The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-01-16
Winter scenes.


Last Thursday week, 9TH inst,
the day was warm and cloudy during
the forenoon, and about 4 o'clock in
the afternoon rain began to fall, some
time in torrents which was continued
until about o'clock at night, at which
time the wind which had Yeered round
to the Northwest began to blow at a
fearful rate, dispelling the clouds and
ushering iu one Of the coolest waves
that ever struck this section of coun.
try, Friday morning the thermometer
stood at 5 Q, having fallen about IS 9
inside Of ls hours. The wind blew a
furious gale all day Friday, keeping
the temperature down, notwithstand-
ing the sun shone brightly. Since
that time the ground has been frozen,
the bayous arouad have all been in
fine condition for skating, and our
Northern friends, who had brought
along their steel skates, more as
souvenirs of the past, rather than with
any hope of ever having a field for.
their use here, have been gliding over
the CLASSY bosoms of our streams to
the astonishment and delight Of the
average native born Louisiauiaus. \
While the novelty of the scenes
which we have witnessed during this
cold snap is amusing and pleasant in
some respects, still there are features
belonging to it which are no less un-
usual and of still greater moment.
The loss of life and property through
out the United States by this blizzard
is immense, and while we of this lati-
tude suffered but little in comparison
with more northerly regions, still we
have suffered. We see from our ex.
changes that quite number of people
at Galveston and other places we're
frozen, while thousands of cattle and
stock have met a similar fate. Mr.. J. |
B. Watkins, we understand, lost as |
many as 500 head of cattle from one
bunch. The loss in stock, however, |
we are satisfied, has been confined to |
the prairies where no protection was
afforded from the cutting norther. We
hear of no losses in the piDey woods.
Orange trees have of course suffered
some, but we do not think seriously.
Mr.. G. NJ. Gossett, of Barnes's
creek, was in town this week, and 10
bis usual droll way of telling things,
gave US a sketch of his travels to town
through the ice, which had locked old
Mother Earth 10 its cold embrace and
made travelling quite unpleasant and
dangerous. Armed with bag Of hot
sand to keep bis feet warm, he set out
upon his southwark bound trip, which
led him through brown, bare woods,
and over ice-fettered streams, on
which at times only one of his horses
(the one with shoes on) could keep on
his feet, while his mate slid across like
a boy CD skates. The ice was thick
enough in many places to bear the
weight of the wagon and team and
only little spraugliug cracks in the
CLASSY surface marked the path of our
hero as he heightened the distance
between himself and home. Friend
Gossett is unanimous Oh two things
for such weather as that which marked
bis decent from the higher latitudes,
and those are shoes for your horses
and sand-bags for yourself The good
condition in which be reached his des-
ination, not only speaks well for the
hot sand-bags, but proves the superb
ority of the German method of dis
patching spare-ribs, which is an i'm
1ortant item on the bill of fare where
ne boards this season. Sausage, souse,
'pare-ribs and potatoes are among the
held out in that country
up there to keep you close at home
md make you wish, like the boy who
wanted the chickens all legs, that hog
,;il;no time lasted all the wear.