Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-24


The storm of Friday night and Saturday
morning must be set down by weather observ-
ers and calculators as the storm Of this terri.
bly, rough and stormy winter. Even the cold
snow before dark, the storm increased
in velocity and power until midnight,
and almost up to daylight Saturday morn
| ing, it was showing still. Right in the
midst of the storm a high wind arose that
| continued most of the night, filing the night
| air thick with snow, and nearly binding the
eyes of all who dared venture out. Persons
| returning home from their places of business
| or from long distances, were nearly bewil-
dcred and overcome by the storm. The light
snow drifted into huge piles, filling highways
| and door yards, raising cold, white barriers
| between neighbors who had ever been on good
| terms, and blotting out the line and street
fences as though they had never existed. As
people crawled out of their beds Saturday
morning, and looked out on ''nater'' from the
top panes of their windows, where the win
dows were not entirely covered and the DOM
ioile enwrapped in the faky winding sheet,
those of practical minds thought it the ''all-
fredest snow storm they ever her'n tell on"
tive and poetical of Whittier's "Snow Bound"
and we might properly quote the grand and
beautiful lines here; but we won't do it-they
might encourage another storm, and we've
got no place to put the snow.
The snow fell to the depth of about eighteen
inches on the level The snow had so bad
ly drifted that but few teams reached the city
on Saturday, and as trade was consequently
dull, all hands and the clerks were engaged
in endeavoring to raise the snow blockade.
The street commissioners and their crews had
job which they tackled man. fashion, and de-
serve credit for what they did do under the
most adverse and discouraging circumstances.
Stages were storm-stayed, not one leaving
the city on Saturday or Sunday.
After big storm like this the thoughts OF
everybody naturally turn to the railroads.
The managers of the Maine Central had
large crews promptly on hand for clearing
the track early in the morning. The seven
o'clock train west, Saturday morning, cour-
ageously started out with an extra engine
and STOW pillow and cut its way through to
Portland, making remarkably good time I'M
der the circumstances. The Pullman train,
due here at 8 80 Saturday morning, arrived
at twenty minutes to three in the afternoon,
coming along with the forenoon passenger
train from Portland, having two engines and
snow pillow. An unfortunate accident hap
pened TO this train. When about one mile
and a half this side of Freeport, the snow
pillow was thrown from the track and reversed.
The train passing on, the sharp side Of the
pillow scraped against the engine and couple
of cars. One side of the postal and baggage
car was almost completely torn away, as
though it had fallen upon ledge; portion
of the railing was torn from the engine ~. D.
Lang" and its smoke stack knocked askew,
and the machine otherwise damaged. The
Bangor also received some injuries. \
passenger car was badly SCARED by the con-
tact of the snow plow, but not greatly dam
aged. The train FROM Skowhegan arrived
the west, and proceeded on to Portland.
The Bangor train arrived at half past five
with two snow. clad engines and a snow pillow.
The train from the west, due here at four
o'clock Saturday afternoon, reached the city
at four o'clock Sunday morning, being drawn
by five engines. A high wind prevailed all
night Saturday, filling up the roads and tracks
again, and rendering them almost as bad as
they were at the close Of the storm, and in
some places worse. Railroad men had the
hardest struggle they have had for years to
keep the track clear The Pullman train,
due here at 8 80 Sunday morning, came in
at one o'clock in the afternoon, with three en-
gnes and snow pillow. The train that left
this city for Bangor, Saturday afternoon at
o'clock, ran off the track between Waterville
and Kendall's Mills, causing blockade of
the trains that afterwards arrived at Water
Vile.
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