Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-02-04
Eor tie Spectator.
TOT Gte DPeCtutOF.
Adventures in the Snow,

tuiiys journey from Richmond 10 DlauntOn our
ing the late snow storm.
On the morning of the 18th of January about
sixty persons, including four ladies, took seat;
in the cars OF the Central Railroad at Richmond
The snow was falling rapidly at the time, and
the wind blowing most furiously. am inform
ed that Capt. Stapleton Gooch, the conductor Of
the train, was advised to take three engines to
insure connection at Gordonsville. An hour;
time was lost before we started, at Quarter to
s o'clock We left Richmond with two engines
and made very good time on an upgrade to At
lees, nine miles out. There for some unaccoun
table reason Capt. Gooch left one OF his engines,
although the storm was increasing every mo-
ment. We made slow progress until we reach
ed Beaver Dam, 40 miles from Richmond. We
were then so much behind time that under the
schedule we remained at Beaver Dam one hour
and live minutes awaiting the down train. 1t
not appearing we proceeded on our way slowly
Tor live miles, when the trains met and we had
to "back down" to let the down train pass. This
involved the loss of another hour, so that we
finally got away from that station about three
hours after the proper time. and with only a
single engine to our train. The storm in the
meanwhile had increased to perfect tornado,
and. was bowling through field and forest i'll tones
OF fearful import; clouds OF mingled snow and
sand came rolling and roaring across the plain,
filling every cut along the road, and banking up
in drifts and hills behind every point Of land or
copse of wood that broke the fury of the blast
and allowed the whirling mass to sink to rest.
The cold became intense. The engine was chill
led-tlle pumps were frozen and We had TO stop
until they could be thawed, by fires lighted I'M
der and around them, on the outside OF the en-
CINE. This difficulty removed, we once more
moved forward and reached Louisa Q. House
about the time the train was due in Staunton.
There we encountered drift several hundred
yards in length, too deep and heavy to yield TO
our feeble engine. The fireman and engine driv
or were both so badly frost bitten that the one
will perhaps lose his ears entirely, and the other
partially. The aspect of affairs had become
gloomy in the extreme. The engine still work.
ed, but so feebly that she made no impression
upon the snow drift ahead A number of us at
this point determined to abandon the train and
seek shelter in the village hotel; Others still
hoping to get forward retained their places; but
forward they could not go. In backing to the
wood-house and water tank for fresh supplies Of
wood and water, portion of the train ran off
the track. This occurred about 250 yards from
the hotel The ladies were still on board Be-
tween them and the hotel were drifts to be pass
ed from to feet deep No conveyance could
be procured; aud they bad to be carried, or
rather dragged, through the snow. Exhausted
and almost frozen they reached the house
Have you ever been at that tavern? If so,
you may have some conception of our situation.
Ii you have not been there cannot impress you
with q faithful picture of the place. Of the
landlord have no complaint to make. lie was
kind and did perhaps all in his power-not to
make us comfortable, for that was impossible,
but-to save our lives True he had come upon
the train when we first arrived and before any
of us left it, and said he had 80 beds, and could
accommodate us all. Perhaps he had them but
| did not see or hear of them afterwards. My
self and eight others were put into one small
room Ono. 25'O with two double and two sin
gle beds. However, we were thankful and did
not complain. Being the first corners we had
spoken for and obtained the best room--that was
some comfort. On taking possession OF 1t we
found a small snow drift extending across the
floor from the window half way to the fire place
and about six inches deep. But we were accus-
toned to snow and didn't mind that much Still
the sight of it reminded rs that fire would be
agreeable. For this luxury, however, we had
applied to the landlord in vain-protfered brides
to the negroes had also failed us. An eXplora-
ton of the town in search of wood pile was
then determined on. Our route lay directly thro'
the bar-room, which we reached after plunging
through five foot drift in the yard that sepa-
rated our building from the main tavern. 1t
was our frst-but as the sequel will show by no
means our ast--visit to this great ceuter-l
may say this heart-of the establishment, that
furnished the vital fluid to all the more remote
extremitieS even as far off as "No. 25."
The bar being o regular water q station all
hands stopped, filled our tanks, got up steam
and then proceeded on our way rejoicing. to the
drft-buried wood-ple in the street. a few min
utes vigorous exercise with the axe, made q
frghtful inroad upon the small pile of pine poles
and black jack sappngs. Each one with as
much as he could toddle nnder-l mean as much
aoo0d, oil course-foundered and waded back TO
No. 25, where we soon raised an enormous
smoke, and in the course of time as much fire as
W armed very considerably-the and-irons.
Cold and chilly, cherries and comiortless,
hungry, thirsty and wrathy, news reached us
by some means that supper was ready. a rush
was made for the dining room. 1t could only
be satisfactorily reached through the bar-room.
And by the way, it is a remarkable fact that
this barrroom was the most accessible part OF
the establishment, and must have been the most
pheasant and comfortable for there was always
a crowd in it. 1t is an apartment about 20 feet
square, with divers doors and windows--a ten
pate stove in the middle five split-bottom chairs,
4 small counter in one corner, den on one side
filled with divers barrels, bottles and buckets,
and very respectable member OF the Smith
family, whose energies were taxed TO the utmost
lin the discharge of his multitarious duties OF
handling the aforesaid bottles and throwing pine
knots into 90 gallon iron kettle, standing in
the middle of the den and in which there was a
blazing fire kept up for the threefold purpose OF
warming Smith, thawing the whiskey and smok-
ling the crowd ont of the bar-room to their own
quarters: for all the smoke from the fire in the
kettle spread through the room, and could only
escape up q stair way to the apartments OF some
of our friends above,
But to return to the supper, which was in q
large cellar about 80 or 40 feet, with bicl,
floor, and row of brick pillars down tie mid
die Here were two tables surrounded by up
wards of sixty of the most ravenous bipeas, that
ever trod that pavement. The company was
somewhat prolniscuous and mixed-indeed |
imirbt venture to call it various and variegated.
Tn n military pont of view it ives well Differed
We had one general. three colonies and major
and several subalterns The other ''distingush-
ed strangers" were four or five lawyers cou-
Die of doctors, a horse dealer, wholesale and
retail mule merchants negro-trader, who Is a
glorious good fell0w--a cattle merchant, several
farmers, a stage driver, four ladies, Christy
Ministries, Faro dealer, and Bank PRESIDENT
Except the ladies and the General who all APP
peared serious, solemn and dignified, the. whole
party were in n state of the most uproarious tu-
Imult and merriment | attributed this to the
large quantity of smoke from Smiths kettle in
the bar-room. which had been inhaled, and which
observed invariably operated like exhiliratng
gas upon all who visited Smith, Indeed l am
sure it was the smoke, for noticed that several
Sons Of Temperance Who had merely looked O.
yer Smiths counter to see how he kept the fire
burning in his kettle, were more affected, than
those of us who confessedly drank good deal
of Smiths whiskey and held our noses III we