Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1899-02-16
Storm Notes.

Rev. w. H. Courtney found that he could
not get through with his team from Stony
Branch on Monday, 80 he walked thence to
Rocky Ridge on Monday afternoon and from
that place home ON Tuesday, arriving about
2p.m.
Mr.. John Fl. Rouzer dug several hogs out
from under a four foot drift on Tuesday
morning. Their breath had thawed an open
ing up through the snow, preventing suffs-
cation.
Our east and west streets were pretty
we'll filled with snow, but the north and
south streets were impossible: there would
be five feet OF snow If leveled between curbs
on Carroll st; In front of Col. J. r. Rnuzer's
Mrs. Key Groff's, L. R. Waesches and the
NJ f. parsonage ON Church ST., are drifts
ranging from six to ten feet high.
Where there we're drifts at 8 o'clock Mon
day night, there were none at daylight on
Tuesday, and vice versa; q change 10 the dl.
rection of the wind from north east TO west
and south west occasiOned 1t. From to 8
O'Clock, when the change in the wind came,
the first made drifts were torn 10 pieces and
large chunks OF snow were hurled about by
the hurricane.
1t was a grand, almost terrifying thing, at
the height Of the storm, to sit at the window
with a strong light Immediately back OF you
and witness the rushing, whirlng snow and
hear the roar of the wind.
Our postmaster, Mr.. ]. II. Cover thinking
that the mail train might get through during
the night, determined to remain at the post
Office; when morning came, he was prisoner
and it was only after the removal ofan eight
foot drift from the dooI that he was released.
The thermometer rose 10 20 at Q o'clock on
Tuesday and again fell below zero before
Wednesday morning.
The schools were closed on Monday on
account of the storm and on Tuesday on
account Of impossible streets.
Not train over the railroad, nor a team
entered this town on Tuesday.
Just forty eight hours after the arrival of
the Fast Mail from the city on Monday our
next mail arrived on Wednesday; not bad
record for the railroad.
The We,ther Bureaus report in Wednes-
days papers says that this storm made
record for the Atlantic coast States from
Maine to Florida that will likely stand as
the record for many years.
Road supervisor, Nielsen Wilhide, began
operations opening roads on Wednesday.
The mountain offered little obstacle to the
passage Of traips, the snow pillow going hence
to Blue Ridge Summit practically without
difficulty on Wednesday morning.
The weather conditions that brought about
the great blizzard were as follows:
For several weeks an unusually high ba-
rometer and low temperature had prevailed
throughout the northern and central portion
of the country, when, during the latter days
of last week storm centre with very low
barometer developed in the Gulf of Mexico
and moved to the north Into this depres-
sion of moist air poured the great high wave
Of intense cold from the north west condens.
ing and freezing the moisture, the great IN
rush causing the tempest that prevailed The
conditions were the same a. ut the time of
the blizzard of 1883, except that then the high
pressure wave was not composed OF air many
degrees below zero, as that one Of Monday
was.
The reports from the north. west give
promise of very much warmer weather and
likely ram; where a few days ago the ther-
mometer Was 25 to IS degrees below zero, 1t
is now 20 to 40 degrees above and raining at
many points, showing at others, in that
section from which our weather may, ordi-
nariy, be predicted day or two in advance.
The snow pillow aud five engines buried
themselves IN drift between Brucevlle and
Double Pipe Creek on Tuesday and had to
remain there until the snow could be moved
by hand