The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-03
AN OLD-TIME SNOW STORM.
DIR. Cotton Mather'S Account Of u Blizzard
that Occurred i'll February, I1Is.

"On the 24th of the month comes
Pelion upon Ossa: another Snow came
Oh which almost buried the Memory of
the former, with Il Storm SO famous
that Heaven laid an Intcrdict on the
Religious Assemblies throughout the
Country, OH this Lords day, the like
whereunto had never been seen before.
The Indians near an hundred years OLD
affirm that their Fathers never told
them Of anything that cqualled it.
Vast numbers of Cattel were destroyed
in this calamity. Whereof some there
were of the Stranger sort, were found
standing dead on their legs, as if they
had been alive, many weeks after,
when the SHOW melted away. And
other ii their eyes glazed over with
Ice at uch i rate that, being not far
from the Sea, their mistake of their
way drowned them there. One gentle
man, on whose farms were now lost
above 1000 sheep, which with other
Cattel were inferred (shall say, or In
nived) in the Snow, writes me word
that there were two Sheep very sing
ularly circumstanced. Forno less than
eight and twenty days after the Storm,
the People pulling out the Ruins of
above an 100 Sheep out of Snow Bank,
which lay 16 foot high, drifted over
them, there was two found alive, which
had been there all this time, and kept
themselves alive by eating the wool Of
their dead companions. When they
were taken out they shed their own
Fleeces, but soon got into good Case
again.
"The Swine had share with the
Sheepin strange survivals. \ man had
couple of young Hogs which he gave
over :or dead, but on the twenty
day after their Burial they made their
way out of a Snow Bank, at the bottom
of which they had found little Tansy
to feed upon. The Poultry as unac-
countabIy survived as these. Hens
were found alive after seven days.
Turkeys were found alive after five and
twenty days, buried in the Snow, and
at :; distance from the ground, and al
together destitute of anything to feed
them. The number of creatures that
kept a Rigid Fast shut up in Snow for
divers weeks together, and Were found
alive after all, have yielded surprising
stories unto US. The Wild Creatures of
the Woods, the outgoings Of the Even
ing made their Descent as we'll as they
could in this time OF scarcity for them,
towards the Seaside. A vast multitude
OF Deer for the same cause taking the
same course, and the Deep Snow
Spelling them Of their only Defence,
which is to run. They became such
prey to these Devourers that it is
thought not one in twenty escaped.
1T is incredible how much damage
is done to the Orchards, for the Snow
freezing to a Crust as high ;ls the
boughs ofthe trees, anon split them to
pieces. The Cattel, also, walking on
the Crusted Snow dozen foot from the
ground, so fed upon the Trees as very
much to damnify them. The Ocean was
in prodigious Ferment, ard after it
was over vast heaps oflittle shells were
driven ashore, where they were never
seen before. Mighty shoals of Por-
poises also kept a play day in the distur-
bed waves Of our Harbours.
"The odd Accidents Detailing many
poor people, whose Cottages were to-
tally covered with the Snaw, and not
the very tops Of the chimneys to lie
seen, would afford a Story. But their
not being any relation to philosophy in
them, | forbear them."
A,,fi