The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-03-17
A HOWLING BLIZZARD.
One of the Most Destructive Snow Storms
Known Within the Last Hall Century
NIsIts This Section.

Known Within the Last Hall Century
VISITS This section.
I II is hardly necessary for THE WIG
to inform its readers that We were visited
! on Monday ard Tuesday with bowling
| blizzard. 1t was such Il storm as one is
not likely to witness more than once in
! lifetime. Even at this writing it is not
known how far the storm extended but
it is known that Mary land. Delaware,
New Jersey, PENNSYLVANIA and New York
were in the snowy and icy embrace of a
blizzard, such AS we imagined was con
fined to the Western states. For over
forty eight hours the blizz lrd howled and
whistled over and through this section
OF the country.
The storm began On Sunday when rain
fell all day and at night in torrents flood
| ing streets and roads. Between 9 and
10 O'Clock the rain ceased and snow be
gan to fall. The flakes were large and
CT ,se together aud SNOW fell with such
rapd!tv that the ground having been
given sleety surface was soon covered
several inches deep. The snow continued
most of the night and was accompanied
by very high wind. The ground, trees,
etc, having been softened by the heavy
rain retained the snow. The heavy wind
caused the snow to drift greatly.
The greatest damage was to the rail-
roads aud telegraphs, communication be
tween here and Philadelphia being cut
off from Sunday night Cnsil Tuesday
afternoon. The train that should have
passed here about 2 o'clock Monday
morning south bound reached here about
| 1920 A. NJ, aud was the last train from
Philadelphia until Tuesday afternoon.
The train which left Philadelphia at 10 40
on Sunday evening, and was due here at
ten minutes past midnight, did not arrive
until 10. 30 Monday morning. There were
several Elktonians on board. Ten hours
and q half were CONSUMED in coming
from Wilmington, distance OF IS miles.
Ths train was over five hours coming
from Newark to Elkton. These were
the only two trains through from Phila-
de!phia on Monday. The north bound
trains Jared considerably better, the S.2S
reaching here but fifty minutes late. No
other trains moved north however Until
about noon.
1t was not the drifting snow alone that
impedcd travel on the railroad, al
though the drifts between Wilmington
and Philadelphia were heavy. The high
winds aided by the weight of the snow
on poles and wires leveled hundreds OF
telegraph poles between Baltimore and
Philadelphia. The poles fell across the
south bound track, and large forces OF
men were engaged in clearing them away.
Every telegraph pole from short dis
tance below the plank road in Elkton to
Elk Neck crossing, q distance of over a
mile, vas leveled to the ground. The
wires near tue depot where the poles
were not blown down. were many of
them broken by the wind and weight OF
snow.
The night operator at the block station
in E!kton, MIR. Cooper, finding that there
was 10 communication in either direction
and alarmed by the violent shaking of
the block or tower, vacated it and took
refuge in the building in which the sec
tion hands keep their tools. Mr.. VIM.
Watson, section boss, was out all of
Sunday night in the Storm with a number
of men engaged in keeping the tracks
clear. The snow in many places was
drifJed three and four feet high. Mr..
Watson said that in his 81 years expert
ence at railroading ne had not witnessed
So disastrous storm. Mr.. Benjamin
Wells, tha veteran ticket agent, who has
sold tickets for over halt a century
longer than any other man in the United
States-had never seen a storm SO de-
structive to railroadlng. Owing to the
blockade between Philadelphia and Will
mingtou aud Instructions in other places
trains were run with no regularity apd
very slowly. They ran close together
at times, but very cautiously. The great
difficulty was in the lack of all mode of
communication which demoralized traffic.
Mr.. Beujamin Wells received written
orders from the superintendent of the
road on Tuesday morning not to sell
tickets to any point, passengers there
fore took passage on the trains at their
own risk. The order was countermanded
on Tuesday afternoon.
Savarai ElktpDianS i1clD5inry
who were in Wilmington on Monday
attending conference, intended to return
on the midnight train They did not
reach Elkton, however, until after four
O'clock Tuesday morning.
There was not single Western union
or railroad wire that could be used. Mr.
| Charles J. Rudolph, the operator at the
| depot, attempted to make communication
by connecting with the wires formerly
belonging to the Baltimore ard Ohio
Telegraph Company, but now run in
connection with the Western Union. 1t
was discovered that these wires We're
also useless. On Wednesday the wires
had been repaired from Baltimore to
Havre de Grace. Messages from Elkton
were sent to Havre de Grace by train,
and from that point by telegraph to their
destination. Several messages containing
Intelligence of death were also received
here in that manner. Several had to be
taken into the country, and it was with
difficulty that they were delivered.
The trains were more numerous on
Tuesday than on the previous day. but
very irregular. One great difficulty was
the scarcity of conductors and brakemen.
Even on Wednesday on this account the
trains were very irregular. many not
running at all.
The Philadelphia papers reached Elk
mail or papers had been received up to
Thursday evening.
Many roads throughout the county
were rendered impossible Those ia the
upper part of the county near the Penn
| sylvauia line were worse than in other
sections, more snow falling there. John
Lungren the Lewisvills stage driver
failed to reach Elktou on Monday ana
Tuesday, the first tIne for many years.
On Wednesday by walking third of
the distance he reached here shortly be-
fore noon. The drifts in some places
were ten or twelve feet high. The Ches-
apeake City stage was stuck in drift on
| Monday The driver sent the mail on TO