The Newtown bee., 1895-02-15
Affairs About Town,
THE BLIZZARD OF 1895
HOW IT AFFECTED US LOCALLY.

tied us in 1888 Then THE BEE truthful
 ly chronicled the fact that it showed anG
 it showed and it blew; that is, greater
 quantity of snow fell at that time thar
 could be remembered by the oldest in
 habtants, and the wind blew gale, pill
 ing it high. Of the 1895 blizzard that
 has just visited us the order should be
 changed to read that it blew and it blew
 and it showed; that is, that the blow was
 the great feature of the storm, and while
 there was considerable fall of snow it
 was not abnormally large. But another
 feature is worthy of notice that during the 1888 storm the thermometer only lowered about the 10 above zero mark, while on last Thursday, Friday
 and Saturday the old thermometers hung
 at the zero mark with the tenacity of 8
 bull dog, and it is doubtful if there was
 ever day when it was more uncomfort- able to be out of doors than it was on
 last Friday. The storm commenced on Thursday afternoon st about o'clock I with a light furry of snow.
 The gentleman who presides over the weather bureau had forewarned us by 8 special telegram that we might expect 8 ' lively time as a youngster or offshoot from the big storm raging to the north ! and west of ua was making tracks for our
 territory. The youngster proved a full grown fledgling and such bowling and
 havoc as he made with us we do not care
 to have repeated right away. The Berk-
 shire division was nearly helpless in his
 clutches during Friday and Saturday and
 the roads in all directions were impass-
 able on account of the high drifts, for
 several days. The furry of Thursday \ afternoon increased in violence until on ! Friday morning it was raging tempest. l The early train for Bridgeport, Friday morning, made 8 start from New Milford, but when at Still River it struck drift ' that held it fast until the arrival of the
 9 45 train, when it was pulled out and to- gether they proceeded to Brookfield Junction, reaching there about 10
 o'clock, where they got stalled agaln. In been more successful. With two good strong engines they pushed their way up to Newtown, getting here about g o'clock,
 and pushed their way northward to Brookfield Junction. Here they took on
 another big freight engine and continued their way toward the north pole, or more
 properly speaking, Pittsfeld. Conduc-
 tors Barton's and Flynn's trains consoli- dated, and with two engines and one car
 started on down toward Bridgeport, ,pass-
 ing through here at about II o'clock and arrived there without farther trouble.
 The next trains to go through here were the 1902 train for New Haven, which
 went down at about o'clock and passed the 10.47 train north at the Newtown sta
 tion. These were the last trains that
 passed through here until early Sunday
 morning. The milk train, loaded with cars of empty milk cans started north
 from Bridgeport and all went we'll until
 they reached Turney's woods, about
 three quarters of 8 mile south of the Newtown station. This cut always drifts
 badly and during this storm the train
 men who had been the whole length of the line said it was the worst place on the road. Here the milk train stuck in 8
 snow drift and staid all night. Both the
 New Haven and the Bridgeport trains came on behind, but it was no use, they
 could not get by, and had to run back down to Botsford, where they passed the night.
 E. l.. Johnson and Lawyer Beecher
 were passengers Oil the Bridgeport train and made their way home through the
 driving snow from where the train stop
 ped. Miss Julia Hawley and Miss Keat-
 ing of Sandy Hook, who were also on the train, were kindly taken in and cared for by Mrs Martin Heating. On the New Haven train were some ladies from New Milford, Mrs No5le Bennett and Mrs Beach, and they were obliged to remain
 on the cars all night, and adapted them selves to the inconvenience very nicely. Conductors Spencer, Barton and Flynn did their utmost to make what passengers they had as comfortable as the circum- stances would permit.
 At day break on Saturday three of the six engines that were at Botsford started to the relief of the milk train, still in the drifts at Turney's woods, and Ut about II o'clock succeeded in getting it out and started with it off down to Botsford. But all this time the snow had been sitting into the cut at lively rate and succeed
 ed in nearly filling it level across in sev- eral places. Three engines from the north came down about noon and plung- ed into the drifts, but with little success, and it was not until load of 50 shovel
 CTS arrived on the scene, Saturday night, | that the drift which covered space near 1 ly 400 feet long, was opened so that
 trains could pass through it. The wind I never blew anywhere else in town as it | did down in that cut and this statement \ can be verified by asking any one of the \ many spectators who went down to see l the sight, or inquiring of the poor fellows
 who shoveled faithfully all day, and I about every 10 minutes they would have to crawl into the engine to Ghaw the
 coating of ice from off their faces.
 But the snow was not all on the rail- :, road. though it bothered us the most there for it stopped the malls and other ' wise gave inconvenience. The residents on the west side of our main street had a lots of snow on their front walks. In N front of MT Tomlin's house was the lar gest drift, being taller than mans head, and there were number of other drifts N on that side of the street that were near .