The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-17
MODERN Billiards.
Ado Over Light Snowfalls May b
Chareeable 70 storm Of 1883.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN--Htr.
Prior to 1888 the word ''blixzard" was
not In common use east Of the Mlssis-
sippi River. II was used In telegraphic
accounts Of winter storms further west
and was understood In the States east
text and because the word 10 In a way
self-deining.
In the second week Of March. 1883,
a phenomenal storm smote without
warning a small area on the Atlantic
seaboard. II came In from the sea In
about the latitude OF Philadelphia and
passed out to sea between Providence
and Boston. Albany was nea the In
land edge OF the cyclone. The storm
came without warning because there
were NJ weather reports from the Ba-
hamas or Bermuda. New York city
was the centre Of its violence on land.
II tied up and isolated the town. Word
Of the grave illness Of a person here
could have been sent to relatives In
Albany only by cabling it to Europe.
having II recabled to Boston and trans
hitting II thence TO Albany. about les
miles from the point Of sending.
hat storm introduced the word "bliz-
zard" in this part Of the country. It
liz known still as the Big Blizzard. and
persons who were not born when II
came can tell offhand the date OF its
coming. The snowfall was SO great and
so swift that street cars and other
vehicles were stalled on their way. and
they remained buried in SNOW for sew
eral days. When the tracks and side
walks In Park Row. then Chatham
street. were cleared the banks of snow
were piled up to a level with the second
story windows.
Since that storm every snowfall Of
Ave or six inches in this city las been
termed A blizzard and much ado has
been made over It. In earlier years
there were snowstorms that made good
sleighing throughout the city. and for
weeks at a time the Mall in Central
Park was lined on both sides In the
late afternoon by persons out to see
the returning procession Of private
sleiRhs. The cQuirages after the Ruar
sian name attracted the most atten-
ton. with the bells juggling from the
high yokes above the collars Of the
harnesses. Now and then the snow on
the roadways would be replenished by
a fall OF from ten inches to a foot
but non of these snows,orms was nj
to be called a blizzard.
Up country in the latitude Of central
New York there were no billiards. II
there was a snowfall overnight OF three
or -four feet which was badly drifted
into the highways the farmers used OK
teams for breaking road from their
premises 10 those Of their neighbors.
\ plough was dashed to one rave OF a
sled. which made a furrow on one side
COINS and a furrow on the other side
returning. The oxen were used because
they would wallow in snow up to their
horns without getting excited. whereas
a horse team would struggle. get cast"
and perhaps seriously cut themselves
with the sharp calks Of their shoes. II
was not very rare to find stretches of
forty or nifty feet OF the highways where
the farmers had made tunnels through
big drifts and made them high enough
so that the daily stage coach on run
ners could go through without hitting
the top.
The ado over the storm Of a few days
ago is chargeable more to modern on
ditions OF life than TO the snowfall OF
abou, six inches. The gale and sleet
played havoc with telegraph. telephone
and electric power wires and caused
very serious Inconvenience. but this
should not be charged to a six inch fall
OF snow. and there IL no reason for
terming every snowfall OF the magnitude
OF an u%pcountry sugar snow" near the
close Of winter IA blizzard"
r.. Y. MISANT.
BRooKLYN. December 10.