Smyrna times., 1899-02-15
SMYRNA COMPLETELY sNowBOUND.
One of the Heaviest Blizzard Within the
Memory of Our Oldest Inhabitants.
No Communication With the
Outside World Except

the zero weather of last week and the
fearful blizzard that ragged with fury,
Sunday night, all day Monday and
Monday night Within the memory
of our oldest inhabitants such weather
has never been experienced, nor has
snow in so much quantities ever been
seen in this vicinity. 1t far surpasses
the blizzard of '88, and no one can call
to recollection a storm of such dimen-
sions that can eclipse it.
When the cold wave began to moder-
ate on Saturday, the people never
thought that blizzard was on it's way.
Saturday night it grew cloudy and be-
gan to snow gently. Sunday morning
our citizens awoke to find the ground
covered with three or four inches.
All day Sunday it kept showing until
at night, the wind got around to the
northeast and the blizzard came on in
force. Monday morning few ventured
out of doors, and only those who were
obliged to attend to business, were
seen ploughing their way through the
heavy snow drifts The wind blew in
cessantly and the light snow carried
by its force, was drifted in huge piles
that soon made the street impossible.
The mil wagons are usually the first
to turn out of morning, but only two,
so far as we know, attempted to come
out on Monday, and they soon were
obliged to give the task up as hope
less job. Frank McCaulley, who
drives Ransom's milk wagon, came
out and attempted to go through Com
merce street, but when he got within
few feet of the -Four Corners, his
team got caught in a heavy snow-drift,
and he was obliged to get shovel and
dig a way out. There were drifts
everywhere, and our streets were full
of them, some being so high that it was
difficult to walk on one side of the
street and see pedestrians on the other
side.
From the -Four Corners" down to
Odd Fellows Hall was one of the larg-
est drifts seen in town. At Odd Eel
lows Hall, it must have reached an al
titude of ten or twelve feet. The peo-
pie did no. attempt to clean the street
until the wind died down. Walking
was matter of considerable effort on
that day. Even a distance of square
or two, was enough to bring complete
exhaustion to some. 1t was bad
enough to go from one place to another
i'll town, but Mr.. w. A. Fleming. a
day dispatcher in the SUPERINTENDENT
office, Clayton, started shortly after
seven O'Clock to walk the entire dis
tance to that town. He managed with
much effort to be at his post of duty
where he put in the day. He came
back before nightfall. A negro.
Henry Durham, commonly known as
"Blackstrap" left early that morning
to join gang of working on the Della
ware Railroad. Sometime during the
day rumor spread through town that
he was caught IN a snow drift, en- route
and perished. But later advices
brought the news that he was at Clay
ton working with the men as usual.
He appeared at the TIMES office this
morning to deny all reports, and said {:
BOSS, l'se still alive"
The blizzard spent its force on Mon
day night, and on Tuesday morning
our citizens awoke to find the skv
clear, the wind hushed to sleep, and
the atmosphere clear and cold, with
thermometer registering degrees
above zero. The work of shoveling
the snow was the first thing of import
ance of the day, and by noon a pat h
vas broken for the pedestrians. The
street committee of the Town Council
very wisel y took the matter in hand of
opening the streets for traffic. There
was too much snow to think of carting
1t away, so the street committee took
the method of having several teams
and horses go up and down the streets
to beat the snow down. This they
kept up all day. Trains are blocked
along the whole Pennsylvania system,
the telephone lines are both impaired.
leaving Smyrna without mail, daily
papers or anything to give them intel
ligence of what is going on in the
world except what little comes by wire.
However the Pennsylvania Railroad
are using all the available men possi-
BILE to clear the tracks. A gang of men
were put on the Smyrna branch road
yesterday afternoon and cut the road
through to Clayton. At Clayton the
same work is going on both north and
south. They are hoping to get the
trains in running order by tomorrow
or next day.
While Smyrna is snowbound there
is a more or less demand for country
produce such as butter and eggs.
Both have gone up in price, and even
potatoes have advanced in some in
stances to fifty cents a basket. Butter
ane eggs are at the twenty-five and
thirty cent mark. Many citizens, who
were not anticipating the blockade, are
out of coal. There was enough at
Smyrna Landing and at Cosgriff &
Beck's coal yard at the depot to keep
the town going until the railroads are
open, but the great trouble was to get
1t hauled. The roads were impossible
and the coal bins were concealed be-
hind big snow drifts.
The country roads are being broken
slowly. From Duck. Creek to town.
there has been an effort to break way.
but only few have ventured out. The
Neck roads are all bound up tight, and
from present indications it may be sew
eral days before some of the places are
heard from. The avenue to CLAYTON is
being broken much faster.
Communicated.
Parish PertubrtiOns.