Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-01
THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW.
how it Buried up and Blocked Ra;lro.a.
and Streets.
.HAsard and Bluster for Thr.. n.
Extensive Storm.

until Saturday night will be rememho.., :.
one OF the most severe ever known IN NJ.
"hether the amount of snow that toll ~
"e'sn' OF the drifts. or the fercensss Of tho
nor'n ~ind' be regarded 1t was one of III.
old fashioned storms, such as the oldrs, +,
hsoitants talk about, when road, arc b,ooL.,
for days and the stone valls and +.,..
covered.
Ane enest OF the storm has been mo.,
marked. Travel on the country roads va. an
impo'sieility on Saturday, for great dr;f,.
SOHO and deep. obstrucred the course of tho
traveller. Cuts and low places, f.vor.blv
iocsted to receive the snow, were piled fnll
and drifts were frequently found six and
seven feet in depth. A crew of men.
Aiaed oy teams, would endeavor to
clear away the snow, Int !,
would fill in faster than the shovele, cou,a
throw it out No country teams were .een
IN the city Saturday and the stages did not
move none coming into the city and pons
going out. The driver of the BELGRADE s,avs
LETT his coach in the city and endeavored
to reach his destination in num,
out went out about mile, ran against
big drift and came back. The Waldoboro'
and Jefferson stage started out Thursdav and
has not been heard from since. The Togu,
road was buried deep in drifts and was i'm
passable. The Soldiers Home stage was not
seen in the city Satt rday at all. A So.
emma man was snow bound in the CITY. He
started to go home, got xs far as Petingilps
Corner and found the snow too deep for
him. There was lack of tactical
fluid in the city and many citi.
zens drank their tea and coffee without
the necessary liquid. Only two milkmen
found their way in, Saturday forenoon, Early
in the morning the sidewalks of the city
could hardly De found so well had the falling
snow fakes done their work Drifts, elevat-
ed into pinacles and fantastic shapes .obstruct.
ed the way and unless one wore boots which
came to the knee, there was danger of wet.
ting the feet. The street department labored
industriously to plough out the snow. A
great gang of men were employed Saturday
in the effort to keep the sidewalks and roads
tolerabIy passable, for the time being. The
tax payers will not forget that the expenses
will necessarily be large to open to travel the
roads leading into the city. Good judges es.
innate that the cost of removing the snow
will reach $500 or s2OOO
The railroad suffered as it has not before
for years and travel in the cars was either
suspended on Friday night and Saturday or
| very laborious and slow. The o'clock train
Saturday morning had serious job in NOV.
ing and occupied an hour in getting started
out of The yard Later on it wal
heard firm HI Richmond and re.
reports come in dnti he forenoon that i,
was stuck in snow drift at that place and
the engine had exhausted its supply of water.
1t took three hours fo- the shifting engine to
move from the lower end Of the yard to the
west end of the railroad bridge A force of
men with shovel and plck-axe were employed
in the yard during the day. The morning &C.
commodation train did not leave Gardiner
until after 10 o'clock A. NJ. and arrived here
at IL A. M. 1t was detained at Hallowell fif-
teen minutes, the water having frozen over the
rails A crew of men with the necessary
tools helped the locomotive out. The train
which should arrive here from Bangor at 10
o'clock A. NJ. did not make its appearance
until ll.30. 1t brought with it all the
Portland passengers, the back route be-
ing most severely blocked and q
freight train off the track at Monmouth. As
they rode across the city in the transfer teams,
and scattered about the station platform they
did not give any evidence of pleasure at
being obliged to travel amid the beautiful
snow. As the track was so seriously en-
numbered BY snow bound trains and drifts
below the city it was not deemed advisable
TOR the train to depart at once, and accord
ingly some rs of the passengers crossed
over to Hotel North, where they
remained until 1890 P. NJ, when the train
started out too early for them to obtain din
ner.
Alden's train, which consisted of two pow
erful locomotives and four cars. and left here
at 7 o'clock Saturday morning. bowled mer-
rilv along until Richmond was reached. Some
twenty rods beyond the Richmond station is
a deep cut with twenty-foot embankment.
Here was a drift some $50 feet in length and
9 or 10 feet deep. The train came along and
in an instant plunged into this great snow
bank. This was at eight o'clock. The loco
motives crunched into the drift, the fine par
ticles of snow encompassed the machinery and
car wheels like SO much sand, there was
sudden slackening of speed. and the train
came to stop, stuck in the drift. and about
all that could be seen were the smoke-stscks
of the locomotives, the tops of the coaches
and the rear end of the hind car. Conductor
Alden At once mustered force of men to ex-
tricate the beleagured train. For hours they
worked their shovels, but all to no effect
the wind poured the snow in as fast as hole
WAS made. During the interval the passen-
GERS went over to the Mitchell House and got
a hearty dinner. In answer to repeated calls
for belp Conductor Philbrook's train at this
Mace was ordered to move and at 30 ar
rived At the scene of the blockade. The To-
comotive of Phlbrook's train was then IN
e., .ha oars and sent forward to