The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-05-21
Tho Most Remarkable SnowStorm on
Record,

'"o "o"t hGI"d'huDlC DHOWSl0fM Oh
Record
Tho storm camo on us as suddenly as
the great hurricane of January.
l he sky grew pale, then darkcncd to
an omlnous ycliowisi, gray. The
rain grew colder, then turned to slcct,
then to snow, which fell lightly iii
noon. TEcn tho wind strengthened
"rl shifted. 81 | o'cioak it. was
blowing half gnlc rrom the North.
west; half an hour later it was hur-
ricanc, blowing frcm the north.
rs Che wiLd grew stronger, tac air
hccamo black with SNOW. | say
"hlack" aAvi>cdly, for no other VOID
will adequately express the impress
hl'n lett by that storm. The hcaYcus
we're still dome archcd upon the rr-
cllnlng horizon, but the canopy wis
10 longer Of stccly blue and silver.
1t was sky Of tca.'caa, bounded,
when ono caught a glimpse o; it, w
livid ring. In the midst was an un.
natural smear of ncbuous, white
light. That was the sun. The snow
.T1o longer fell in fakes. The little
needles, which at first had been
dricvn tinginS against the face and
tlnkl'ng against the glass, had given
place to large b'otchy fakes, which
were not too heavy to ho drivcu furi-
"usly before tho wind. But thc.,,
III turn, had yielded to such gigantic
srlashcs Of snow rs may all ia the
Eoa'm of Hrohdigaag. Thcy were ir.
regular w'cathcs, patches ard a.yrc-
cations of snow, which could be iai.ly
lihcncd to nothing so much az an at
mosphcre fail of white hais and cnt
TO" wool. The prevailing impress ion
was that Of mass cf Snnw tnmb!cl
from the c:ruds upon the earth, not
N cubic blocks, but in sheets IF vast
lincAl area. 1t was this srow fall
which really hlackrrcI The air :;.,;
covered the ground kncc-decp With
'n" speed of thought, as if, in n't4aj! Of
F."' I1r, the Great Creator h,l s.id,
"hct there be snow," and, for the
chambers Of the great deep, had
broken up tho treasures of ,hn snow
ana the trc.' IL cs Of the hall lie la'i
reserved - m.aju,t n, tiun -, ,n,,i,,
nu,ins. ,hr I,v ,yi',,,,n i'I t''"' o. ""'''e'
These o,cui w;,ai"', ,la"., ,"u wy.
were 'akcn by tho wind which was
blowing at TIC lowest estimate seven.
ty miles an hoUs, sometimes Affirming
times an uudui"t;n. tr,nr. n',,' ,';,NI
run tbrourh Tho f,li;nn, 'I'o' "o"'"
tho shocts Of snow w,"l, ''"s"o un," ""1 '
yibrAto in Tho w;nl l;ln,n:i' "."'
tains. At other t;mrs n",,,> W ,..',T, .I
in ficrccr fury. ,cn1 ,ln arn., s. 'It' 'I",t'
ing drifts int, t,,omcnt. a,I ,,,n;ai I
ing these nl.n, .hc rroun3 nr ,hrn,.,,,
the lower mir. r,s,lv, thrm ;rtn ,,',.'
tiulcs which wc,c Cu cl 49, II ,r,,;
hlo when another current NJ ,;r nr :,
solid oLs;,u,,,,n ,.,. on.,,,,o'.,
taking the form rfa tube far s,.n,I
then with shrick-,h, m.,r;.;,,,''
sigual to the gcuii Of the oi,-Ey,m;Sh.
ing in an asccnd,n, ,riral -. - ~,
funnel Of AN OCEAN s,r,nor ,h,r',1
blow itself OF in a yo!un,, ur sr.ir
through It's own ton.
At midday it was as dark rs E.,v,,
The few people who were c,,Lt d,,i
" Ea'', "voro e''fyI ana guessed ,hc'r d'F-
his hand could not sen j. ,t SS ,Sr
length of his arm. E,;lJ;,,s w''r,,
invisible tin one ran ,r,;n1,t ,,,n,
and looking IN saw crnyrr s.,I,m
in the gray storm. Thr SIM w~,' n,w'
crlc>s TO di.rcr,o or li,h,,n -, w.
mc:i.m gloom. bat y, i;mrS Ln ,n'"n
a >itkly H.h, uron IN, .torn, uh;.,
had mes. wicrl c;yr,t Hro,J
bands Of palcr color ,,Giai,1 Crnn,
the trembling mistress wh;rh w,. nn
sun, travcrSiry Tie dark s,,m.sr,r,n,
like tie i,ai tiuc; yi>to)s .om, nn;",.
crs tracn in an cyn;,ir,. ,,nnn vL',,
'hc storm lullcA fora momcnt un
shadows Of the snow fl,krs c,,lI ,,,,,N
ally DO scco on the vhiin nrI,m,I