Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-26
SAN FRANCISC0S SNOW STORM.

SAN FRANCISCOS SNOW STORM
A STRANGE EXPERIENCE FOR oALIFoRNIANs-
THE OLDEST INHAB1TANT REMEMBERS MOTH
ING LIKE 1r--A DAY DEVOTED TO SNOW BALL.
TNG-sTREEr SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
tFrom the San Francisco, Call 1st inst.l
Such q snow storm as visited San Francisco
yesterday has not been known here since
snow was first invented. Saturday gavo no
admoniton save that the thermometer was
much depressed. At eight o'clock Saturday
evening the mercury stood at 40 Fahrenheit
which for San Francisco was q wide departure
from what we are accustomed to. At eight
o'clock yesterday morning tho temperature
was 3S'. with dark lead colored clouds form
ing. At 1880 A. NJ. tho first indications of
snow appeared in small hakes-"s splitting
snow" as It is called in the East In less than
fifteen minutes after, there was n snow storm
raging such as San Francisco has no previous
record of. The oldest Spanish residents say
it has had no parallel in their day. The storm
continued without any sign of modifying un-
til three o'clock p. NJ. For the first two hours
the snow melted as fast as it fell then it
commenced to accumulate, and along toward
evening there was from an inch and n half to
three inches of snow on the ground. On cold
dry surfaces it was deeper-say almost four
inches. At three o'clock there was slight
modification in the fall, and the air became
calm, and before five o'clock the snow had
turned to rain, which continued during the
remainder Of the evening. The Signal Ser
vice at Washington gave no prediction of this
storm, believing, doubtless, that such a pre-
diction for the Pacific coast would jeopardize
its reputation. The last storm shown by the
records at the Signal Service Office in San
Francisco occurred on the 18th Of January,
1865, before daylight in the morning Two
inches Of snow fell during that storm, but
dissipated before sunrise. The last before
that was on the 20th of December 1856,
when two or three inches fell but melted
away in few hours. There have been in
other years, though at long intervals, hurries
of snow lasting for a few minutes; but an
honest square-toed snow storm like this one
has never been known here before. The ef-
feet on the spirits Of our inhabitants was ex-
hilaratng. Many of the younger people had
never seen a snow storm before, but they took
to snowbaling instinctively, and woe betide
the hGpless Cinnamon who vcntured outside
of the limits Of Chinatown. They were pelt-
cd numerically. Where there were no China
men everybody else had to take it, and good
nature was the best policy, for If one got mad
it only made matters worse for him. Boys
and girls and grown.up men were seized with
the spirit of the sport, and neither age, sex,
color, creed nor condition in life was respect
ed. Street cars were bombarded The most
unfortunate position a man could hold under
the circumstances, was that Of an engineer on
a cable road dummy lie was exposed be-
youd remedy and pelted mercilessy. The
best he could do was to button his ulster up
to his cars and take the storm. What he did
not experience in the way Of getting snow
baled is not worth recording. What he did
experience, time and space would fail to re-
cord
A little child on Sutter street, that had new
er seen snow before, was nonpussod. First
he thought it was feathers or pieces of paper
falling; then he concluded that it must be
salt or white sugar. He ran out Of the house,
gathered up handful and returning in haste
exclaimed, "Oh, how cold it is. l'm going
to put this away in tie closet and keep it for
ever, and show it to people" but before he
got to the closet the handful Of snow had
melted away and left him more than ever
wondering.
Two men Of advanced ideas improvised
sleigh, Rndhtchinga horse to it drove through
the streets with great 6cldt-so to speak The
turnout was picturesque though not TO say
pretty-that is, not beautiful. As they pro-
ceeded, the snow storm increased-it came
down in flakes, it came colaterally in hard
balls, il came from every direction. They
put whip to their steed to get out of the cy.
clone. In turning into kearny street the has
tily constructed sleigh began to disntegrate
A runner dropped of ind they ran on one
wheel until the other was left; still the
storm Of snowballs grew thicker, and they
piled the whip to the flying steed, the dry
goods box which served for sleigh bed
plowing the snow over the cobbestones until
shattered half to pieces, it rollei over and
tumbled the two sleigh riders out The horse
made no effort to run away and the men get
ting up demurely brushed the slush and mud
of their clothes. One of them said "Calfor-
mia is a - of place 20 take sleigh ride
in" They were both unanimous on that
point.
Considerable amusement was INDUCED in
at the expense OF an individual who attempt.
ed to parade Bush street with a large woolen
blanket over his shoulders, and leading lit
tie black and-tan dog with a chain. He soon
became n conspicuous object Of attention,
and was followed for nearly block, and
snowy missiles were thrown in his ears, eyes
and mouth, while the poor dog soon resem-
bled a white poodle
A couple Of enterprising persons rounded
of the ends of two long redwood boards,
harnessed horse to the improvised Sleigh
and gayly glided down Rearny street. Every
thing went smoothly until Market street was
reached, when one of the envious spectators
took hold Of the rear end of one of the run
ners, and, with sudden jerk, upset the af-
fair, preciptating the hitherto happy person
ages into the snow.
Portsmouth Square presented a beautiful
sight The pure and glistening mantle which
covered the walks was undisturbed by the
footsteps of men, and during the day the
chirping and bewildered sparrows were the
sole occupants of the place. The trees were
bent with their white burden, and the large
flag pole swayed to and fro in the falling
heecy clouds.
Whenever Chinaman appeared upon the
street he was specially marked out as an OBJ
ject Of attack, and many an unfortunate laun-
dryman who attempted to carry the weeks
washing to his patrons had to run a gauntlet
of the flying missiles. When the bell rung
out at half-past three in the afternoon for a
fire in Chinatown, however the celestials got
good and even on the white people who flock
ed toward their quarters. As the engines aud
hremen dashed through Stockton and the
neighboring streets, they were met on all
sides with steady cannonade Of snos balls,
hard and soft and whenever white man
would slip aud fall the Cinnamon would sur
round him in a body and absolutely bury him
with armfuls of snow. Chief Scannell, in
driving down Washington street was the re-
cipient of good many icy favors at tho hands
of the celestials, and his amiability was not
greatly enhanced by the marks of regard
which fell upon him.
On Telegraph Hill the snow fell to a great
er depth than in any other portion of the city,
and during the early part of the day residents
of that locality merrily hurled the snow at
each other to their hearts content but when
the rain commenced to fall at dark, the
thoroughfares soon became slippery and
slushy, and many an indiviual who started to
walk carefully down Kearny street hill, from
Vallejo to Broadway, had his legs suddenly
slip from under him and down the steep de-
clivity he would 60 at rate which left him
short of breath when he landed in the street
below.
A police officer on Turk street. near Mark
et attempted to arrest couple of boys for
firing solidly pressed snowbals at a China
man. large crowd of persons gathered
around the officer and rescued the youngsters,
while the officer was forced to retreat before
a shower of snow hurled at him by the
crowd.
In some places a crowd of boys and men
would congregate and fill pals and pans with
snowballs in readiness for the passersby. In