The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-21 00:00:00

SEVERE SNOW STORMS.

One of the most severe snow storms experienced in
Hampshire for many years past occurred on IT ednesday,
and extended in an easterly direction along the whole of
the south coast. The snow commenced to fall at 1 o'clock
in the afternoon, and continued without intermission until
half-past 4on Thursday morning. The train from Salis-
bury which is due at Bishopstoke at 7.10 was upwards of
an hour behind time, and on arriving at Bishopstoke found
that the up train from Weymouth and Southampton, after
waiting for some time, had proceeded without it. A special
train was then despatched with the London passengers, but
on reaching the incline at Micheldever-bank, about a mile
and a half from Micheldever Station, the ordinary train was
discovered, with a heavy goods train before it, blocked up
by the snow, which at that time (9 o'clock) was between
two and three feet deep. As it was impossible to move the
goods train, the engine was unhooked, and cut its way
through the snow to Micheldever in order to procure assis-
tance, guards being despatched down the line with danger
signals tolrevent the approach of any other train. On the
goods engine reaching Micheldever a telegram was sent to
Basingstoke, 11 miles nearer Landon, and two pilot engines
were promptly sent down, and a number of labourers to
clear the way. In many places the snow was found to have
attained a depth of nearly five feet, and as the fire-box of
the leading engine became choked up every few minutes it
was found requisite to dig a passage for it before any pro-
gress could be made. Ultimately, after remaining station-
ary for nearly six hours, the goods trucks were taken
in detail to Micheldever, the services of three engines
being required to drag them forward. Many of the pas-
sengers in the train behind were exceedingly,alarmed by
the delay, particularly as it was known that the up-mail
train was almost due. Great credit, however, is d,ue to the
guards and other officials connected with the company for
the exertions they made and for the precautions they took
to prevent any accident. The goods train was turned into
a siding at Micheldever, and the passenger train drew up
at the station at half-past 1, when its half-frozen occupants
were enabled to obtain refreshments and warm themselves
at a roadside public-house a short distance from the line.
One unfortunate traveller, a Frenchman from Southamp-
ton, was found to be so ill from the cold and alarm he had
experienced that he preferred remaining at Micheldever all
night to the risk of a further exposure. The train, with
three engines attached to it, proceeded upon its journey at
2 o'clock, but had not gone more than three miles when the
fire-boxes became choked up and a further stoppage took
place. From this point to Basingstoke, about eight miles,
the stoppages were incessant. The snow continued to fall
very heavily, and at intervals of about 100 yards the guards
and labourers were compelled to cut a passage. The train
arrived at Basingstoke at half-past four, and remained there
for about half an hour until the mail train, which was two
hours behind time, passed. The remainder of the journey
was accomplished without further obstruction, and, to the
astonishment of the passengers, it was found no snow what-
ever had fallen between Woking and London. The train,
which was due at the Waterloo station at five minutes past
10 on Wednesday night, arrived there at 25 minutes past
seven on Thursday morning, being nine hours and a quarter
behind time.
The weather in Norfolk, as in the other eastern counties,
has been extremely severe since Tuesday, when a fall of
, snow, which has since contiaued at intervals, took place.
Yesterday morning a frost of great intensity prevailed and
I . more snow was falling. The railway traffic, &c. 7 has not

yet been interrupted, but there is every probability, so far
as external influences are concerned, of a thoroughly old-
fashioned Christmas.
The snow is lying thick in Northumberland, especially
in the hill districts, and on Wednesday night heavy showers
were falling. The weather, indeed, has an extremely
wintry :appearance. Fortunately all classes of workmen
upon the Tyne have been extremely well employed, and are
continuing during the winter months to be tolerably well
employed, so that there is little or no suffering during the
present inclement season among the poor.
A letter from Edinburgh, dated Wednesday, says :
Within the last 24 hours this district has been visited by
an unusually heavy snow storm ,which appears to:havebeen
experienced over a large expanse of country. On Tuesday
several slight falls of snow took place here, but up to 11
o'clock p.m. scarcely two inches of deposit had been made.
At that hour a very heavy rattling shower of hail, sleet, and
snow took place, and by midnight the snow lay at consi-
derable depth. In the morning the deposit without drift
was at least a foot in depth. The wind was off the north-
east (coming directly from the Firth of Forth), but as it was
not very high, there was comparatively little drift. Accounts
from East and West Lothian, and from the various parts of
this country would seem to point out this district as pro-
bably the centre of the storm, which has not been equalled
here in weight and continuity of the snow-fall for many
years. The storm has continued with brief intervals of
clear weather during the day, and the depth of the deposit
may be estimated at from 18 to 20 inches. The railway
trains to- day have all been an hour or two behind, and the
principal detentions have taken place within 10 to 20 miles
of Edinburgh. On the Edinburgh and Glasgow line three
trains were blocked up for some time seven or eight miles
west of Edinburgh. During the drifting of the snow into
a cutting the engine of the. Perth train, which had kept
pretty good time in the previous part of the journey, was
unable to propel the train or even to pass singly through
the obstruction; and it was not till a body of labourers
had cleared the line that, with the help of the engine of
the second train, the first train passed through, the
others following shortly afterwards. On the east line
(North British) the chief detention has taken place
in East and Mid Lothian. A telegram received from
Aberdeen states that the snow is nearly two feet deep, but
that the line is clear. Had there been a high wind with
this excessive fall of snow, the traffic of the country would
have been almost completely blockaded, and as it is, with
snow still falling, and with the probability of its being
followed by wind, there is no small risk of that event. In
the town to-day, the locomotion, both of vehicles and pas-
sengers, was seriously impeded, and youthful mischief has
had a capital day's sport in snowballing."
Yesterday morning, about a quarter before one, a very
violent thunderstorm rolled over the Northumberland
coast. The lightning was very vivid. It continued about
a quarter of an hour. Snow was falling at intervals in
Northumberland all day yesterday.
IsLm Or WIGHT.—A letter in a contemporary, dated
Ventnor, Dec. 18, says :—We are in the midst of a heavy
snow storm, inaugurated by two loud claps of thunder.
The thunder, accompanied by the snow, broke upon us at
half-past 1 p.m. It is still (half-past) snowing, with 21
inches on the ground, and every prospect of its continu-
ance. The morning was very fine and bright, with the
wind north, which shifted to due south about 12 o'clock at
noon, which brought up the storm. The wind has now
shifted to north.

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