Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-05-06
NO. IS.


The winter of 1Ss0-s1 was hard one all
over the country, but especially SO in the
West and Northwest. One of the Oldest set.
tiers declared that nothing like it had been
seen in that section for fifty years. The frst
snow fell early in October, and from that time
on there were more than sixty heavy snow
storms in various parts. The snow was from
six to fifteen feet deep on the level, while the
drifts were twice that depth, and in some
places they are said to have been over fifty
feet deep.
The sufferings Of the people were simply
terrible. Many houses were buried out Of
sight, and their inmates completely cut of
from communication with the outside world
After tunneling their way out they were oblie-
ed to pull down their barns and fences for
fuel, and In some cases the telegraph poles
and railroad ties were dug out and chopped
up to keep the fires going. One man in Da-
kota, who had taken in two neighboring fam
lilies not so well housed, to keep them from
perishing, was compelled finally to break up
their little cabins for frewood. The bitter
cold continuing, the mans own furniture was
sacrificed, even to the bedsteads, trunks and
the children's toys.
In one place the people, for economy's sake,
abandoned their homes and met in q hall,
where they were kept warm by fire fed by
the timber of their own barns and sheds.
Some of the lumber-yards sold their stock for
fuel, and many of the farmers burned their
corn and even their hay. Cattle perished by
the thousand.
The railroads were blockaded for miles, and
some of the trains were held fast in the drifts
for several days together. The work of tun-
neling through and digging out was immense,
and the cost amounted TO a large fortune. One
company offered $50, 900 and all its receipts
IN oravr o,.tl,,. 4.
spring. The Northwestern railway company
have spent over $500, 900 since last October.
Thirty-four immense snow-ploughs had plenty
OF work, and these were backed up by from
two to six locomotives each. The power of
these ploughs and the great resistance of q
snow-drift may be estimated from the fact
that one plough, weighing 4e, 900 pounds, bal
lasted by $4,000 pounds of railway iron, and
driven by six locomotives attacked q snow
choked cutting and was defeated The drift
was ffty-two feet high. When the workmep.
after the tremendous charge, caught glimpse
Of the immense plough, they found that it,
with all its 12S, 900 pounds, had been repeled
as if it were a feather and that it had rolled
clean over the drift and lodged against some
forest trees, where it proposes to remain un-
til summer. From one cut 1924, 900 cubic
yards Of snow were taken, but in eight hours
the wind had piled it up full again. Nine
thousand men have been employed from time
to time during the winter as shovelers.
The snow was cleared by cutting it into
great blocks twelve feet long and the width of
the road As soon as the blocks were cut, a
locomotive pushed up to them, and, making
fast, dragged them of to wider place, where
they could be broken up and shoveled away.
P. L. Allen and Will Stathern, baggage-man
and brakeman on the Southern Minnesota
road, receiving orders by telegraph at Fulda
to report as soon as possible at Wells, and
finding 1t impossible to get there by ordinary
means, rugged up sail-sled and made the
time to Paramount, a distance of fifty-seven
miles, in seven hours. 1t was larger than a
farm-sled, with runners six inches wideon the
bottom. The mainsail was hree-cornered,
and contained about sixteen yards of heavy
cotton cloth. The mast was sixteen feet high,
and rough board behind served as rudder.
WeeLlV