Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-02-18
lawful BLIZZARD
MartinSburg Complete
| ly Showed Under.
lOne of the Worst
Storms Ever Be-
held in this
City.
Snowdrifts as High as the
Second Stories Of
Dwellings.
Baltimore and Ohio and Cumberland
Valley Trains Snowbound--C oun-
try Roads Blocked Business
Suspended and Schools
Closed.
FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR.
FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR
Many Persons i'm Destitute Circum-
stances Apply for Relief and
are Being Cared For.

Monday, February 10, 1899. will
60 down in history as a record break
err. An awful blizzard ragged in this
city, the like of which has not occur
red here since 1882, according to the
statement of some of our Oldest resi-
dents. Martinsburg is indeed locked
in the worst blizzard in its weather
history
On Saturday afternoon the snow
began to fall and continued from that
time up until Monday evening, two
days, without ceasing, and when
finally it ended it covered the ground
where it had not drifted to the depth
OF about two feet.
Sunday about midnight the blizzard
struck us and ragged necessarily from
that time until Tuesday, piling the
snow in some places as high as the
second stories of residences. The
pavements and streets were in many
places impossible, and none but the
bravest dared venture forth into the
storm.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
blizzard was the worst ever ex-
perienced, the severe cold wave which
accompanied it would not allow the
mercury to ascend but little above the
zero point, making it bitter cold.
Frosted hands, feet and ears were num-
erous, and cattle, swine and fowl suf-
fered considerable.
The country roads were all impass-
able, and but few country people were
able to get to this city. Only few
of the diarymen attempted to get in,
and many OF our citizens were unable
to procure their usual amount of that
product.
Business was generally suspended
and the little that was transacted was
done over the wires of the Winchester
and Bell telephone companies. The
lines owing to the lightness of the
snow had not been effected but little.
The coal dealers were the only bust
ness men who had their teams going
and they have been unable to supply
the demand for fuel. Much difficulty
was experienced in delivering what
they did on Monday. The other mer-
chants had nothing to do and the
most of them closed up for the day.
The letter-carriers and clerks of the
post-otfice had quite good thing of
it owing to the arrival of but little
mail, no trains running on the rail-
roads. They made but one delivery
a day. Thursday was the first they
were able to resume their usual trips.
No delivery was made over the coun-
try routes on account of the blockad-
ed roads.
The Crawford Wooden mills, the
Pants factory and the Brass factory
were the only large factories in opera
ton. The Auburn wagon works, the
Kilbourn and Middlesex knitting
factories were minus nearly all their
employees and closed down. They re-
sumed work on Wednesday morning.
The B. & 0. shops worked as usual,
large number doing double duty.
All the schools and academies were
closed and remained closed until
Wednesday morning. Many of the
teachers braved the storm but found
only empty seats.
The railroads experienced the great
est trouble in the moving OF their