Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-02-08

on saturday.
A ROARING BLIZZARD followed st
night in the wake of the snow and the
severe cold Of the past feN dls aad
The weather which followed will render
the winter of lS94-95 as memorable as
that of lS56-57 and last night will be
classed with that of Sunday, March IL
1883. which caused the death of Roscoe
Gonkling and which Frustrated tele.
graph lines and blocked railway tracks
20 such an ext~'-' - IT cm-
munication between many cities impos-
sib!c. On that occasion, it will be re-
membered, news from Europe came to
this city via Chicago, the dispatches be-
ing received at Boston from the old
world. They were thus made to ira.
verse distance of six thousand miles
before reaching Alexandria. All the
poles were down between Washington
and New York, and most of them hav-
ing been blown across railway tracks
the trains could not be run. Snow,
which began to fail Wednesday night,
continued to fall until between eleven
and twelve o'clock last night, but
hours before the wind mad assumed
hurricane force and clouds of binding
snow were waited through the streets
and banked against houses, fences and
walls. it soon became impossible to
run street cars, the milk train which
left here at $40 in the evening being
unable to proceed further than New
Alexandria. Men were set to work
clearing the tracks, and they worked
diligently for some hours, but were
finally compelled to desist, as the snow
drifted back almost as soon as it was
removed. The line has not heen
operated to-day. Two csrs came from
the power house to the corpora
tiCn limits this morning, but
made no attempt to enter the
CITY. The streets became deserted
and people huddled together about
their tiresides aud listened to the war
ring elements without. The means Of
the sharp northwest wind through the
denuded trees were dismal indeed, and
the drifting snow piling on window stills
made weird picture. 1t was almos
impossible to sleep when the hour for
retiring arrived, the roaring wind, the
rattle of sash and creaking doors,
blinds, signs, &C., occasioning 80 much
clamor that slumber could not be had
besides, many were apprehensive-
what could be done in case of fire? This
was query often propounded. In the
first place it would have been next 10
impossible 10 have pulled the engines
through the snow, and should they
have arrived on the scene the intense
cold would have rendered it impossible
for them to throw water through the
hose; and, then, the plugs were in all
likelihood frozen. Some, therefore, sat
up all night by their stoves and kept
watch The sharp borean blasts caused
ilues to draw very hard, and it seemed
as though anthracite coal was almost as
,combustible as pine wood, and furnaces
and stoves required incessant stocking.
Shortly after midnight the heavens be
gan to clear and the moon, with clouds
now and then passing DER her face,
was once more seen riding athwart the
heavens. The snow had ceased to fall,
but the temperature was lower, the
mercury in the thermometer at that
time being at zero, where it continued
until between seven and eight O'Clock
this morning, when it made feeble
.creeps upward AT daybreak in some
.some places it was % below zero, in
Others q above, but the average indica-
tions were zero. The picture presented
this morning was chilling. The snow
averaged about foot in depth. In
numerous instances persons had literal
Iy to dig their way out OF
wards, so deep were the drifts.
The river, which has been frozen from
shore to shore every night this week,
was sheet Of white as far as the eye
could reach, and presented frigid pic
ture indeed. People finally began
moving about and occasionally bread
or milk wagon would grind through
the snow, the wheels buried to the hub,
while pedestrians often sunk into the
drifts up to their boottops. The first
serious inconvenience encountered was
the suspension of travelling communi-
cation between this city and Washing
ton, hundreds of our people being en-
ploysd in the capital city. Through and
local trains had become blocked be-
tween the two cities, and freight trains
stalled within the corporation limits.
Long lines of cars were stretched on
Henry street waiting for the blockade
10 be raised, while hundreds of people
gathered about the stoves in the
depots waiting anxiously for an
opportunity to get to Washington.
Ofcourse, no mail could reach Alexan-
dria, and the persuing of morning news
papers had to I've dispensed with. The
railroad companies put large forces OF
men to work to clear the tracks, while
powerful engines armed with snow
plows were forced into the huge snow
drifts. Early last night the running of
trains between this city and Washing
ton was carried on with difficulty. The
1889 local train from the latter city
was until half-past two o'clock this
morning making the trip, and theatre
goers and others who were passengers
on it had to make the best of the stu
alton. Later the Florida special and
several trains of the Southern and
Chesapeake and Ohio roads, north and
south bound, become stalled near ST.
Asaph Junction. The Washington
Southern officials undertook to relieve
the passengers on the Florida train by
sending carriages from this city to
them, it being their intention to bring
them to hotels here; but the vehicles
-. ,,,oblo to raach them and return