Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-02-23
A ST0RM-STAYED LETTER.
"A uoNASs hNPERrENcE ON a rRIP 10
0TrIVI, CANADA.

speol,l cerre ronaencs OF the lsrnllloEsern.

Special Core lpondonco the lNrELlioEScEn
DE KALB JUNCTION, y. ". Feb. H.
Have you evcr---my dear aud distant IN
rELliaENCER- R--becn wcathor.bound, storm
stayed or showed up2 II not, then let mino
he the pleasure of being the first tn describe
TO you a new sensation aud experience
For Il is one that am testing now. ] am
snow-bound. Not ! have been, or | was,
but am IN alcdips res ut this present writ
ing started from New York duly aud duly
enough ON Monday evening, Feb. 9th, bent
upon visit to Ottawa, Canada was In the
berth of q sleeping car aud the air around
me was hot, close aud vitiatcd but no ono
emed to mind II and might,r perhaps, have
slept had not some iiend over and anon
slammed the door beside me with pcrtinacity
whenever dozcd oil. All went well rs wo
hurled through the hlacknc4s of the night,
on aud ON until we reached Rome, whore we
gathered up our traps and changed cars; for
we passed 10y "pentup Utica and took the
Rome road in consequence of the injudicious
iadvice of the New York ticket agent. "Woe
worth the day! Woo worth the hour" for
there our troubles began and continued and
havo not YET ended We lcit Rome in slect,
wind and snow. ut q q. m, expecting to reach
Ogdenshurg at 1880 aud Ottawa the same
afternoon. Listen how we did that: Heavily
wheel tho crcaking aud iarring OF the cars
told how heavily thoy were straincd-ono
pitled the tagging out engine. The train
hands began To look interested, excited, wor-
rlod. Tho conductor told me he had not
slept for two nights. lie was rubicunu and
facotipus man. "NoXt station, Watcrtown"
he shouted, and added soto rOcc, "if we ever
get there" Interest grew among the passen-
gers and as the material and actual ice of
nature hardened outside, tho artificial and
conventional ice Of manner began to thaw
inside Man aud woman began 10 cautiously
and then froelychat with uniutruduced man
and woman. We exchanged anNietics with
our ncghbnrs.
THE WAIT IN wATERrowS
The conductor was too apprehonsiVo we
reached Watertown and there we waited for
the train from tho North aud we had some
hours in the train, each diverting himself 20
best ho could or couldn't. Then when Il.
yawns grew bigger and bigger, we were told
20 step out into the waiting room Of the STA
ton, a. We could not continue our way until
the evening. bag aud baggage out and In we
went, thankful indeed that there was wait
ing room and station to shield rs from tho
little blizzard
\ whole day before II, In a dingy room,
stale hot air, dirty doors and an OdOr of wct
boots What could the philOsoph.c mind do
but turn spontaneously FROM tho inanimatc
TO animate objects. We s'urod at each other;
but every one behaved SO well there was
small variety in that.
There were, conspicuous among the other
fellow travellers, three cOlOrod women-la-
dies they prefer being called, and hope that
they try TO bo aud are-elcglntIy dressed and
wearing their dress with elegance, who were
interesting. They were OF tho Fisk jubilee
singers fresh from 4 concert the night be-
fore given i'm the town. Two Of these women
were beautiful, with a spt oriental lowell
Nncss; quidroons Of clear cream coiors md
with eyes both brilliant and tender. They
reminded mo of C'lorie do Dion roses. Next
IN interest was Il poor family very poor
family, cmigtn:ng. Itconsisted Of . father,
mother, grandma and four children one hit
of girl and three sturdy little boys-elch
possible future president ot oar glorious re-
public; each my superior in this, that some
- day he might vote each ut that moment
blindly unconscious of that superiority
munchinc my muniiiccnco in the shape ~
popco
With folded hands and bent head, in her
faded garments, sat the old grandma pathcti-
Cally patient, worn and meek. That patience
gave her face charm of its own. There WAS
a woman there (I am not sure whether she il
a lady or noi) who is an artist, who took from
her satchCl her sketch hOOk, and btgm 10
draw thi, OLD woman. But this was too
stimulating godsend to the jaded, waiting
people. They crowded around, cheering on
the moving pencil with encouraging com
ment, even to an occasional acGenIuation
of romlrk by an oath-if ooh Damn I" when
uttered approvingly aud without the malice oI
anathema can be called u square oath. | ann
not clear IN my mind about that, Maybe
some ono may read thisletter who will have c
keencr experimental, moro graduated
knowledge on this matter than | have. Lei
him decide. All this time, bear in mind, the
storm ragged without and tClegraphic conmu'
nicaton was cut Oft.
Once | stepped out and tried to explore the
town, which lay behind and above Us, but
only got far enough through snow and ice tC
come upon public square ofhne proportion
when my cold face and ears Obliged metoro
turn eagerly ytothe foul air but secure protection
OF the station room. oysters and coffee wer'
to be had in the restaurant, so we could no
starvc.
Toward night people got tired of waiting
and went OIL for the night to seek hotels. Tn
few remaining grew absolutely commuuica
tive and confidential. One tiInid lady
"whose folks were expecting her to nurs
ner niece $ NIfh HuSilllh, i'4iANu oi w ''N
and announced her intention "to do jus
what" did. decided to go on il the trail
did. Finally no one re manned besides oul
selves except the cuigrauts the futur
presidents growing SO jolly and hilarious tha
they got their ears boxed by the matCrna
hand and filed the air with louder howl
than ever political meeting will draw iroI
them. Peanuts restored and quoted them.
BEHIND THE SNOW rLow.
Atnir G o'clock the train started. Iriumpl
antIy but sleepiy we took our places oHl
a half dozen Of us but ii was SLOW progress
and after an hour no progress at all an
from then On things continued decided
novel and exciting for the night We la
occasional reports from outSde-tho snO'
plow was oil the track and the tired me
working at il, but as fast ~ they cleared th
track tho fine drifting snow filled it in an
the ice was frozen on the rails. The Inc
had two hundred and fifty feet of ice to q
away ON the road. Then new uneasne
arOse-our red signal lights were blown cu
These were lamps glowing in the back of oI
- ear as a warning 10 any possibly fnllowif
engine not 10 run into us. We had npthir
to fear ahead on account of the blockade
: ice but as we had already cleared the traC
there was nothing To prevent the usual CIV
ming train from following us. The telegral
wires beng down we had no means of Coz
municating with the stations behind rs
warn thom Of our arrested condition. Wi
our lights out what was to prevent our beil