The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-02-15
A Remarkable New England Snow.
Storm

habitantn told reporter the other day:
at was in the month of January, 1876,
just sixty-eight years ago this very
month. that it took place, and nearly
scared oil Berkshire County out of their
wits. Hem let me see, it was on the
night of the 10Th or 16th-no, the 18th
was correct l lived there with my
father in the south part of Adams, just
about half mile north of the Cheshire
line. Soon after supper and two or
three other boys took our sleds and went
out for a coast. We had great time,
tell We; we'd start on little hill. side
of pond, 90 down with rush and
buzz, away on the ice to the other enc
of the pond. Oh, it was grand sport
But that hasn't anything to do with my
story, not mite or a grain. 1t was along
about the time when we were getting
ready to go home that it began to snow
gently, and [ saw flash of lightning.
spoke to the other boys aboutit, but they
didn't see it and laughed at me. / felt
sure of it though, and when we reached
home told my folks of it. My stars,
what fun they did make of me. He, ha!
They couldn't make enough jokes, and
as they repeated the same ones over and
over, and seemed to enjoy them Just as
much as if they were new. When l
finally went to bed l felt heartily
ashamed of myself for.having seen so
ridiculous and impossible thing as a
flash oflightning in midwinter, and was
half convinced that had been
mistaken.
mot long after midnight we were
awakened by terrific crash which set
the whole house trembling. Starting
out of bed the room was suddenly
| lighted by vivid flash of lightning,
which lasted, it seemed, several seconds,
| and was followed by fearful thunder
ing. Boo! It makes my blood run cold
even now to think of it. I got down
Stairs as best I could, and there found
the whole family-gals and women
folks and all, all huddled together, THEN
teeth chattering with fear and their
eyes bullying out of their heads. Dad
| whined, has the world come to an
eneP' 'N-n-no,' he stammered, but it. s
a coming fast, an we're all burning up.
just then there was another flash, and
when it was over / looked out of the
winder and saw at once what dad meant;
the snow was all on fire! 1t was falling
fast, and as it struck the ground it be-
came red like flame, and glowed away
as if it would burn up everything. Then
it gradually faded until another flash
came, when it all burst out again.
Where the snow lay on q dead level this
was not noticeable, but on the fences,
kho L.
dropping from the branches of the
trees. wherever there was projection
of any sort, it glowed and shone like
living fame.n
The old inhabitant leaned back in his
chair, clasped his hands together, and
looked away through the distance of
years, and his face became solemn as he
thought of the fear the curions spectacle
created.
''Were you much frightened" ques-
toned one of his listeners.
Frightened! That amt no word
for it. | was scared, sir; scared so much
that I nigh shivered myself into the
hereafter on that night. Why, that
binding lightning would flash into our
eyes, and the thunder came simulta-
neously, and the old house would go
br-r-r-r-r-ugh! trembling in every beam
and rafter. That continued for several
hours, and we staid up, never daring to
go to sleep-huh! we couldn't a gone to
sleep in that racket, and that fearful
glow and burning kept on the snow. /
can't describe it; you'd ought to
have seen it yourself. Red fire that
lit up the yard and road so that
you could see the objects and
distinguish them, and see the snow fall
ing down like as if it would bury us
under mantle of flame. AS we learned
afterward, all our neighbors round in
that part of the country were just as
much disturbed as we were. Morey
Jinks, friend of our family who lived
in those parts, was riding on horseback
that night from Savoy hollow up to the
Center; and I've heard him tell many a
time how shook up he was with fright, for
his horses name and ears were flaming
red, and the bride rains were just two
strings of flame reaching from his hand
to the bits.
''There was another man out riding
that night, too; they're both dead years
and years ago. This man was DIR.
Gushing, very famous: physician of
that time, known and respected all
over the northern part of Berkshire.
He was riding home from a visit toto
well, never mind; the name has slipped
from me. He was out through all the
storm, and noticed the same things that
Morey Jinks told us of, but he wasn't
so scared as the rest of us. He ac-
Inowledged that it made his heart beat
little faster, and that his hair was
inclined to rise, but he was determined
to find out what it all meant, so he rode
up to the most convenient OBJ ,ect that
showed the flame. This happened to
be blacksmith shop, the caves and sides
of which seemed to be burning up.
His horse was dreadful skittish, and
saw the fire as well as he did, and hated
70 90 near to it. But the doctor reined
him right close up to the shop, and
when he got there the horse was so
frightened that she dropped down on
her knees, trembling like a leaf in the
wind. Dr. Cushidg poked off the
blazing snow with the butt of his riding
whip, and he used to tell how it fell to
Gne ground ike drops OF name, SClll
glowing. He kept his senses about him,
but guess consid' able more'n half the
people in that part of the country
thought the world was surely coming
to an end. What would you think,
now, with all your modern eddication,
your science and philosophy, and what
not, if you should see the falling snow
and the cold earth all in one grand
blaze of flaming freP HeyP Come,
now, don't you think you'd be leetle
disturbed? Do I think you'd be calm
and Indifferent Not a mite nor a
grain
And the oldest inhabitent settled
back as if he had finished an important
dispute, and you could not induce him
to say another word on the subject
Boston Globe.
Chinese Quail.
Noticing a strange bird in cage at
Malarkey's market yesterday, an Ore
gonian reporter stopped to sfnd out
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