The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-01-23
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
THE GREAT STORM,


THE GREAT STORM.
The Petersburg In.elligencer thus describes the
storm aud its effects In that city and vicinity:
We have to record to-day more particularly than
we could do yesterday, one of the heaviest and
most terrible snow storms that perhsp sps ever visited
this latitude. east of the Mississippi. Talk Of the
Oldest inhabi,ant, Why, If It were Methusaleh
himself his memory would be completely non.
plussed We have read of extraordinary descenfs
Of the fleecy element upon this earth Of ours in
more rigorous and congenial regions where winter
was never known to linger amoment In the lap of
spring-where from November to May the general
face of nature is variegated only by alterations
of sleet and snow, separately and In combination.
We have read of drifts so deep as to engulph and
destroy alike men, women and children, sheep,
horses and cattle. We, not many days ago, saw
an ac:ount of a tremendous picking Of the :. Id
womans goose" which came off in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, in which IL white feathers fell to the
depth of from five to ten feet. We confess that
all these things seemed 10 US to border upon the
marvellous, We could scarcely credit such ap-
parently extraordinary statements. But expe-
rience Ia q truthful teacher, and by the lesson it
has taught us in the last twenty four hours we
prepared to believe any record that may hereafter
reach us about sno,o Saturday was raw, cloudy
and cold day throughout, with occasional splitting.
from above, but with no decided symptoms of any
thing more serious to follow.
About o'clock, p. NJ the ground was whitened
over, and the fakes continued to fall slowly and
quietly until we went to bed Before day. break
we were reused from our slumbers by tremen-
dous Northeaster, which had sprung up during the
night. and when the morning came the scene that
presented itself to our view out OF doors was dis
NAL beyond expression. Throughout the whole
day Sunday up to midnight the storm ragged with
intense and unabated fury-the wind most of the
time blowiAg perfect hurricane, and the whole
atmosphere 80 filled with the falling snow and
uplifted crystalline spray that was flying about III
every direction, as to render houses impercept
BILE hundred yards off. When we arose Monday
morning the wind had nearly lulled and the
weather bad assumed calmer character During
the whole of this terrible tempest the cold was ex
cessive, the thermometer averaging about 10 deg
above zero-a circumstance which vastly increas
ed the severity of its effects There was no such
thing as comfort to be found, save before blazing
tire Alas ho| many, we sadly reflected, were
destitute Of this means of relieving themsely es
from the piercing, benumbing horrible sensation
produced by such freezing blasts And then we
thought of The mountain pillows of the ocean and
the tossed msriner-of the appalling scenes which
storm like this excites upon and beneath the
deck of the fra bark, or the strong ribbed steam.
or, that was exposed to its piless merciless pet-
ings,
We dread to hear from the coast for if it expe
rienced such day and night as we had on Suns
day, there is no telling he amount of suffering and
loss which ensued And we fear that immense
damage to stock, fences, &C., has been done all
throus the country as far as the storm extended.
We have lived more years than we choose to spe-
to give us pretty considerable ex
perience of this climate of our's-but we have
seen no such weather that we are now noticing
IN our born days." as the saying is. We thought
at the time that last January and February were
hard to beat in the way of snow and cold-but
inns present January has ec'ipsed them. 1t will
be scores OF years, or centuries, we hope, before
the memorable storm of Sunday will be exceeded
or equalled in fury in this or any other vicinity.
DR.. JOSEPH E. CoX.-The Petersburg Express
furnishes some additional particulars Of the death
of this gentleman, which we copy below Doctor
Cox was one Of the most publicspirted citizens Of
Petersburg, having filled high and important posts
of honor and trust and for long term of years
joyed probably more extensive practice than
any other ply sieian in that place. He leaves
widow, two sons and a daughter, to whom he as
most devotedly attached. The Express says;
"On Sunday afternoon, during the prevalence of
the stor IN from which so many suffered DIR. Cox
expressed his intention of visiting his farm, siua
ted in Chesterfield, some thirty miles from Peters
burg. This was strenuously opposed by his fami-
ly and many CT his friends, but overcoming their
opposition and procuring the company of his neph-
eW, MIR. Robert Traylor, young man well known
to The community, he ordered his buggy and ST art
ed out about clock. Having progressed with
great difficulty some eighteen miles ON the road,
and night with all Its stormy darkness overtakiug
them they concluded to stop at the residence Of
DR.. Grimes, son IN law of DIR. Cox, two lies dis.
tapt. Upon arriving at the gate, no light was dis.
cernible in the house. and the impetuous wind
drowning every shout they gave to attract atten-
ton, they concluded, although suffering intensely
from cold, to go to the residence of James Cox
Esq, not far off In taking by road, familiar to
the Doctor, to reach his brothers house. the dark.
ness was 80 impenetrabie the snow so deep and
binding, that it was impossible to drive with any
certainty and in the midst of this perplexty the
buggy struck leg, breaking an axletree and
causing the horse to break from the traces
The Doctor then left the buggy and attempted
to make bis way back to DR.. Grimes, while Mr.
TrAylor, too much benumbed with cold and dis.
hsarttna with their bad fortune wrapped his
blanket over him and fell back into the buggy 1t
was then nine O'Clock. In the meanwhile, DR.
Cox, after advancing within fifty or sixty yards of
the house, sunk into snow drift, which complete
ly enveloped him, and unable to move an inch, he
remained in this unhappy condition until Monday
morning DR.. Grimes coming out into bis porch
about seven o'clock, deserted the buggy st some
occupied by human form covered with
snow, and Immediately fprocuring his horse, has
tened out to render assistance. Mr.. Traylor was
fund nearly frozen 10 DEATH blood streaming frem
every organ of his face and almost without the
power OF articulation. Dr. Cox was discovered,
DY bis direction, in the DRIFT, perfectly inseps
bie Great care was bestowed upon both ct the
residence of DIR. g.. Notwithstanding which, DIR.
IVA NJ Sethea LIB iaht al y CloCk, ~. N Auu ~
last accounts Mr.. Trayler's recovery was perfect
~ hopeless, every limb being utterly frozen.
FATAL EFFECTS OF THE COLD WEATHER.
Mr.. John Ii Brown, aged about 80 years. son of
the late Mordecai Brown, was found in the streets
Of Petersburg at late hour Sunday night, and
the Boler gbrook hotel, where be died
the next morning, having been chilled through by
cold. In the same city, Rawson 8. Edwards, q
dealer in fish, oysters, sc, was found frozen to
death Monday morning, in his STALL opposite the
western end Of the market house. In Petersburg,
~ in Richmond several funerals were necessarily
postponed in consequence of the snow.
CoMMENDABLE.-The Petersburg EXPIRES res
ates the following:
One Of our most enterprislng young merchants a.
we'll 80 deserving Of men, finding business entii ely
suspended on Monday, determined not to be idle,
but wi IN purpose as noble es bis heart 10 ibsrai,
started out in behalf Of the poor of city Moth.
ng dsunted BY the depth Of the snow, the biting
;oid of the temperature, he travelled every street,
md applied to every ctizen-eelins that he appesi