Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-14
THE STREETS IMPASSIBLE {!
Accidents and Incidents of the
 Great Blizzard.

The greatest snow storm on record In this section of New England ceased at o'clock last evening, having ragged for for ty-eight hours. A more stubborn and fur ious storm could hardly be imagined, ex cept one transported himself to the noun tainous regions of Dakota and felt the keen blasts and terrific force of blizzard for which the great northwest is noted. It defies the memory of the oldest surviving settlers and puts to shame the stories of the bonifaces of famous country taverns Snow, hustled hither and thither by a rag ing March gale, lodging on house tops, trees, telegraph poles, piling up against doors and windows, blockading streets un- til they we, impossible, entirely checking the rushing express and freight trains, in terrupting the electric currents that, like @ pulse, beat in unison from city to city, closing the great avenues of commerce and trade, and causing a general cessation of the busy, hurrying life characteristic of the American people. This is the record of the past forty-eight hours. The great iron pathways have been rendered useless, the telegraph has been crippled, the busy hum of industry has been hushed, the ami mated thoroughfares of the cities and towns have been void of their wonted ac- tivity. the business and banking houses have been closed, and all signs of prosper ity have succumbed to the force of the ele- ments which have held sway for two whole days with power that mystifies and be- wilders mankind. And who can tell the loss to life and property it will entaila It cannot now be presaged. The bright sun of an April day may reveal the destructive ness of these mighty forces, but the untold sorrow that it brings will remain an un- written history in the homes of the poor.
 SCENES IN AND ABOUT THE CITY.
 The tempestuousness of the storm did not abate in the least all day Monday, and at night the wind was blowing forty mile gale and the mercury was gradually going down, marking degrees before morning. It was hard to tell whether it was snowing, so terrific was the wind, but 10 to it was showing as hard as ever and together with the large quantities blown from the roofs the streets were in a fair way of being filled up to the tops of the buildings. The wind whistled down through Exchange place into Bank and South Main streets, piling up snow in huge drifts on the west side of the street so as to hide the store fronts from view. This process was continued to Hopeville and Brooklyn, the resident districts being al most showed in. In front of Irving block there was big bank of snow almost a. high as the second story windows, with { pathway between it and the stores. Mer chants located on the windward side of th' street had to do the greater portion of th' shoveling. Everywhere the manner II which the gale piled up the snow was un nrecsdsnted. The streets were buried il from 8 to 8 feet out of sight.
 , There wore no electric lights burning Monday night and people who lived in thu suburbs went home at their peril. On th' main streets the lights from stores assisted the traveller in picking out his way, but h'
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