Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-01-25
1 Mission Semi-Centennial.

1t will be fifty years next Monday since
Samuel f. Smith. as Governor of Maine.
signed the act incorporating the Free Bap-
list Foreign Mission Society. All the men
who united in organizing the society are
dead. The denominations represented by
the society are to celebrate the semi
centennial. Sermons are to be preached
next Sabbath throughout the denomina-
ton on Foreign Missions, and the Foreign
Mission Society are to hold special
meeting in Lowell. Mass. next Monday;
the meeting to continue until Tuesday
evening. President Cheney of Bates Col
lege breaches the opening sermon before
the society
The legislature Is taking action to give
the society the power to hold more funds
for general missionary purposes. and for
endowing their Theological School at
Midnapore. India. A bill has also passed
the House incorporating the Free Baptist
Woman's Missionary Society. This socie-
ty is engaged in Home as well as in For
completed the erection of fine brick hall
for Storer College Gan institution for col
ored youth) at Harper's Ferry. West Va.
and will have another completed within
the year. Reduced fares will be given on
all the railroads to the meeting at Lowell.
The weather during the last week has
been quite cold in all parts of the coun-
try. What we have experienced in New
England is mild however compared with
the singing cold and the drifting SHOWS
In the West. From the Mississippi river
to Chicago the thermometer has registered
from Is degrees to 25 degrees below zero,
while in the northwestern States it has
been far colder The situation as it APP
pears at Chicago is described in despatch
dated the 22nd as follows: 1.-The mails
are delayed in all directions and no effort
is being made by the post-oifice people
apparently to send them out over ma
jority of the roads. owing to the severe
weather. Suburban travel has been also
greatly interfered with. There is deep
cut just above Desplaines which is packed
full of snow, which force Of laborers
have been trying all day to clear out For
the past ten days trains have not gone be-
yond this barrier either way. Nearly all
the suburban trains were abandoned
both yesterday and to-day. The intense
cold and drifting snow have put an en-
barge on travel on the Wisconsin Division
of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.
The Dakota and St. Paul passenger trains
have been unable to get through for the
past two days. Those which left for
Chicago Saturday are laid up at vari-
Gus points on the line, and all through |
trains were abandoned on Sunday. The |
blizzard of Saturday night and yesterday
drilled the cuts on the road between |
Chicago and Harvard Junction full of
snow. which is packed and frozen into q
solid mass. Even on the level prairie the
track is coverered with snow. which packs
hard against the rails. making it difficult
tor the wheels to cut through it. There
is practically suspension of freight traffic
throughout the entire length of the divi-
sion. The trains that left here Saturday
are stuck fast in deep snow-drifis, the ERE
and water of the locomotives having given
out and the huge machines being dead
Nothing like this has been known in New
England this winter. Trains have gener-
ally been on time, no blocking SHOWS have
come to interfere with their regular trips.
Neither nave men or animals suffered
much from the severity Of the weather.