged severely, and widespread desolation and destruction caused throughout the state, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. During the first twenty days the rainfall at Seattle reached the extraordinary depth of eight inches. While there was as much wind as usual and many fair days, the striking weather features were rain, snow and cold. Included in Thomas Prosch’s summary for 1896 – the last year covered in his 1901 Chronological History of Seattle – the pioneer journalist and historian distinguished that November as “the most unique month of that name in the history of the country. This year Seattle’s weather observance office was promoted to the status of a forecasting station, although the means of forecasting then available were no doubt overwhelmed by the weather that year. Or as likely it is witness to the accumulation in 1896.ġ896 SKATING in NOVEMBER Judging from the collection from which this was pulled there is at least a chance that this First Hill home was photographed snow-bound in 1896 The photograph is not dated, but its “internal evidences” puts it in the early 1890s and may be a recording of the 1893 snow during its dwindling denouement. The accompanying photograph looks northwest from 8th Avenue to Central School on the right, at Sixth and Madison, and the Rainier Hotel, far left, with its big back facing 6th Avenue. Snow of 1893 or 1896 looking west from First Hill With three feet of snow frozen in the streets the streetcars were stopped for days and horses were often helpless. By then the ice on Green Lake was six inches thick. The man who said anything about the balmy weather of Puget Sound risked his life in so doing.” Another thermometer at Woodland Park, when it was still a suburban retreat for the Phinney family, showed a dip on Feb. Water pitchers were cracked and people generally were in a bad way. This was put on the stove by the gallon, and when reduced to water made about a teacupful. The Press Times reported, “When the good people of Seattle came to get up this morning there was a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. On the last day of January the thermometer dove to three above zero. Although the snow was not as heavy as in 1880, still it accumulated 45 inches, and it was much colder. Except for one cold and clear break on Monday the thirtieth, it snowed until Feb.7. One of our most remarkable winter “episodes” arrived on Jan.
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