The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-01-11
COLD WAVE
EXTENDS FAR
THE SNOW FALL BREAKS RECORDS
Depth Of Three Feet Reached In Lower
Valley Telephone, Telegraph and
Train Service Hampered.

lHt SuoW OF the past week rs q
novelty to>all except pioneer residents
Of the county. The fall is the heaviest
since the winter of 1884 and 'S5. when
10 December the snow on the level was
several inches deeper than that cover
ing the ground at present Railroad
traffic on the O. K. a n. line was
completely tied up here at that time.
A train was stalled beyond Ruthton
west Of here and remained with many
passengers aboard for period of three
weeks. The engineer of the locomo-
tive was G. A. McCurdy, now pres
ldent of the Apple Growers Union.
Food for the snowbound passengers
had to be brought in on hand sleds.
Fred Howe, and William Davidson
made daily trips from here to the
train carrying supplies.
"The snow of 1895 was almost as
deep as this says County Assessor
Nlckham. 81 remember one very
cOmical incident connected with the
snowfall of that year. he continued.
A friend and had started from our
| homes in the Oak Grove district to
| the city. The snow was so deep that
we thought il best to walk, so that the
sled would be lighter for the team. No
sooner had we aighted than the horses
decided to take little trot. Despite
our cries they continued at a good gait
| and in the deep snow we were liable to
overtake them. After travelling
| serVeal miles we overlook them at
the Barrett Store, where some one had
caught them. -
During the same winter S. f..
/ Blythe, who resides west of the clty
near the Frankton district, was caught
by the storm without sufficient feed
for his cows. He cut all of the under
! finally was forced to use branches of
the Oak trees. The animals grew so
famshed that they would rush to the
foot of an oak, when they say him
climbing the tree.
The heaviest shower of snow fell
here Saturday night, when more than
a foot and a half was added to the
depth of the white blanket. When day
broke Sunday morning the sky had
cleared and the snow stood on the level
from 81 inches to five feet in different
parts of the valley. 1t was reported
from Green Point Tuesday that the
fall had reached depth of eight feet
there. Sunday night the temperature
reached a record low temperature
here, registering in certani points N
the Valley at tour degrees below zero.
The sky couded Sunday night and
showers of snow fell intermittentlS
until Tuesday afternoon about three
o clock, when the temperature rose to
30 degrees above ard slight rain fell,
forming a crust on the snow. A steady
thaw since then has been taking the
snow from the houses and buildings of
the city. In many cases outside drain
pipes have been frozen and the water
backing up on roofs has flooded build
ings. Tuesday afternoon it was found
! necessary to use steam pipes to thaw
the drain pipes on the Eliot building.
The office of Drs. Bronson and Waugh
| in this building was flooded and damage
done to other portions of the structure.
Tuesday night the Masonic building
was flooded because of the freezing of
drain pipes. Men were working at late
hours of the night removing snow from
other large buildings. The more re-
Gently built structures have the drain
pipes constructed within the buildings,
so that they did not freeze and the
melting snow was allowed to reach the
cutters.
Since Saturday the rural carriers
have been unable to deliver mail on
their routes. Monday the carrier of
Route No took the mail as far as the
Oak Grove store. The engine sent out
by the Mt. Hood road Saturday was
stuck at Parkdale. Mail has been sent
out to the Mt. Hood post office on
sleighs.
The O.-W. X. & N. system has had
difficulty in sending its trains through.
The snow blocked the tracks on both
sides of the city and all trains have
been late. Trains from the far east
have found difficulty in maintaining
their schedules throughout the western
mountain districts.
Passengers on the Saturday after
noon local east bound from Portland
arrived here at Il :05 Sunday evening,
81 hour late. The train was blocked at
Bridal Veil where it remained all
night, the passengers remaining on
the cars over night. They took their
meals at the Bridal Veil hotel. Local
people on the train were Clarence H.
Gilbert, G. X. Marshall, Frank Chan
dler, A. O. Hershey. Mrs. j. c. John.
son, DR.. b. + Wrihgt and Mrs. Ida
Crapper. A large number Of people
from The Dales were also aboard the
train. Services were held aboard the
train Sunday morning. A violin solo
was rendered by Clarence Gilbert, and
Paul French, Of The DalIes, lead in
the singing of hymns. The passengers
reached this city aboard the east bound
Oregon Washington limited, to which
they were transferred on the arrival
of that train from Portland at Bridal
Veil. The limited train was II hours
in making the trip from Portland to
Hood River
Sunday evening just at dusk as the
westbound OreOgn-W ashington limited
was pulling into the local yards, the
front engine, of the two pulling the
train, left the tracks because Of the
turning Of rail and the tender
bumped into the concrete walk sur
rounding the station. Crews of men
cleared the track before morning. The
rotary plow was kept busy all day
Sunday, Sunday night and Monday
keeping the track on either side Of the
city clear. A large number Of people
were at the station Sunday night to
see it clear the sidewalks Of the local
yards The big machine threw the
snow in steady stream over the top
of the Strauahan a Clark Warphause
as it was clearing the siding next
that building. The O.-W. X. & N.
tracks have been cleared and, although
somewhat irregular, through trains are
being operated.
The North Bank road has been in
worse con ition than the local roads.
Its track running on an exposed cliff
! for a great distance. The snow fight
ing equipment of the road was in use
at the time the storm came on eastern