Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-12
BLIZZARD Is YEARS AGO
To-day the Anniversary of a
Great Three Days Storm.
veteran Express Messenger. Now RE-
tired, Tells of Experiences of Pas
sengers on Trims stalled near
Caycndish--Food Was short.

TWpnty-SiX years ago To-Day, March u,
1855, New England was III the grasp of
what was probably the worst blizzard
try. The storm caused the loss of many
lives. and in twenty-four hours more
than two feet of snow fell.
Richard j. Irwin. the veteran express
messenger, in speaking of tho blizzard
yesterday afternoon, told OF his OK
periences with the storm. At the time
Mr.. Irwin was express messenger on the
mail train running between here and
Boston and leaving this city at S:17 o'clock
in the morning. The snow began falling
Sunday night, March II, and when Mr.
Irwin took his train Monday morning
there were about seven inches Of snow
on the ground and the storm was in
creasing. The train arrived at Rutland
about on time but there another engine
was put on, making a double-header.
The train did not arrive at Cavendish
a distance of thirty miles. until about
four O'Clock IN the afternoon and there
ED" WEIGH the popular conductor now
running a train from Rutland to Mont
real on the Rutland railroad who was
In charge of the mail train, received word
that a freight was stalled in the rock
cut a half mile south of Cavendish. The
two locomotives were taken from the
mail and drew the freight cars, one at
a time. back to the side track at Caven-
dish At that time the Rutland railroad
had been leased for period of years
by the Central Vermont, and all trains
received their orders from the dispatcher
at st. Adams.
Right here" said Mr.. Irwin. was
where the dispatcher at st. Adams fell
down. South of us there was a 20 foot
grade about Ave miles long and instead
of allowing us to take that grade, which
could have been done as we were at the
top, the dispatcher ordered the north
bound mail train to come to Cavendish
and we We're ordered to wait there to
meet them The northbound mail got
about half way between Gassetts and
Cavendish and was stalled The fury
of the gale increased and the snow fell
so fast that it was not considered safe
to leave the train
Il always carried a large lunch basket
and on that morning it was well filled
iol JUST SuGll an tlHtIEtHtN, Sdlu MT.
irwin, with a broad smile. However, this
would not satisfy the appetites of all
on board and OK teams were driven to
the train by some of the inhabitants of
Cavendish, breaking a road and allowing
the trainmen to get to the village,
where they We're able to purchase food.
There was no hotel there but the farm
ers proved big hearted and the people
on the southbound mail were well pro-
vided for The people on the northbound
train were not so fortunate only one
farm house being near enough to be
reached. The family, while not lacking
IN hospitality could not hope to give
all the passengers all they wanted to
eat and so from Monday afternoon till
Thursday morning the rations were very
short, The only available meat was
found in the farmers pork barrel and
looked rather hard for a party of priests
on their way from Boston to Montreal
Upon rummasing the express car a five
gallon tub of oysters Were found. And
this laughed Mr. Irwin, proved the
poor mems salvation"
BY Thursday morning a snow plough
had worked its way from Bellows Falls
and the northbound mail was pulled
back to Gassetts and the southbound
train broke its way down the grade,
opening the track Mr. Twins train ar
rived in Boston Thursday night, just
three days late.
Mr.. Irwin, when he retired from the
Express company's service in 1903, had
been on the road for "a years and most
of that time he had run between this
city and Boston. In 1854 when but fifteen
years of age, he started as a newsboy,
Or as they We're then known
butcher" About ten years later he en-
tered the employ of the American Ex-
press company. Mr.. Irwin was absent
from the road for only one year, when
he enlisted in Company X of the 18th
vermont regiment. He ran the first sleep
Ing car from Troy to go through Bur-
lington carrying paying passengers He
was retired by the express company in
1908 with pension for long and faithful
service, at that time being the Oldest
messenger IN the New England States
and possibly in the country.