The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-11

anniversary of the event that
 has been reviewed with keen
 interest with each passing year.
 Current storms of any import
 ance arc compared to '06. The
 following account of the bliz-
 gard Wns written by reader
 of the Democrat, who tells Of
 struggling through great snow
 drifts to his home and then
 battling again to determine the
 safety of his sister snOwbOund
 with many other employees in
 New Haven factory. The
 'Remernber When' club will
 now como to order for a dis.
 cussion of '68.
 The last two winters should have satisfied the people whom you have heard say, oh! for a good old fashion winter.
 This and last winter has furnish ed us with plenty of zero weather also enough snow to satisfy the average person, last winter as you probably remember we had what the younger generation called a blizzard" and there are both men and women with hair now turning to that silver grey who might easily call it the worst snow storm that Connecticut ever seen in their times.
 But the blizzard of March, 1888 still holds the championship belt for Connecticut.
 was almost nineteen at this time and living at the corner of 9th street and Campbell avenue, West Haven with my mother, two sisters and one brother. My sister, two years younger was working at the American Buckle and Cart. ridge Co.,, West Haven and l had just started to learn the wood turning trade at J. B. Sargent's factory on Water street, West Haven.
 It had showed most all night Sunday and Monday morning there was about what we would figure a good body of snow, and it was coming down fast but thought little of it as started from home that morning about 6:30 to catch the seven o'clock horse car at the Brown street barns five blocks away. -A
 Horse Cars
 I can see 1t just as though it were last week. when I arrived at the barn they had gotten 8 large drift cleared from the door and were cleaning the switch.
 There stood Frank Holt, the old est driver on the road with four horQes hitched to No. car wait ing for clear switch.
 Gus Lawson was the conductor, the fare them days was ten, cents or four for twenty-eight cents. Well. I got aboard and handed him that little blue ticket that canfe close to being my fare to that other world. think there were two other men in the car when we finally started for New Haven. It soon started to snow much harder and did it blow!
 There was no a such thing as .. Vestibuled car those days, the driver had to just stand his post and take the storm. With fou3 horses hitched to that car and so few passengers we literally plowed our way through the drifts, being about one hour late when we reached the city. Those that had planned on going to work that morning probably had got tired of waiting in that blinding storm had gone home, for the first stop that we made was at Howard avenue bridge where there were two men the snow had drifted up against the front of the car so much so that we all had to get out and k@ ix1 m f was past nine and the snow just coming down Gas the slang phrase goes), like nobody's busi- ness.
 There Is no. reason, for me to statements. My object in writing this Is solely to relate facts as saw them. In going to New Haven down Cilarle street but Frank turned down one street too soon the mistake until he arrived at the Union depot.
 Desert Car
 Now as he turned the. corner onto Meadow street we got stuck in. a. drift proper, and all hands deserted the car. Where they went to, didn't stop to find out but started for Water street at the farther end where Sargent's shop was situated, nearly a mile away arriving there about ten o'clock.
 There were very few in the room that I worked in and all but the foreman and myself went out at noon and didn't come back. Our room was up ptabout four steps from the sidewalk and when I arrived the snow was piled clean up to the door. Soon the windows were filled full and as it was warm inside and of course never expect ing what was taking place outside felt no alarm until MT. Williams, my foreman came to me about three o'clock in the afternoon and said that several girls had at tempted to go home and had tainted on the street. He thought that we had better make a break for home.
 We finally got started, remem- Der very we'll what I had on, heavy grey overcoat, a derby hat, brown kid gloves.
 tied silk handkerchief around my neck, took two bags and slipped them over my shoes tying them above my knees, but toned up my coat, slipped on those kid gloves and about three o'clock MT, Williams and started down Water street for home. (Yes, home.) Which I came very near never seeing. The snow now was so deep that it made little differ ence- where you walked.
 Mir. Williams being much older than I was, went ahead and he followed behind. He lived some place on Howard avenue and when we at last got to the rail- road depot he insisted on me going home with him and staying, say ing that I never would be able to reach West Haven in that terrible storm. v
 Trains Stalled
 It had never entered my mind that the steam cars were blocked