Smyrna times., 1899-02-22
ECHOES OF THE STORM.
Many of the Country Roads Still Impassa-
bIe-A Bad Effect on Vendues.

many OF the Country Roads Still ImpasSa-
ble-A Bad Effect on Vendues.
The blockade was broken on Thurs
day morning last, and relief given to
the isolated people of Smyrna, by a
heavy influx of mail and daily papers
Trains were soon running on time and
the great blizzard and snow blockade
of February '99, as far asthe railroads
with Smyrna was concerned, passed
into history. The greatest trouble
Smyrna had to contend with, outside
of this, was the blockaded condition of
the country roads. The loss of trade
from the country districts is, in a
sense, most paralizing to business in
Smyrna. Some of the roads are
broken fairly well, but too heavy in
many instances for sleighs, carriages,
or wagons, and the farmers have had
to resort to horseback riding as the
easiest means of getting to town.
There are some roads that have not
yet been broken. Farmers living near
town have forced their way, but those
living at the extreme ends of Thor
oughfare, Severson's, White Hall and
Raymond's Necks, but in few incidents
have dared to venture, even
though the snow has diminished very
materially under the softening rays of
the sun. To many of the farmers it
was a matter of sheer necessity. I'm
prepared for the blizzard that came so
suddenly upon them, provisions and
fuel ran low, and they were obliged to
force their way to town the best possi-
BILE means they could take.
Throughout this vicinity the fall of
snow was the heaviest ever seen by
our Oldest inhabitants and drifts from
ten to fifteen feet high were very com
mon especially on the lateral roads.
So far we have been able to learn no
serious suffering has come from the
storm, although there is no telling
what may have happened in the most
isolated districts. The storm has had
its greatest blow at the vendue season,
and many had advertised and made all
arrangements for public sales, have
been obliged to postpone them until
the roads were possible. 1t has been
a matter of much serious concern to
the near approach of Moving
Day. Some sales have been postponed
three times.
commendable feature during the
blockade was the way in which the
firm of COsgriff & Beck worked to de-
liver coal. The Transportation Com
pany were out. The Brady Steamboat
Company had a number of tons at
Smyrna Landing, but were unable to
get at it and orders for coal, coming in
from those who were in need. were
thick and fast. Early Tuesday morn
ing, COsgriff & Beck put on a gang of
men, and by noon had a way dug to
their coal bins at the, p. w. & B. r. r.
track. Under the direction of the
street committee of the Town, the
streets were then being broken and
COsgriff & Beck were enabled to re-
lieve the wants of several families in
town. In order to meet the demand.
they endeavOred to supply enough all
around to tide them over the cold biz
zard weather. The digging of the
roads and the hiring of extra wagons,
was matter of no small expense to
that firm and it can be said to their
credit, that they never took advantage
of the public by raising the price OF
coal, while they virtually had the mo-
nOpoly.
An instance when the cold blizzard
weather showed its effects upon wild
animals was evidenced at Meadow
Lawn, where six wild rabbits, starv.
ing for want of food, came up to the resi-
dence of r. H. Cummins. They were
taken in, fed daily, with the purpose
of letting them loose again as soon as
the weather permitted.
The continuous rain, the melting of
snow and ice, came near caus-
ing serious break in the dam al
Garrison's Millpond, Monday, and
but for the timely action in raising the
gates to their full length, serious
washout might have happened. 1t was
enough to stop travel over Sunday and
Monday. Millers throughout the
country are obliged to watch their
dams very carefully during the present
thaw.
The people of Smyrna Landing were
cut off from this town till Thursday,
the snowbanks filling up the road to
the top of the hedge most of the way.
Fourteen men met with their shovels
to cut a path to this town, and it took
them some six hours to do it.
The greatest annoyance experienced
by many of the town people after the
storm was the leaks in the dwellings
caused by the melting snow. This,
with the bursting pipes caused by the
freeze, has ruined a good deal of paper
that may cause several hundred dollars
to have repaired.