The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-02-10
SNOW STORM
MAKES RECORD
WORST TRAFFIC TIE-UP SINCE 1885
5O-Hour Fall Brings Business to Stand
still, Covering Earth With a
Blanket of 81 Inches

cause of but little worry, and the little
that is chronicled about il reads like
the words of boosters club Of some
southwestern community. The first
great record made by Jupiter Pluvius
was on that memorable occasion when
the Honorable Mr.. Noah built the Ark
and floated off safely, following the 40
days and 40 nights deluge. Since that
day to this the weather, be it hot, be
1t cold, be it wet or be it dry, has
taken up much of the energy and time
of contemporary historians. The
weather has become the staple COM
modify of conversation. Record freezes,
record rainfalls are bon mots to the
aged. and when the present generation
reaches the venerable period of the
eveningtime of life. not one of them
will forget the storm of the first week
in February. 1916.
Still, the little eccentricities of the
elements of last week were but cabin
to skyscrapers as compared to real
weather of legendary days. v.
Winchell, an East Side orchardist, tells
of an Indian legend, learned from an
authentic source in the days of his
youth, that recounted a snow so deep
that two years time were conusmed in
the melting of it. and Mr.. Winchell's
veracity has never been questioned by
his friends, neighbors and acquaint-
ances. The valley at that time was
covered with gigantic pine trees. The
Indians used the moss from the pine
bark, and tomahawk marks, $50 feet
from the earth, the Indians having
gathered moss on the SHOWS surface,
could be discerned for years afterward.
All levity aside, the snow of last
week will not be soon forgotten. From
Monday afternoon until Wednesday
night, the fall continued unbrokenly,
and on Thursday the blanket on the
level me assured 81 inches. AS early as
Tuesday railway traffic was at a stand
still. While the Mount Hood Railway
Go. brought in the mail on light en-
gine Tuesday, it was impossible to pull
heavy train over the line. Wednes-
day schedules we're temporarily an
nulled.
Business in the city was brought to a
standstill. Householders, bankers,
merchants and clerks spent the most
of Thursday unloading overweighted
roofs. The streets took on the aspect
of European trenches. Hardware
stores soon sold every last snow shovel.
Thursday lull came. and still itful
flurries we're driven down by biting
east wind. and every amateur was
making predictions. Old timers were
recalling the similarity of the weather
to that of the storms of '49. 81 and
'85. No news was received from the
outside world. Hood River was be-
leagured city.
For the first time in their history the
city schools were closed Wednesday
and Thursday. many of the children
not being able to reach the buildings.
Work was resumed at the schools Fri
day.
The East Side grade. blocked by
heavy drifts. was broken open by Road
Supervisor Stanton Thursday. Mr..
Stanton used an improvised plow and
a team of six horses.
Wednesday a milk famine was immi-
nent in the city. Many fathers tramp
ed down to the home of W. E. Mills to
demand his surplus for babies. Thurs
day T. d. Calkins broke through from
his Purity Dairy with four horse
team. Grocerymen and meatmarket
men of the city made their deliveries
with four horse teams hitched to sleds.
From Tuesday morning until Satur.
day morning Hood River was cut off
from the outside world. O.-W. R. &
N. trains, stalled four days, were
brought through Saturday morning,
after rotary plows and large crews of
laborers dug out the heavy drifts in
cuts between here and Portland. Two
and three engines were used in hauling
the first trains brought through.
The storm damage in Portland
reached beyond 100000. A severe
silver thaw prevailed weighing down
wires, poles and trees. Street car
traffic was blocked for time, and
many business men we're unable to get
to and from their homes. Thousands
of idle men we're given work sh0veilng
snow in the city street cleaning de-
partment.
Slight trouble was again experienced
by the O.-W. R. & N. Co. Saturday
night. While the earlier evening trains
came through all right, except for de-
lay, the eastbound train leaving Port
land at midnight and bearing the
morning papers, did not arrive until
about o'clock Sunday afternoon. Ex-
cept for the provisions made by the
company a serious block might have
again resulted. Men we're stationed at
all critical points, and all train crews
we're instructed to proceed slowly at
curves and cuts and constantly blow
the whistles to warn laborers.
The storm was given serious aspect
locally Sunday afternoon, when, fol
lowing an eight inch fall of new snow
Saturday night, a rain and sleet pre-
vailed. Ice formed on wires and trees
and growers were alarmed lest their
trees be broken under the great
weight. A warm wind, however, be-
gan to blow Monday morning, and the
ice was soon melted. Orchardists hav-
ing young trees began work to shovel
clear spaces around them, to prevent
the stripping of branches. early Mon
day. A crust of ice nearly half inch
in thickness was formed on the surface
of the snow.
While the snowfall caused great in
conveniences, especially to rural resi-
dents, the rural carriers not being able
to make their routes, but little damage
was caused. The greatest sufferer.
probably, was G. P. Johannsen, of the
Upper Valley, whose handsome new
barn, one of the largest in the valley.
was crushed. No stock, however. was
lost. The East Side barn of W. F.
Cooper was crushed by the weight of
the snow.
Sunday morning the old sash and
door factory near the Indian village
west of the city on the O.-W. R. & N.
track. was demolished by the weight
of the snow.
Hood River was rescued from an i'm
pending fuel famine through the efforts
Of q nanflaman nnadacf lu and nroe aical.