New-York tribune., 1912-02-19
!. SN0WDR|FTS THIRTY
FEET DEEP UPSTATE
With Four Feet on Level, the st,
Lawrence Valley Suffers
ACuteIY.
SNoWSH0ES FOR EVERYBODY
Coal and Supplies Running Short
TX at Many Places as Few
Freight Trains Are
Moving.

n II
snow belt Of New York State may be desig-
mated on the map as lying north Of a line
running almost eastwardly and continuing
the south shore of Lake Ontario. All the
territory north Of such q line might be set
Gown as within the St. Lawrence Valley,
through which a great many of the storms
OF winter and the heat waves and depres-
g SONS of summer fnd their way to the see.
II comprises the greater part Of Oswego
County, a part OF Oneida and Herkimer
and practically all Of Lewis. Jefferson, st.
Lawrence, Clinton and Essex counties, or
an area that would make great state in
itself People who do not live within this
territory or who do not travel through il
in winter know very little indeed about
the actual conditions, and cannot realize
what four or six feet of snow on the level
and twenty to thirty feet in drifts means.
Between January ! and the 18th OF the
present month 1858 inches of snow has fal-
ien at Oswego. The fall at Watertown has
been little less, but at Ogdensburg II has
cen fully as great This settles somewhat
after it has fallen, for the wind sweeps
some of it away into drifts, and helps TO
pack IL down harder and harder all the
time There are left at present not far
from forty inches of snow in places where
the ground has been protected. There are
rayines and favorable places for drifting
where the snow is fully thirty feet deep.
In cities and villages where some attempt
has been made to keep the sidewalks clear
the snow has been thrown toward the road
way. leaving great windrows or embank-
ments piled up along the walks. 1t is i'm
POSSIBLE 10 see teams passing In the street
II one IS proceeding along the sidewalks.
and only at cross streets may one see from
one side Of the street TO another.
In the country the roadways are drifted
In many places to such an extent that il Is
impossible TO get through. Sometimes long
detours are made through the lots, and in
other cases no attempts have been made to
keep the roads broken out, and such bust
ness as must be carried on between the
farm and the town is transacted over the
telephones or by taking 10 the snowshoes
and the lots.
Communities on Snowshoes.
II is difficult TO see how a winter like rne
. present one could be passed in this section
+, without the use of snowshoes. Few farm
houses are without them, and generally
there is a pair OF snowshoes for every
member Of the family. In the towns and
cities snowshoing is a pastme which is
greatly enjoyed. In Oswego. for instance,
where one OF the states large normal
schools is situated. the young men and
women who are attending that school are
often seen. taking trips miles from the city,
and often as many as fifty or sixty in
squad. They go across lots. for fences are
out Of sight. and they do not have 10 turn
out for swamps or streams. Five TO eight
mile tramps are taken in an evening, and
members Of the faculty and athletic associ-
? 5tion 90 along to see that all members OF
grtle party are kept in line and that none
Z wander away or is lost in the snowdrfts.
Hundreds Of pairs OF snowshoes have been
sold in Oswego this winter, and the de-
mand is so great that the dealers have
been compelled TO send rush orders to Ca
madam markets where. the shoes are menu
featured
But aside from pleasure, the snowshoes
are in great demand and II is not an un-
common thing TO see scores OF men in one
If the northern towns in a day all carrying
snowshoes with which they have surmount-
&C the drifts. Also, they carry pack bas-
kets and these they I'LL with supplies which
arc needed, and 90 away home-f1ve, eight
or ten miles, as the case may be. Ply
sicians in most of the towns are experts
with snowshoes and IL they cannot pre-
= scribe for a patient over the telephone they
- Think nothing at all of making a long trip
across the country TO care for the sick. OF
course. many Of the farms are now equipped
with telephones, and this is great help
10 the farmers who are hemmed in by
Enow which is four feet deep in some places
and great deal deeper in other places
Severe BIockades on Railroads.
Stories have been sent out concerning the
bIockades on the several lines OF railroad
running through this territory. They do
not begin TO tell IT all and scarcely illus
trste the conditions. Most Of the trouble
" caused by the filling up of the cuts, for
TIE snow blows into them as rapidly as IT
can be taken out, and several days may
he spent in trying to open short section
Of road. When the wind goes down the
trouble is soon remedied. But before the
freight trains are moving there comes
along another storm, and then the cuts are
blown fun again. II is almost impossible
10 move freight Many Of the towns are
running short Of coal for il has not been
possible during the last four weeks to run
anything near the usual number Of coal
trains and there are sidings filled with
coal cars which cannot be taken out.
Difficulty has been experienced also in
shipping paper from the big mills and
now several Of the mills have shut down
because they can't get coal TO run their
engines. As told IN The Tribune few
days ago. the publicity bureau that IS
ppshins the canvass Of Governor woodrow
Wilson ordered a carload of paper from
the St Regis Paper Company, at Water
town There was no assurance that u
could be sent forward with any dispatch
6y freight and so il was directed 10 be
sent az express. The express bill 10 Tren-
ten was 500
In Oswego there were several funerals
20 he held. but the road 10 the cemetery
Vas drifted TO such an extent that II was
feared it could not be used The prisoners
- the lail Uero taken out furnisheo win
sho1els ana set TO work II hook twenty
Eve Of them eight hours 10 break roac
through 20 tic cemetery gate.
Farmers find IL impossible 10 send OF
take their milk TO the stations, and all the
milk trains are running light win not
more than hall the usual loads. rms WIZ
cause some shortage in the New hoIh
rsarket but II Is said that il VIII niaNe
sattsr cheaper. as the milk viii be worAeu
up 81 home until the snow bloekaue 40 -
heeken fhc supply Of farm proouoe "
Inc village and city markets ~ gel'ii,s
Iegrce Tor tho farmers have not been aD,e
10 bring in the usual loads Of butter eess' ,,
Iolatoes and apples for nearly rpo"'"'
Prices In some places are prohibitiVe,