Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-08
THE SNOW STORM.
The Beautiful snow and ISIush En-.
loyed By Sleighors and snow.
BalleFs.

BaIIers.
On Saturday it was generally believed
that the back bsne Of winter was broken
and tina. gentle spring with its fresh,
balmy zephyrs and buds and blossoms
had come; but alas for human hopes and
predictionsl March had no idea of COM
ing in unless it came lion.like and
howled around chimney tops and street
corners. Late on Saturday the snow
storm came, the beautiful white crystals
falling in myriads. Ere they kissed
mother earth they were whirled and
whisked about by the stiff northwest
wind that drove the white messengers
into %crannies and clefts of buildings or
hurried them to earth. All nigh: long
the snow fell in small dry flakes, a cloud
of witness against Old Prob" at Wash.
ington, who announced in the LEDGER
of Saturday, Northwest to northeast
winds, colder and increasing cloudy
weather, with rain in Tennessee"
P%rophesies often get tangled up, as. a
mans foresights are not half as good
as his backsights when considering
worldly affairs. The clerk of the weather
was p~lucking his geese for Easter days,
and the white heecy cloud fell silently
from above.
1t showed until nine o'clock yesterday
morning, a fact which the early village
cocktailer found out as he left his little
bed and hsstened to an adjacent saloon
to throw a breakfast appetizer under his
belt and screw his courage up to a point
necessary to meet on the street corners
the army Of young men and boys, who
formed and fashioned the snow into balls
and cast them with unerring aim and no
little force at wandering humanity. At
the corners Of Main and Monroe, Madi-
son, Jefferson and Adams these ener-
getic workers in snow did most congre.
gate nearly all day long, and many a
citizen was bombarded and shelled in a
warlike manner. The African hack
driver or pedestrian did not find that the
civil rights bill protected him from as
sault, Notwithstanding the agis thrown
around him on account Of race, color
and previous condition of servitude,
nor did the white man in sleighs, cutters
or on sleds fare any better as he whirled
by amid the music of little bells and the
grinding noise of iron.clad runners. On
the streets the snow was twelve inches
in depth and neal corners was piled UP
by the wind several feet. 1t was
an arctic scene when bebeld from
the bluff that overlooked the surg.
ing and mighty Mississippi. The
white raiment of nature was over all
except the broad river that was almost
running over the Arkansas bank. By
ten o'clock the snow ceased to fall, and
the bright sun shone out and got up a
thaw. Whole sheets of snow, like Alpine
avalanehes, Sided from housetops into the
street, shaking the earth and emitting a
sound like muttering thunder or a sup.
pressed earthquake. Several awnings
broke down beneath the weight of snow,
and many narrow escapes took place
throughout The city. The street cars
were impeded for several hours, and it
was with difficulty that the patient mules
could pull the old boxes along the differ
ent routes. Such a heavy snow storm
has seldom been seen in Memphis, and
never, we believe, before at this season
of the year. News from the country
states that all the streams are swollen,
endangering property, railroad tracks
and bridges, A food of waters is hiss.
ing and seething onward to the sea.
Jeau Ingelow's poetical description of
the High Tide on the Coast of Lanca.
SHIRE" wildly describes the sudden rise
Of waters throughout Tennessee:
For lol along the rivers bed
A mighty eygre reared his crest,
And uppe the Lindis raging sped. :
II swept with thunder0us noises loud:
Shaped like a curling snOw-white cloud,
Or like q demon in shroud.
And rearing Lindis backward pressed
Shook all the trembling bankes amaine;
Then madly at the eygre's breast
Flung up her weltering walls again.
Then bankes oame down with ruin and rOut,
Then beaten foam few round about
Then all the mighty floods were out,
So fare, SO fast the eygre drave,
The heart had hardly time to beat,
Before a shallow seething wave
Sobbed in the grasses at our feet,
The feet had hardly time to flee
Before il brake against the knee,
And all the world was in the sea.