The Republican journal., 1886-02-04
The Ice Storm.

| GREAT DAMAGE TO SHADE AND FRUIT TREES.
TELEGRAPH POLES DOWN IN EVERY DIREC-
TIoN.
The oldest nhabitant says he never saw the like
before We refer of course to the ice formations
of the past week. seldom winter passes that the
trees are not, every twig and branch, ice coated
and sometimes soft clinging snow outlines in white
all their delicate tracery; but never before within
the memory of those living were stately trees
| bowed to the ground great branches broken off
by the weight of ice. This is how it happened. All
day long Thursday there was drilling rain, half
congealed as it reached the ground and clinging
wherever it fell Soon trees houses indeed every
thing outdoors, was ice coated and crust was
formed on the sufficient to bear the weight of
a horse. Friday morning icicles were pendant
from caves and cornices and the trees were weigh
ed down with ice, which envelopcd the smallest
| twgs to the thickness of a mans wrist Friday
afternoon came another drizzle, which added to
the burden of the already over laden trees aud the
swapping and cracking of the branches was heard
| in every direction The ice clear as crystal,
| but it not until saturday morning that the
came out from behind the clouds to illuminate
"A scene long to be remembered but not readily
described. 1t thawed during the day, and pieces
of ice rained down from the tops of tall trees, with
| shady streets of summer time unsafe. More rain
| fell at night and before morning some six inches
of snow had fallen, covering all the landscape
| with mantle of ieecy white. sunday afternoon
just before the scene was one of rare beauty
The ice crystals flashed in the sunset like the most
brilliant jewels, assuming the soft, changable
nts of the opal, and then the fire like radiance Of
the diamond. The sunset tints of the western sky
| formed back ground to this wonderful picture
while the fore ground was hcaped high with
snow whose purity was heightened by the soft
shadows under the trees and along the drifts.
| This is the roseate artistic view of natures
handiwork. looked at practically one realized
the injury done to fruit and shade trees, tn. leaky
roofs, the displaced states, the shattered rlmneys
and the slides. 1t II sad sight to see the
destruction among the Shade trees Church and
High streets. Lofty clms and stately naples were
stripped of limbs, their tops twisted and broken
and great piles of the debris lay on either side of
the roadway. Telegraph and telephones were
broken and down ii every direction, and the in
| jarE to orchards cannot yet be estimated.
Mr. l.. ii. Nurch Of this city who has kept a
faithful record Of the weather for twenty -sevcn
years. SAYS there has been nothing to approach the
present storm in all that time. Friday night people
were startled in their beds by the falling of limbs
as they came crashing down from the tops of the
lofty and stately elms. All day Friday and Friday
night the destruction Went on as the ice accmmu
lated. In some instances whole trees succumbed to
the great weight and fell to the side walk. others
would cleaye apart. one half falling while the other
part would remain leaving the ugly wound expos
ed. The damage was general all the city and
we are nable to particuarize. Hardly one of our
many shade what more an, I,ss
damaged, and it will be years before they will re
cover from the severe pruning of last week. All the
photographers We're out Friday making pictures Of
inc scenes ana many eNfeileht views were "htalncd
topographic communication t" the west was cut on
me llheman OF the estern Imon left Belfast Fri
day morning and started toward Camden. In the
rSt seven miles from Belfast ne found thirty teie
graph pole' GOWN broken on by the great dcclnu-
'''i'ii VI i'e' ne eS'i''e" 'ha' 'ere were seven
Y-hNe pores destroyed between mere and k"ckland
me 'a'h'''h stage "r'Nef ''ld that III driving up
rfl''"A ne 81" 'oui P"itS l"II Ill one ilhie' me
'ei'Pi"o pores 9'oo" ti'' 'e9' pul the wires were
pi'N''' iA' ''''iii"'' 'ioh WIN bangor WIS an
right VIII" 'i'''''e" ihe STORM was less severe III
t''' "He'll"h Hh"" sil'ieS from 'He roofs caused
more or less damage thlmheys were removed
from me W l%Gh mouse ana the Asa west house
y P"rtI"n "I buipaf SVtpleWaS crushed IN ny inc
l"i'ihS I'e' 0"'uf'aE 'he ch'lfe mass Oh zee 'fon
h'N 'ii''''N "i"'N SNe way taxing ihc gutter
VIII lt' anu l't'lih@ upon Iie pulhiiiS pel"W, an
came crashing 10 inc ef"un"' breaking every teie
SI"lh wire 'here an" cutting OH Bangor. IL was
IVA ' '"''' ,'"'' WV - ups i'i
WHY '"0 i"''''s lt'' 'ho"Sh 'Iit """"S 'he WA!
was piochea WIN Ialieh trees. saturday me
"'' nun iitl'tu "lc i'V S"he"ii' hu' III uiV even