The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-15
DANGEROUS TRAVELLING.
LITCHEIELD COUNTY HIGHWAYS
ALMOST IMPASSABLE.

Those Who ventured Out I'm Teams
Must Go Through Barnyards, Fields
and Roads Cut Through Immense
Drifts-Not So In Days Gone BY.
Travelling in the northwestern part
of this State at the present time is ac-
companied with many difficulties, to
say nothing about being in fear every
moment of tipping over. or the horse
getting buried in snow drifts, which in
some localities are from five to nine
feet deep, according to the experience
Of a man whose business frequently
obliges him to make trips through that
section. Going from New Milford to
Sherman and Gaylordsville the high
| ways are sight. ..
with good pair of horses hitched
to light; carriage, going up the noun
tains towards Sherman" said he, I'VE
made good time for about two miles,
but soon we had to take to the lots, as
the snow in the highway was level with
the fences. and in some localities
fences couldn't be seen at all. In
many places one strikes a road where
| only a few teams have passed over,
! and these roads are generally so mar
row that it requires a steady horse to
| keep in the beaten path: if out, down
| goes horse and all. The experienced
driver when he reaches one of these
| places stands up in the sleigh, waves
| his hat and shouts for all he is worth,
| letting any other person who may be
| travelling in an opposite direction know
| that he must wait until the other gets
| through the drift. Years ago this was
different, as. the farmers turned out
with their teams and cleared the roads,
for it. and if not. let it 60 The
Selectman whose, duty it is by law to
clear the roads, neglects to do it, as it
makes much expense and raises the
| taxes with a corresponding reduction
! in the sum total of that officials pop
ularity when election day draws near.
Zone draws an easy breath as he
energies from one of these passages,
and is only too glad to have met a
team. Going over lots, cornfields and
! meadows, the track went through and
| around three barnyards. and often in
rear of a farm house before the road
was reached again. At one place we
/ met a party unloading a lot of tobacco
! from a sleigh on to a wagon to, which
/ two pairs of horses were hitched. 1t Is
4 nothing strange to see a. driver get out
1 and look over the territory, as he is
! afraid of striking a rock covered by the
! snow. or get into ditch. As we had
/ to drive near the New York State line
about opposite Pawling, it took all the
skill of the driver to get up the noun
tain where the drifts We're over six feet
/ deep.
| Returning from Sherman to Cay
louisville, we found the roads a little
better. From Charlottesville. going
! towards New Milford, the Housatonic
River is frozen solid As the Travelled
road is close to the river in many
4 places one cant heir but notice the
many pieces of ice of all sizes scattered
and left here and there as the flood re-
coded several weeks ago. At one place
a piece of ice weighing several tons lay
on the road side. 7 asked the driver
how it came there; he replied, The
flood washed it up" At first doubted
this, as the Housatonic was from u to
Is feet below the road; but he assured
me that the water in the river was
| level with the road in many places. and
| only cold weather setting in prevented
| great destruction. ..,.s.... ~, -.s
''Thursday, while, travelling from
Lakeville to Sharon Mountain and
i Sharon Valley, we had to go in a sleigh.
| / objected to this, but the liveryman
4 assured me that no wagon could pass
| the drifts. Going up Sharon Mountain
we found the drifts as he had predicted
and although the horse stepped aside
4 from the head Travelled path sinking
i into the snow and getting nearly buried
4 we managed to reach Sharon Center
\ Here in the streets we dragged along
on bare ground, and had to walk a good
i share of the way. In Sharon Valley
4 there was penty of snow, but it was
4 very soft. Fearing of getting smashed
i here we decided to walk and did moi
i take to the sleigh again until we got
A out Of drifts. On our return we were
i in constant fear Of getting into more
Il trouble, and all on account of the very
i narrow roads, which since the warm
weather has set in have become soft
and dangerous" ..s1