New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-02-21
WORST STORM IN
NEARLY 50 YEARS
New England Lashed by Fierce
Blizzard

Boston, Feb. 81 Up, - A bowling
northeast storm that swept in
from the sea nearly 40 hours ago
TO claim 16 lives still held New
England in its grasp today.
A coast guard boat with its crew
of eight had been sent to the bot
tom in the worst gale off Cape Cod
since the disastrous blizzard of
1898; four men had persisted on
land, two ships had been beached
and two more crushed by the sea,
and throughout Massachusetts,.
New Hampshire and parts of
Maine huge snow drifts blocked
highways.
In Long Island sound shipping
was demoralized as a roaring wind
that reached clip Of rs miles an
hour drove big and little ships into
port for safety.
At New London, Conn, the
Colonial liner Lexington disem-
barked its passengers to waiting
special train for Providence, r. l.,
rather than attempt the passage Of
the treacherous Point Judith.
Other craft likewise preferred the
safety of the harbor to a battle
with huge seas, and heavy, snow
laden winds.
But it was off the bleak coast
Of Cape Cod that the crew of the
CG 23S met death in a cruel surf
that dashed their little, craft to
pieces on a wave swept sand bar.
Disasters Elsewhere
Elsewhere. at Vineyard Haven,
high seas beached the CO PSI but
it's crew of five waded ashore to
safety through icy water. At Nam
taslet. the five masted schooner
Nancy was washed up high and
dry, while volunteers rescued its
crew of nine and the ships cat.
Two motor fishing craft at
Plymouth We're pulverized by giant
combers that flooded the towns
waterfront and spread over adja-
cent roads.
In this city the storm brought
II inches OF snow with promise of
considerably more today. A total
of IS IL inches have fallen this
winter or Is inches more than the
normal for the entire season.
The storm here brought out an
army OF street cleaning apparatus
but many of the suburban districts
were still digging themselves out OF
the drifts today Among other
things it held in port the worlds
largest ship, the Leviathan, recent
ly overhauled.
To the north the snow was not
heavy except in New Hampshire.
Vermont and Maine experienced
severe cold and in the latter state
there was a generous fall of snow.
Portland reported that it fell there
for the seventh consecutive day.
Along the north shore the un-
usual combination of high tides
and pounding surf brought dscom-
fort to two communities and gen
orally kept shipping in port. Nahant
and Winthrop experienced the high
est breakers in 40 years. In Win
throp streets adjacent to the sea
wall were inundated and when the
storm cut off electric power. po-
licemcn patrolled their beats, Ian
tern in hand.
Pcrshing Retreats
At Danvers, Gen. John J. Per-
shing found a snow barrier that
forced him to do something no
German line ever had been able
to do - beat a retreat. He was on
his way by automobile to visit his
son, who is at school at Exeter,
n. j., but the going proved too
heavy and he decided on a strate-
gic retreat to Boston.
Storm deaths on land came from
a variety of causes. William Roach
of Quincy persisted from exposure
while operating a snow pillow,
Charles s. Candy OF Montreal was
found dead from exposure in a
south end doorway, Richard +.
Barry of Maiden was killed when
he stepped In front OF a taxicab
while blinded by snow, and, in
Leominster. Philomen Rouisse was
found lifeless in a snowbank.