Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-03-09
WAsHlNGTON'S GREAT STORM.
A Badger Gossips Most Interestingly
About It.


pected. Residents of Washington,
however, look at it from an entirely
different point of view. To them it
is a. curiosity and nuisance, for it
comes only as clog to industry and,
if severe, means much suffering. On
the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. IL,
the snow began to come down, and
earth and sky to look like the genuine
article. Sunday "the beautiful still |
continued to silently fall, and by
night traffic all over the city was be-
ginning to be blockaded although it
was then only an ordinary snow storm
to a badger. Monday morning found
all lines of street cars stopped, eX-
cept the Columbia system, which, for
tunately for your humble servant, ran
by his door and directly to the print
ing office In our division of the Of
fee, out of 100 men, fully one-third
we're unable to make their way to
work. By night the storm had devel-
oped into one of the worst blizzards
have seen. The wind blew hurri-
cane and the snow had become hard
and fine. The cold had increased and
it was fully 10 degrees below. The
cars were still running on my line, so
that I got home after some delay, al
| though [ had to wade in snow up to
my arm pits to get into the house.
| Standing at my window overlooking
Mt. Vernon square, the sight was
most magnificent and yet appalling.
The official records of the city for
the past IS years show nothing to
compare with this, and Is degrees be-
low is almost quite as great variety.
But Tuesday morning saw the sun,
and by Thursday all lines Of street
cars were running again between
banks of snow higher than the cars.
There was great deal of suffering in
the city especially among the colored
class Of course, no one being pre-
pared for such thing as Dakota
blizzard in Washington, it caught
many people with neither coal nor
wood and scarcely any provisions in
the house. In many instances the gas
froze and houses could not be lighted
or any cooking done. To make mat
tiers worse no coal could be delivered,
as there were no handy bob-sleighs
and wagon could not go ten feet. ~
cap was thing unknown except to
some fortunate northerner, who acct
dentally had brought his, perhaps as
a curiosity.
On Tuesday everything had taken a
jump. Coal usually S. per ton, was
beeing delivered at s12.5D or IS cents
a basket. Eggs were worth from -
cents to dollar q dozen; a pound of
steak IS and 40 cents, and milk was
out OF the question entirely. The suf-
fering was Immediately a topic of dis
cussion and soon relief parties were
Fastening in all directions to alleviate
it. Large donations poured in to the
committee appointed for that purpose
and the city responded nobly.
After the storm the next thing
dreaded was a thaw and a fresh
ct, but the snow has gone off gradu-
ally and all danger from that source
is past. Curiously enough the one
thing most feared was the famous
long bridge" over the Potomac where
it was thought the Johnny Rebs would
come into the city in the COS. The
bridge is a low structure and would
have made a good dam in case every
| thing went out with rush. 1t has
caused considerable talk, and probably
a new one will soon take its place.
While there was considerable suf-
fering, still many amusing incidents
| happened. To stand i'll the door Of
| stringing by with hands and feet
| covered up with everything from
gunnysack to bed blanket,--all con-
ditiOns and colOrs,-was a ludicrous
sight, indeed Most Of the coal here is
delivered in dump carts that jolt up
and down like lumber wagon going
over a railroad track. keeping the
driver continually bobbing like a jack
in-the-box. The driver is usually a
black man, not only by nature but
also with a thick coat of artificial
backing. Dragging the cart is a
mule, poor and gaunt, it's harness
hanging on its bones like the clothes
on farmers scare-crow. Picture the
above and then seat a fine looking,
rosy checked girl dressed in the latest
fashion, beside the driver and you
have one of the sights of Tuesday
night. The storm brought out a re-
mark by bright little boy of two
who had seen his brothers chappeu
hands rubbed with vaseline The next
day he was very naughty, and as his |
mother was Gliding him, une tears |
rose to her eyes.
What you crying for, mammal"
Don't you know you hurt your !
mammals hearth"
Quick as fash the little pnilioso-
pher said:
Put vaseline on it."
x bright printer from Louisiana,
who had never seen any part of his
anatomy frostbitten, had his ears
frozen. Upon arriving home his wife
said, Mac, your ears look very queer.
They are all white"
Going hastily to a glass Mac looked
at his appendages and in a tone o.
alarm exclaimed:
Great Scott! I'm not getting the
leprosy! Am I?'
In closing let me say that while I
like snow storms, l prefer to have
them in Wisconsin where l can keep
warm and have some fun out of them.
Allen E. Cowles