The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-12-23
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin

ALL
Back in the days of the horse and
buggy there were Christmases like
we hear people singing about
white Christmas" "Jingling Bells"
and 'Dashing Through the Snow"
Everybody today knows the tune of
Jingle Bells, but the sight of
sleigh with a trotting horse, and the
sound of sleigh-bells, is something
almost rare; something for the
younger folks to run to see and wish
they could take ride in.
Not so long ago just about every
family had its sleigh and driving
horse. There were no automobiles
or snow-plows, and the sleigh was
the most practical way of getting
about when there was snow on the
roads. After jogging along the
rough unpaved roads in steel-tired
buggy, it was delight to go smooth
ly and silently Except for the bells)
through the snow. There were long
periods of time when the snow lay
without melting and sleighing was
fine. Occasionally there would be a
sudden thaw and someone away from
home would find quite bit of bare
road before he got home.
One man bought sleigh at pub
lie sale near Maugansville during the
winter, but he neglected to take it
home till spring. There were no late
SHOWS that spring, so when he final
ly went for his sleigh in warm
weather, he had to pull it all the
way to Clear Spring on bare roads.
Of course there were times when
the snow got too deep for sleighs too.
Then there would be sleighs stuck
in a snow bank; a lot of shovelllng;
and sleighs upsetting. Usually nc
one got hurt when a sleigh upset
and it was simple matter to put II
back on its runners. But some
times it was not so simple to fright
the horse. If he were one thai
scared easily, he might have torn
loose from the upset sleigh, and
headed for home alone.
Just this week l heard another
person telling what l have Otter
heard, how they used to sleigh right
over the tops of the fences. The
snow was not only deep, but had
hard crust on top, or they could not
have done this.
The biggest snow in this valley
since the white man lives here
seems to have been the snow Of
1889. This snow started three days
before Christmas, and it is recorded
that in a short time the roads hac
become impossible and that they re-
manned so, with HagerstoWn com
pletely isolated, for week. Thl!
was probably not anything unusual
but Just about the time that the road:
were opened, another snow started
this time with a hurricane blowing
Only two brief notes about the re
suits of this storm have l been able
to find: the snow was piled up a
some places in Washington County
to a height of twenty feet; and
stage at Town Hill was covered.
would surely appreciate it if any
one has any old newspapers from
around that time; 1 would be yer!
glad for any old newspapers of othel
times too.
/ do not know just when the rail
roads first began to use snowplows
but when they first began to appeal
on the tracks they were quite curl
osity, especially to those who hat
helped to shovel out the cuts. Whel
really big snow came along, it wa
necessary to engage quite fore
to shovel snow, by tiers or relays
in order to clear some of the deel
cuts. So young fellow named Eb.
lived near Maugansville, and afte
a big snow, he watched for the ploy
on the Pennsylvania. He went t
the edge of one of the deepest cut
on this section of the Road, ant
watched the two locomotives com
racing toward the cut, with the nev
pillow in front. But he didn't get t
see how the pillow worked, although
he found out; for as the plow strucl
the first drift it threw an avalanch
of snow right on the spot where h
was standing.
/ remember seeing an old home
made sled made by my grandfather
l scarcely need to say that it wa
not the flexible" kind, but had TO
top an inch-thick, solid oak boar
about eighteen inches wide, and tw
and half feet long. Beneath thu
were two stout cross members, fast
ened to the top and mortised in tn
runners. The runners were anothe