The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-02-16
Icorro.pond. ace Of ii. Gsr.,,e.l
SHee, snes, sssr--SaSsrids 0iatfr-S-Ffrt"g-
Ens Lesstiea and Commerce g Dosage.
OswEGo, N. v, Feb. 6.

snow storms just now are the absorbing
topics OF conversation. 1t can hardly be
for such protracted snow storm
and such depth of the material has never
before literally overwhelmed this section OF
country. Some three weeks since, snow
fell TO the extent of foot and halt upon
the Level along Lake Ontario, Ten days
ago quite an additional foot VAS added, and
sinoe last Friday night (now "Wednesday
morning) the clouds have scarcely ceased
TO sift down upon the earth a fresh prota-
sion of this commodity. The country and
city have been almost buried beneath this
avalanche of snow. II has driited badly,
and in some places the dwellings could
easily be entered by the second story.
On Saturday last, the trains started for
Syracuse, but forty miles distant. They
went but few miles and returned, and the
ROAD has been hopslesslv abandoned until
the storm is over. The snow lays twenty
feet deep in some OF the cuts, and il aver.
ages nearly five feet on the level every
where On Sabbath day, the streets ofthis
city became impossible for animals and
vehicles, and nobody ventured abroad
Out Of the twelve churches in the city,
but one was opened for public Worship
and that only for morning services. Mon
day the storm continued without abaternent'
the snow falling in most copious showers,
and the wind piling il in huge heaps and
wresthing it about in all manner Of fantas-
tic forms and curious shapes. A few cour-
sgeous men attempted to reach the centre
Of the city, but nearly every store has been
closed for three days, and all sorts of bust
ness is suspended. The loneliness and
desolation of compactly built streets is real
" painful, nobody abroad but those whom
humanity has set in motion, or who are i'm
PEELED by some urgent business.
The house tops oyer.hang with vast tufts
and turrets of snow, the trees are dropping
TO the earth under its accumulated weight,
and the streets and sidewalks present huge
mounds and sharp ridges, almost impossible
to pass through or over. made my way a
few blocks yesterday and again to-day to
| the post Office and news room, and that to
see if the city was still inhabited and
whether an item of Intelligence could be
found But the pail OF loneliness and DESC
lstion seems to have spread over every
thing, and nothing is seen or heard scarcely
beyond the moan and severity of this Sibe-
rian winter. Happily the cold is not SO in
tense as it wss some weeks since, yet there
is any amount of suffering among all class
es, The poor are pinched for food and
wood, but the humane and active are be-
neyolentiy striving to relieve their necessi-
ties.
Oswego, second only to Buffalo in COIN
merce, has beautiful position on the high
banks of Lake Ontario. The Oswego riv.
er, which drains four or five beautiful lakes
in western New York, forms the harbor,-
On the easterly side OF it's mouth on a
charming bluff, stands Fort Ontario, which
during the old French, as well as the last
war with Great Britain, was the scene OF
many desperate and important battles.
FIGURING mills and lake commerce constr
tute the two staples of the business of the
city. There are about twenty OF the for
I mer, with nearly one hundred run OF stone
! and some seven elevators of the largest ca
4 pacity All these stand directly on the
I docks, so that vessels from the upper lakes
unload directly at these establishments, and
then they trans-ship for New York via ca.
/ ma and railroad with ease and facility
| The feet of steamers, propelers and sailing
craft running to this port is very large, ant
the business with the West immense and
increasing The produce of Iowa in great
quantities reaches this place, and dressed
lumber, railroad iron and merchandise o
every variety, and cash is sent back in re-
turn. This city is healthy and prosperous
and has about II 900 inhabitants. A.
/ --~--..
] UsURr Laws.-The committee of the