The Portland daily press., 1888-03-13
In the City.

The storm which prevailed yesterday was
one of the severest of the winter
here. SO far as the wind was con-
cerned it has not been surpassed
this season. The wind did not fall
below the velocity of "a miles per hour from
7.45 o'clock a. m. until night. At o'clock
last evening it was blowing 80 miles per
hour; from II o'clock noon until p. m. it
averaged 35 miles with a maximum of 40
miles. The storm struck this part of the
country from Lake Ontario and the wind
blew from the east shifting to the northeast
The air was so full of snow that it was i'm
possible at times to see hundred yards dis
tance and the wind made trav elllng difficult
besides doing more or less damage.
In the harbor wild scene presented it
self. The sea ran high and the waves were
white capped. Vessels at anchor careened
first to one side and then to the other and
plunged wildly backward and forward. The
ferry boats were unable to run after six
o'clock last evening on account of the ice,
and during the day they made irregular trips
landing at the end of the wharf instead of at
their usuel places. The Cornelia II. could
only make her trips, during the latter part of
the afternoon, when towed by the tug
Belknap, and the other ferry boat in attempt
ing to get up to the dock to get supply of
water was an hour and half going twice
her length. and was Obliged to finally aban-
don the attempt. When evening came the
upper harbor was completely blocked with
large cakes of ice. These cakes of ice
checked the sea and thus saved vessel lying
at the wharf from much damage which must
have otherwise resulted.
One of the crew of the fishing schooner
Elsie M. Smith, which arrived at 3 o'clock p.
M, stated that the sea outside was as rough
as he had seen it this season and very dam
gerous. The most of the fishing fleet put in
before the storm reached its height, and
thus escaped the possibility of being
driven upon the coast and wrecked. The
Boston boat did not make her usual trip last
night on account of the storm and will not
sail until tonight. Last evening the storm
ragged in all its fury and the wind piled the
snow in drifts that in many places were more
than four feet deep; signs creaked, the
streets were almost deserted. whirlwinds
filled the air with snow, and the general APP
pearance about town was much the same as
on the night of the great January storm. The
snow which fell was very moist, almost
sleet, making railroading difficult and trains
late.
At twelve o'clock last night, the early even
ing train from Boston was reported to be
somewhere in the vicinity of Wells. The
Portland and 0gdensburg train due at S.35
was reported to be disappearing beneath the
drifts just west of Hiram, with derailed
snow plow in front of it.
The horse cars could not run on time dur
ing the afternoon and only few trips were
made in the evening. In many places
telegraph and other wires were down and
many of the electric lights we're out, which
added to the peril of being upon the street in
the storm. Owing to the very high sea and
the heavy wind, it is probable that vessels
that were unable to reach port suffered Sc
verely and wrecks will probably be reported.
Th storm continued with unabated fury
throughout the night and towards morning
the few passers on the streets had all they
wanted to do to make their way against the
wind The drifts in many places were waist
deep and the damp, heavy snow clung to the
clothing and was blown about in binding
clouds.
The Ogdensburg train got in at about
o'clock, and the Pullman from Bangor at
quarter before three. The Boston trains, at
o'clock, had not reached here, and conse-
quently no Pullman had left for the east