Frederick citizen., 1895-02-15
THE Big BLIZZARD.
Snow, Cold Weather and High
Winds Play Havoc.
Trains Delayed by the
Heavy Drifts.
This City Cut Off From the Outer
World for Several Days.
County Roads Level to the
Fences With Snow.

Land and Sea-Rairoads Lose
Many Thousands of Dollars
Business Paralyzed and Court
Adjourne d-A ccount of the
T Storm From Country Towns
Terrible Experience ON the Rail-
roads Clearing the Tracks-A
Second Blizzard Makes Double
Work Necessary on Roads and
Railroads-The Thermometer Be-
low Zero.
Frederick County and the United
States generally was visited by some
thing in the shape of a heterogeneous
conglomerati0n of weather aud tenn
perature, beginning on Thursday after
noon and continuing even at the pres
ent, more violent and destructive than
any the memory of even "lhe Oldest
inhab tant" can conjure up or repro
duce from the experience of others. 1t
was variety Of Indian Simeon, Daku-
ia Blizzard, Canadian SNOWFALL aud
Artic frigidity expressly combined for
the occasion; entirely foreign and de-
cidedly unwelcomed. Last year the
complaint of too little co,d weather
IS remembered with regret by those on
the guilty list We b-lieve that the
c0ncensus of opinion is that dIspen-
satiOn should be granted us by the
weather-maker, from any future vista
ton of like nature for u lengthy term
of years. Reports from other sections
of the State and country show that the
great blizzard was national issue, and
totally eclipsed the feeble light cast by
the present Congressional Que. The
damaging visitation of 1888, which
caused such all embarrassing state of
things in New York City, especially
by cutting off almost ali comununica-
tions except by telegraph, with the
outside world, is compared TO the rec
ord breaker of 1895 AS a glow worm to
an electric light. 1t was pre-eminently
the severest storm, judging from the
disastrous results, that has ever visited
this section.
"First it bleV, then it sne,0 and then
it friS," as the little girl expressed ii,
whilst making a defamation. The
worst feature of the whole matter was
the heavy gale which continued from
Thursday until Monday, sometimes at
So mile-an-hour rate, catching up
the light particles of snow, hurling
them here and there in super-auun-
dant profusion, and ending up with
every turnpike, county road and rail
road cut in the county being covered
with a coating of from five to fifteen
feet of drifted whiteness. Traffic on
railroads was suspended; farmers were
hemmed within the narrow confines
OF their premises; business in this city
and the numerous towns throughout
the county, was completely paraly yzed;
trains and passengers caught in the
heavy drifts, were compelled to re-
main in durance vile until rescued by
armies of snow shovelers, causing an
enormous expense to the different COM
panies and last but not least, the se-
we're cold accompanying the above
series of misfOrtunes, brought the poor
aud needy to state of wretchedness
seldom witnessed, and for whose relief
prompt and satisfactory measures have
been taken.
The storm center on Saturday, Feb
ruary the 9th, was central over North
ern Maine, moving northeast, 50 the
Weather Bureau announced. Had 1t
stai ted in that direction earlier in the
week We would not now be narratiug
the direful effects of its despotic and
unobstructed course, leaving in its
track untold misery and desolaIion.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday,
the 2nd, 3rd and 4th inst., the lowest
point on the thermometer was reacl.-
ed. that of 8 degrees below zero, the
coolest for a number of years past.
Following this came the great snow,
blow AMI freeze, which cOnbiued
makes a iwO-week's showing of great
magnitude. The amusing part of the
whole thing is that the Ground Hog
displayed ali the signs claimed by the
firm believers in this prehistoric SUI
prostitution, to be favorable for good
weather for SIX weeks, and the man
ner in which these silly proguostlca-
tons failed to connect with the stern
reality should certainly remove this
fallacy from mauy minds. 1t would
not be unnatural to suppose that the
foui legged barometer Is still laughing
in his sleeye at the base deception
practiced'upon his constituency.
No mails from Baltimore, Washing
ton, Philadelphia. New York, or the
West reached here before Sunday
morning, aud then only few pouches
brought in from Frederick Junction in
u sleigh. The main line had very lit
tie trouble, but not 30 with the various
branches here and at Hagerstown.
The deep cut a short distance from
Frederick Junction was filled with
nearly twenty feet of solidly packed
snow for "a distance of half u mile, aud
| the eff,rts of a force of men were not
successful in digging through until
Sunday afternoon, when with the as
sistance of u powerful freight engine
| the break was made. A number CT
passengers on the Friday evening
| tram had to remain in the cars until
Saturday, when they were brought to
town in sleighs. Among them were
Messrs. Charles w. Ross, E. M. Rams
burg, Herman l.. RoutzhaD, Senator
John M. Newman and several ladies.
MIR. Ramsburg and u cOlnpanion walk
ed to town early the same day.
Mr.. John Swope, the engineer on
the Pennsylvania Railroad, with a
force of hands left on Thursday night
at twelve o'clock to keep the track
clear tor travel audi got as far as Shal-
| Tettsi wien ne couiu Pioceeu Nv ~,
ther. He was completely sDow-bound.
Hearing nothing from HIM. additional
men were sent under Mr.. mellow, on
Friday, and they shared the same fate
a short distance from W0odsboro'. On
Saturday afternoon Mr.. A. 3. McDan-
iel, the popular agent of the company.
in this city, secured about 20 men, and
started to search for the STRANDED ell
gines and crews on Sunday morning.
The force was increased to AZ later III