Milford chronicle., 1888-03-16
OUR LITTLE BLIZZARD.

OUR LITTLE BLIZZARD.
Last Saturday the sun shOne bright,
the frogs were making music in the
meadows, and the gentle breeze be-
tOkened spring Sunday had changed
the scene a little-as torrents of rain
fell from one o'clock until midnight;
while steady wind from the East
made the mercury sink to near the
freezing pOInt-but no thought was
entertained Of what was in store be-
fore the dawn of Monday. Just before
midnight the wind suddenly changed
and blew almost hurricane from the
northwest, and the steady pour of rain
turned to snow, which continued to
fall until daylight, when the weather
cleared. Then tue wind changed and
the cold increased until the mercury
marked 1Oo above zero, under this tenn
peTature the moist snow frOze at first,
but finally the dryer air drifted the
great mass of snow into huge drifts.
From one a. m. on Monday until Tues
day, the wind was terrific. Heavy
houses creaked and rocked; tin roofs
rumbled aud gave the impression of
heavy thunder, while the clashing
electric light wires added (by flashing
the lights by short circuit) to the inn
preston of a thunder aud lightning
storm. Snow filled the eyes, nose and
ears, aud blew in binding clouds as
fine as -four, 50 that it was almost inn
possible to make any headway against
the elements. Such was the condition
of Milford, and almost the entire Dela-
ware Peninsula OH Monday aud Tues
day.
From all points reports Of blOckades
and damage came pouring in-where
travel or communication was pOssi-
ble.
The large roller process mill owned
by DIR. VIM. Marshall was unroofed;
the large smoke stack of the electric
light company twisted out of plumb;
telegraph wires Frustrated, and scores
of smaller damages sustained.
The vessels at the creeks mouth had
rough time of it. The schOOners
Governor StOckley and Emma Robin
son were blown on the Sand Point but
not seriously injured.
No trains arrived on Monday from
any point until noon, when the train
from Franklin City, Virginia, was
sent through to Harrington. No train
arrived from Lewes until night, be-
cause of huge drift at HarbesOn.
This train attempted to get to Harring-
ton, but got stuck twice before it fin
ally got there. AS no trains had ar
rived from any direction at Harring-
ton, the Lewes train attempted to re-
turn, but up to Tuesday afternoon did
not reach its destination because of the
drift at HarbesOn.
On the Delaware railroad travel was
almost entirely suspended, and on
Tuesday a few trains were pulled
through by the aid of four extra EN-
gines. Drifts ten feet deep blocked
tie road between Wyoming aud Dover,
and beyond Clayton communication
was interrupted. Only one telegraph
wire was working between Lewes aud
Clay tOh and it was taxed to its utmost
capacity To do the railroad service.
Roadsin the country were almost i'm
passable,a as the drifts were higher than
the fences, and this state Of affairs was
unchanged until Wednesday, when
the weather partially cleared, but the
clearing Of the morning was closely
followed 10y n considerable snowfall
accompanied by high wind which pre-
vailed nearly all day but the snow was
too wet to drift much, in the evening
il cleared aud up to time of going to
press las continued 50 with good indi-
ton of a rise eoftemperature; of the roads
are partially broken and the sun OF
yesterday has settled the snow very
perceptably.
While the incOnS euienee aud dis
comfort from the storm was great and
business almost entirely stopped, yet
it was in the great cities that the sever
iiy Of the blizzard was felt. In Phil
adelphia street cars were unable to
run, and the destruction OF telegraph
communication was complete. The
snow was from ten inches to ten feel
deep all over that city, and all travel
or communication with points north
and east of there was abandoned foI
two days Between Philadelphia aud
Wilmington on the railroad line.snOw
drifts as high as the car tops, and the
telegraph poles blown across the track
laid an embargo OH all travel.
) In New York the same condition o.
affairs existed, and the same reports
came from all points East as far as
Maine.
Terrible tales of suffering from ship
wreck and disaster at sea have jusi
, commenced to come in; but from the
Delaware Breakwater narrowing re
, ports of suffering came over the wire
from Lewes. The harbor there was
full of vessels when the hurricane o.
Sunday night struck from the East
and,when the wind suddenly changed
; and with increasing force blew from
the northwest, the crashing Of yessell