Patrick Townson wrote:
> I mentioned here about a week ago that Hell, here in Independence, KS
> had frozen over with the ice storms of last weekend. Now here we are,
> a full week later, ice still over everything in sight...
Good luck with everything. I'm glad you still have power and phone
service and food deliveries.
When I was a kid we had an ice storm like that, everything covered in a
thick coating of extremely slippery but hard ice. It was horrible. In
those days many autos used tire chains actually which were pretty
effective, but murder if you got on dry pavement, and a pain to put on
and off. Links would break and bang around.
Somehow we got to school but the school yard was covered with a sheet
of ice. It had a grade and it was simply impossible to move up it.
The custodian put out a trail of cinders from the coal boilers which
provided traction and worked out well. (I wonder if the school ever
converted from coal?)
My dad got me something called "strap chains" for my car in case of
snow. I rarely used them, especially when I got radial tires, but in a
snowbank they always got me through. When I got a car with front wheel
drive, I never needed them; that would get me through anything, though
I had to be careful that the rear end didn't slide around. Somewhere I
think I still have the strap chains. I guess if I were in your town
I'd be digging them out to get around.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This may sound like a bizarre,
diabolical question, but did you ever wonder how the custodian (of
the school) ever got there _in the first place_ to spread the ashes
around? i.e. if he got there and spread ashes around, what was it
like before then? I am barely old enough -- at my ancient age -- to
recall when the boiler at our school converted from coal to gas, and
the boiler had to run year-round since they not only got heat from it,
but also the hot water supply for the bathrooms and kitchen, etc. Hot
water was made by keeping the 'coils' with the water supply always
surrounded by fire, even if the 'big part of the boiler' was turned
off in the summer. When the whole thing was converted to gas, they
installed a separate water heater with its own gas supply and quit
using the coils in the big boiler. Ergo, during the winter months the
hot water supply was always hotter than during the winter when the
primary boiler was shut down.
And is it true that 'hot' water freezes faster than 'cold' water? When
the plumber was out here once last fall to check on my pipes, he
cautioned me, "when the outside temperaure becomes extreme always be
sure to have your cold water line running slowly (just a slight
trickle) all night long to prevent freezing. _NOT_ the hot water line
but the COLD water line, mainly, I suppose, because it is all 'cold'
water coming from the street through the meter to my house; it only
gets 'hot' when my hot-water heater inside prepares it. The plumber
told me that chemicals in the water boiled away during heating and
that the 'hot' water got cold (and eventually frozen) faster than
the 'cold' water got colder (and eventually frozen). Any truth to
that? I know it seems odd to say 'hot water freezes faster than cold
water'.
And thanks for thinking about my food. My food supply is okay for
another week; its the dog and cats' supply I am worried about. They
have only a couple more day's worth unless I start rationing it out;
I should put them on a diet anyway. All too big and fat (and sassy!).
PAT]
hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com