The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-01

Last nights storm was by all odds the
worst this section of the country has seen
in many years 1t swooped down upon
us so suddenly it got in its work SO
quickly and did it so well that before 1t
had been with us an hour every one real
lied that it was no ordinary kind OF a
storm 1t did not even wait for the over
ture unless one might take the plgmy
storms which have been hanging around
US for the past two weeks as something OF
the kind 1t came without warming 10
most people though the likelihood OF sucn
q thing as storm settling down among
US was limited at by the weather prognos'
ticators few days ago but when 1t once
landed here and made up it's mind to stay
while there was no let up to it.
Having given the people OF western
Maine gentle reminder that winter such
as it was once known hereabouts was nor
q thing of the past by sending the mer-
cury SO far down in the thermometer THAT
there was little chance of it's going much
lower. without enoroaching upon the
claims of the Arctic circle old Boreas
evidently made up his mind that he had
given ample warning as to his future IN
tentions. Sunday came with the mercury
way down in the tube but toward morn
ing it commenced to moderate little and
Monday dawned with the SKY overcast
and ugly in appearance but very much
warmer and more comfortable. About
nine o'clock q few struggling snow Takes
were showered down and they increased
SO rapidly that in half an hour we mad
with us a real old fashioned snow storm.
Then the wind began to get in it's work
and the light snow was whirled about anu
tossed hither and yon until the drifts
were rising so rapidly that the railroad
men and others saw clearly that they haa
a hard night Of it beforse- -tlrenss But IL
never let up for moment and from ten
O'Clock in the forenoon the air was SO
filed with snow that it was with dlffioul-
ty that pedestrians could face the storm
while the railroad snow plows always on
the 90 back and forth were having all
they could do to keep the drifts in subjec-
tion.
All the afternoon it continued in this
way with the wind blowing more freely
with the gathering darkness and pil1ng
the snow up higher and higher and pack
ing it down so heavily that what were
previously passable streets became as i'm
passabIe as the Chilkoot pass to the klon-
dixie region is said to be.
Very few people had the courage to face
old Boreas in his wrath in the afternoon
and still fewer after nightfsll but there
were some unfortunate beings who had to
he ont and these had q hard time OF 1t.
About five O'Clock the drifts became to be
threatening and the street railroads were
having such q hard time OF 1t that the
nroprietors of the uptown stores began to
sand forth their employees 50 t,sat they
might aet home in time Tor their suppers.
Some of them did and some OF them
didn't The sidewalks even on the most
freouented streets were so bad that many
of the women found it utterly impossible
to make their way along and every corner
s+ora held it's crowd of men and women
waiting for street car or other convey
anoes to come along to take them part
way to their homes.
The cars were running but not with
their accustomed regularity and with the
greatest difficulty were the tracks kept
freo The Portland Street railway had
it's plows travelling back and forth over
it's lines all the afternoon but as one of
them smashed its way through the rapid
ly forming drifts old Boreas would grin
sardoDicslly and Immediately pile the
snoyv 11p over the track once more and
this time pat it down harder than ever.
Faster and faster fell the snow; wilder
and wilder grew the wind and slower and
slower ran the street cars. Those people
who lived in Deering or on the Cape be-
can to despair of ever getting home. The
snow plows seemed to make no impression
on the tracks and though the railroad
officials fought along tirolessly and hope
lessly they could not begin to keep their
cars moving at anywhere near the regular
schedule.
The powerful motors groaned and
Shrleked on tne GfOueys houuins 'hs
driving wheels around and around fast
enough to send the cars along at an ex-
press rate but the tracks were slippery
and covered with firmly packed snow on
which the drivers could make no i'm
preston. 1t was d boom for the hack
drivers who found their business CON
stantly on the increase and who sent their
nufing horses over the drift covered
streets as fast as they could travel under
the conditions carrying people home who
would not have been able to get there in
any other way and having dropped their
fares in a snow drift deep as the door
steps. away they would go after more
victims of old Boreass wiutry joking.