St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-01-02
MARYLAND.s SNOW EMBARGO.

SeS
Records or the TerFapin state.
In some rural parts Of the United
States the chronology is fixed. not by
calendars, but by weather disturb.
ances, and it is usual to speak Of boy
born ''the third year after the big
Storm" or a girl married ''the year be-
fore the big April freshet." In the
month Of February, 1895. the ordinarily
placid conditions Of the weather in the
equable state Of Maryland were rough.
" altered by what is described in some
Of the Maryland rural papers a. "the
ice and snow embargo Of 1885," The
record Of this disturbance seems now
less than two years later. to be exag.
gerated in respect Of the details, some
Of which have . peculiar reminiscent
interest.
The Tangier and Pocomoke sounds
were both closed as well rs the Sine.
puxent bay, and when that happens
things are at a pretty pass in Maryland
In Kent county the snowdrifts were q
feet high, and it is recorded as o most
remarkable performance that two pro,
gressive citizens Of Charles county
both farmers, and another citizen oi
Charles county, a fisherman, "drove in
= single horse-sleigh on the Potomac
river from Marshall Hall to Washing
ton in two hours" Nothing Of the kind
had been done previously since 1856,
and it was thought rather risky bust
ness, because only one of the party hal
any distinct recollection Of the 1856 els.
:sode, he having in the year before the
war seen the sled in which the journey
was taken. 1t was on exhibition u
the Charles county fair at Port Tobac
co. On the way back one of the farm
ers and the fisherman refused to 60 by
ice. preferring the home-like comfort
Of the kospitable capital city to peril
GUS sleighride on the thin ice of the Po-
tomac. The other farmer. Mr.. Spear,
persisted in his determination and
drove the sorrel horses back alone. His
hardihood, however, met with swift
retribution, for when near Geyesboro
he broke through the ice and was res
cued with difficulty.
sode of the "ice and snow embargo"
In Sinepuxent bay m oyster dredger
named Bones attempted to cross the
ice near Sandy Point in sleigh. The
horse became unmanageable and broke
out Of the shafts, leaving Bones in what
proved to be later on the center Of a
snowdrift. He was extricated and mar
rated his exploits to crowd Of vii
layers next day. with the result OF hav-
ing to defend, week later, q suit
brought by an unsympathetic towns
man, who claimed damages for the loss
Of the horse which Bones had borrowed
and which was not recovered until
nearly three weeks afterward.
Such items of information do no.
seem surprising to western, New Eng
land or New York farmers, but in Mary
land, where the condition Of the climate
is not usually subject to such extremes,
they are treasured up and referred ia
from time to time AZ Of almost historic.
al importance. The average tempera-
ture in Maryland, except in the western
or mountainous part, is 36 degrees in
winter and S. degrees at all seasons.
In western Maryland it is colder, 81 de.
grees in winter and So degrees at other
seasons. The "snow and storm en-
hargo" Of 1895, however, was along the
Chesapeake hay in what has usually
been regarded as the most sheltered
portion Of Maryland in winter.-N. Y.