The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-03-21
SNOW in SAVANNAH.
A Novelty Which Almost Made tho Peo
pie Wild One Day Last Month.
country.

pie Wild One Day Last Month.
When the mantle of snow was spread
over the city that Friday morning in
February, the people did not know just
how to take it at first. Then they turned
in to have fun. All day the city was
practically in the hands of merrymak-
ers. The people went wild over the
snow. 1t was worse than three years
ago. Then, on the occasion of very
slight fall OF snow, some merchants got
outside their stores and began snow
balEing each other, and policeman in
terfored with the sport. They turned
on him and made it SO hot for him that
he was glad to retreat, at first slowly,
but afterward at double quick and he
finally broke into a run and was chased
to the barracks, a distance of about 4
miles, by bowling mob of a thousand
men, women and children.
The school children were dismissed
for the day after roll call in the morn
ing, SO they Joined the throng on the
streets. Staid and sober business men,
bankers, lawyers and clergymen went
along the streets with tightly packed
balls OF snow in their hands ready to
pelt acquaintances, or, in fact, anybody
that made a good target. Bang! and
the silk hat Worn by banker or lawyer
would leave the head of wearer and
land far out in the street. AS the owner
attempted to capture ita volley of snow
balls would come from another diree-
tion. The electric cars were mark for
large portion of the merrymakers,
and conductors and motormen were
treated as targets put up expressly for
the SNOWFALL sharpshooters. The con-
ductors hid themselves inside the cars
most of the time. Along in the after
noon, when the fun had become moro
furious and the snow was SO soft that
snowballs could be packed like solid ice,
the motormen, after leaving one street
crossing, would go inside the car and
stay there until the next crossing was
reached, thus escaping the bombardment
directed at the cars.
The women, both young and old,
were not far behind the men in the
sport. Tho height of the excitomen was
reached late in the afternoon, when an
improyised sleigh turned from one of
the side streets into Bull street. It was
followed by about so men and boys, but
once on this principal thoroughfare tho
crowd increased tenfold and the noise
correspondingly. The sleigh went up
the street and down again. Every man,
woman and child wanted sleigh ride.
The frall conveyance was swarmed with
passengers all the time, and the horse
was we'll nigh exhausted by drawing the
load and being pummeled with snow
balls. The breaking of windows became
a favorite pastime. On many street cars
not whole pane of glass would be
found when they returned to the car
house, SO the order was given to haul
OFT the closed cars, and after that only
open cars were run, and the conductors
and motormen alone were left as tar
gets. No passengers ventured to ride in
the open cars. At the Screvan House
several large plate glass windows were
broken, and in other parts of the city
damage of a similar nature was report
3D. Requests were sent to police head
quarters that the snowballing be stop
ped, but no attention was paid to them, !
the police remem bering the experience
Of three years ago.
There were few serious accidents.
One man was struck in the eye with a
SNOWFALL in which was a small stone.
The eyeball was injured, and loss Of
sight of one eye may follow.-Savannah
Letter.