Connecticut western news., 1888-02-01
THE RAIL WAY BLOOKADE

Different kings in this world hold the
 scepter for season and then give place
 to others. Cotton, corn, wheat, oi
 iron and other commodities occasion | ally reign, but last week Jack Frost
 was king and beautiful snow" was
 queen. For several days they held the
 scepter and even the railway kings
 were compelled to submit and pay tribute.
 It commenced showing on Wednes. day evening and continued until Thurs day noon, accompanied by very strong
 wino, which lasted until Sunday. The snow drifted badly, making many high ways impossible and blocking the rail- | roads. The mercury was below zero a good share of the time and retarded the work of digging through the snow banks, which proved a tedious and herculean task.
 The Housatonic road managed to run their trains with tolerable regularity until Thursday evening, when the Berkshire county division was blocka- ded by immense snow drifts, one of which our Ct Burlington correspondent says, was 80 rods long and 10 to 15 feet deep. No train passed Canaan going south after 3:3O p. m. Thursday until 4:4O p. m. Friday, after which time no passenger train came down the road uutil 3:2O p. m. Sunday. Thursday evening the express from New York was 40 minutes late, and the mail train from New York was nearly two hours late at Falls Village, where it was discontinued and two engines, and a car filled with shovellers, was sent to the assistance of the express, which had become stalled in the drifts near Sheffield. After work ing nearly all night the express train was liberated and brought back to Ashley Falls. The railroad was also blocked between Plttsfeld and Deweys On Friday one engine was derailed at Housatonic. but no one injured, yet the accident caused much delay in prose- cutting the work of raising the blockade. Trains were kept moving between Falls Village and Bridgeport, but not on schedule time, and on Friday evening a train arrived at Canaan at 6:30 p. m. from Bridgeport and then returned to Falls Village. The blockade was virtu- ally raised on Sunday, although during Monday forenoon the south bound trains were each about two hours late.
 The Connecticut Western road fared better than the Housatonic road, yet on Friday 1t was blockaded between Winsted and Ore Hill, but the Rhine beck division was not showed under. Conductor Hooks train left Millerton Friday morning for Hartford, but encountered heavy drifts at Ore Hill, Lakeville and Chapinville. and did not arrive in Canaan until 2 :25 D. m. where as it was due here at 9:3O m It turned about here and returned to Millerton the same evening. Conductor Pollard's train due here at noon from Hartford, got stalled between Spaulding's summit and Norfolk and did not arrive in Canaan until 8:3O p. m. It remained here over night and Saturday morning started on the return trip for Hartford. arriving there about 10 "a. m. The blockade was of short duration and by Saturday noon all passenger trains were running very close to schedule time, and no delay occurred Monday
 The stage route between Southfeld, Mill River, Clayton and Canaan was impossible from Thursday until Mon day forenoon.
 All things considered, the zero wealth CT, the heavy fall of snow and the blizzard 1t is the worst storm the rail- ways have had to contend with in many years, but the railway officials have shown remarkable energy in raising the blockade.
 The storm extended over a large sec- tion of country and all the railroads in New England and the Middle States suffered serious delays in passenger and freight traffic, and all trains on some roads in Northern New England and New York state were abandoned while the blizzard and the intense cold pravoi1o1