The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-04-04
DIR. Cotton Mather's Account of a
Blizzard that Occurred In
February, 1917.

On the oath day of the month comes
Pelion upon Ossa: another Snow came
on which almost buried the Memory of
the former, with Storm so famous that
Heaven laid an Interdict on the Re-
ligious Assemblies throughout the Coun-
try on the Lords day, the like where
unto had never been seen before. The
Indians near an hundred years old
affirm that their Fathers never told
them of anything that equaled 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 snow
melted away. And others had their
eyes glazed over with ice at such a rate
that, being not far from the Sea, their
mistake of their way drowned them
there. One gentleman on whose farms
were now lost above eleven hundred
sheep, which with other Cattel were
inferred (shall l say, or InniredO in the
Snow, writes me word that there were
two Sheep very singularly circum-
stanced. For no less than eight and
twenty days after the Storm, the Peo-
pie pulling out the Ruins of about one
hundred Sheep out of Snow Bank,
which lay sixteen 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 off their dead companions. When
they were taken out they shed their
own Fleeces, but soon gott into good
Case again. The Swine had a share
with the Sheep in strange survivals. A
man had couple of young Hogs,
which he gave over for dead, but on
the twenty-seventh day after their
Burial they made their way out of a
Snow Bank, at the bottom of which
they had found a little Tansy to feed
upon. The Poultry as unaccountably
survived as these. Hens were found
alive after five and twenty days, buried
in the snow, and at distance from the
ground, and altogether destitute of any
thing to feed them. The number of
creatures that kept Rigid Fast, shut
up in Snow for divers weeks together,
and were found alive after all, have
yielded surprizing stories into us. The
Wild Creatures of the Woods, the out
goings of the Evening, made their De-
scent as well as they could in this time
of scarcity for them towards the Sea
side. 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 be-
came 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 Crust as high as the
boughs of the trees, anon split them to
pieces. The Cattel, also, walking on
the Crusted Snow a dozen foot from
the ground, so fed upon the Trees as
very much to damnify them. The
Ocean was in prodigious Ferment,
and after it was over vast heaps of
little shells were driven ashore, where
they were never seen before. Mighty
shoals of PROPOSES also kept play day
in the disturbed waves of our Harbours
The odd Accidents Detailing many poor
people whose Cottages were totally
covered with the Snow, and not the
very tops of the chimneys to be seen.
would afford Story. But there not
being any relation to philosophy in
them | forbear them"