Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-26
A LIVELY DISCUSSION
ANENr THE SNOW OF 81 AND THIS
YEAR.
OUR CONFORM NEWS BUDGET.

Correspondents Of the Dispatchl

! VA. February "A lively and very in
/ tsresting discussion Il now going on here
I anent the memorable bI zzard Of January,
/ iS57. and that Of the 18th of this month.
some well-iuformcd persons claim that
the one u forty-two years ago surpassed
In severity the recent one. while ma
/ jority OF the old people hold that. while
the 1877 blizzard was Of longer duration.
/ that % the present month was. by at
odds. the severest here and all along the
\ Potomac river region. All weather records
| that can te found are being diligently
| and carefully searched. and the prepon-
\ derance Of evidence so far found shows
/ that our recent blizzard eclisped an pre-
/ vious ones of which there is any record
/ / q so Ear as this section OF the country
| ia concerned. As far as can be ascertain
/ ed the thermometer here did not register
| lower than degrees Go 10 degrees below
| zero I'm 1851. while two weeks ago 10 reg
istered I5 degrees ard IS degrees below.
/ The snowdriffs forty -tw0 years ago were
deeper in many places than those ot nst
week. but they were not so general ana
| the average depth of snow in 1875 was not
/ quite equal Co that 0f lN@. In lai 10 WaS
possible Tor the people IN some sections
| here t0 get t0 the mills and also toi the
doctors to visit some 81 their patients
/ but last week travel was entirely impos-
sible. the drifts OF snow in some places
being miles long filling the deep roa0s
from bank % bank and even reachins
/ the tons OF fences parallel with the ROADS
/ Al mo- time ln the history of The Northern
Neck has any weather condition cause"
as lone a cessation of the United states
mails as DID the storm Of last week
/ There was mo- mail received at this place
/ from ans point from saturday. the liih.
/ until Tuesday the 2ist and then me ear
rIor could bring only very smah part
/ OF the mail matter. which had accumu-
/ lated iu Fredericksburg for the many
offices supplied bv this route.
/ The steamer Wakefield. which was
rarght down tho Potomac by The storm
and hard freeze passed up late this week
; I'M I'M. narrow channel in 'he middle Of
ihe river or course n0 attempts were
made to touch at amy Of Che wh1rves'
and the battling against the ice was TER
rifle 40 times fhe powerful steamer uih
/ not move more imam two or three niles
nu hour. although under iili mead oi
steam.
Tra scenery on the Potomac for nearly
/ Two weeks past has been varied AT times
rf.r l nrI lf times awful-nI besgaflns
description and presenting "A picture per
I ra.. never Witnessed twice 100 li'
time First blocked With ice from -n"t'
to shore. then covered with snow. which
d, some reaches so driftcd and piled up
as fo form ranges of great white noun
f.inr for miles up lud down Che river,
then ewayIng and cracking Earring inc
e9rfh ON shore. and sending the roaring
crashing noise f1r ouf into tho country
d.strIcts. ard then the tumbling OF tne
snow mountains and the moving OF huge
rorv.a and icfbergs. and Che rushing
roaring aud iammIng Of thousands ana
thousands OF tons of the frozen huid
which threaten to sweep away every
thing in its broad path. 10 cannot De- a'-
certaurd as see the extent oi oAh's'7
to wharf property aud small crat'' sl'h
as oyster-sioops &r., BOO thr most 'N-
posed reaches up and down lh' 'N''
fowls AID HOGS
Pouorte from various parts u thi'
county which could not get ln until late
this week. show that "a larger number or
fowls and hogs persisted by the bNlIarn
tban auv other farm stock although
some fine cattle died and others were
considerably Injured. Although the storm
y,. ..y.rrr along the Potomac slope
than ln SOME other sections ~ the state.
th. reports lhow that King 6eotsith'
-puiled through with Tower rl'uAliie7
than dld the people ~ some other c"un-
Ties.
woods since the middle OF che week re-
Veal the gratifying fact mat good
many plrtrldges and other tooihsome
birds survived iho hard weather. li i-
hoped that something Ike ID per cent
of the partridge are living ana VIII SUR
yiyr although they arc poor and very
weak having passed two weeks Win
olit food and water so one here seems
abb. fo explain why nearly AN ~ them
peri-hed Boo that suoW-sfDrm % l1n, -FOUR
voHr- aa0. ana s0 many lived through %"
mts severe spell 10 must Dee rrmTrn-
berDI fh1t these birds bad been without
food aud water eight days before th~
snow storm of the lZih and l3ih or ms
month reached here the ground being
covered with snow and ihe sNlnpa WIN
ice every dty except Saturday me litn.
and ON that open day b. vas noted Dy
those who we're hunting rabbits and tur-
keys that the partudges did not leave
their "huddlrs' % 200 ont to eat ana
drrt.
Mr. Jesse Newton. r. prosperous young
farmer uf This county lOsl nnf Dio1ded
bull some days as0. and all the symptoms
iu fhe case make it quite clear That hy-
drophobia caused the death OF fhe ani-
ma This o. one OF many valuable farm
animals which have died here Boo me
lost two year. from fhe effects " bites
~ mad-does. and scr when dog mani
TESTS symptoms of rabies our people dee
Ter the killing of n long enough 200 +ee
if 10 ls sure enough hydr1pbobiu" While
symptoms are developing ana the
disease proving tsflf' ihn dog - prey
INK upon -omehody FL property
It is to-day umore1 over me county
chat NJ william J. Rogers ex Sheriff
and ex-member "a fhe House 0f Dele
gates. ls thr Republican candidate for the
county cifrksLlp of King George.
PkONENDEE SCARCE.
Pr0vender ~ an kinds ls s1id 20 De-
fcarcer boo fhis -aofiou now than in any
February FOR thirty years past. Fodder
sold hare mis- week as high as 500 PER |
f0n. and. except along fhe faDpshan- |
mock valley. there D. not enough VI if Doe |
tho county 90 carry the teams until /
ploughing season opens. The winter sup /
ply VI catiie-fO0d D. about exhausted /
now. although cattle must b. red AZ /
least six weeks longer Many NJ tho 1
farmers have been obliged 20 feed blade I
fodder ~ heir cattle for the past month. /
and VII BE- forced % have mas shipped /
here for their teams for the entire crop /
season.
r,.,..Gf4t-f.r after the auony melted on \