Year: 1868

PRESCRIPTION OF the storm On the Bhlt1mOre


and Ohio railroad. N


A letter from Washington to the Gin
cinnati Gazette gives the following inter-
esting description of the recent storm on
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad:


1t was Friday morning-fve o'clock and
forty-fve minutes--when the storm over
took our train, which was the fast train,
due at Baltimore about 8 o'clock. We
had reached Mount Airy, Md. and were
about fifty miles west from Baltimore.
Two black clouds, one from the east, the
other from the west, met just over our
heads, and in an instant, quick as thought,
a deluge fell upon us. 1t did not rain
it poured in solid volume, as if lake had
fallen, in mass, upon, us. In three min
utes the train ran into the mud which had
washed upon the track, and we were COM
pletely anchored. This proved our saliva
ton, for the flood could not sweep us off.


The Patapsco was on our right-a small
stream then, which man could easily leap
across. A high range of hills or noun
tains rose up at our left. The river lay
perhaps twenty feet below US Soon the
track was completely submerged in water.
The floods poured in torrents from the
mountain, rushing wildly beneath us, and
threatening in its frenzy to leap through
the windows and carry us down into the
swollen stream. Such terrific thunder /
never before heard-one peal after anoth-
er, at intervals of only few seconds. -
The whole mountain side, and all the face
of the waste of waters were ablaze with
lightning. Trees and telegraph poles
were shattered to pieces near us by the
electric current. The river had now ex-
panded into stream mile or more in
width. Houses, barns, hay stacks, logs
and cattle were seen floating down the riv-
er The river had now risen to the edge
of the track upon which our train stood.
Each moment we expected to be swept
down by the fierce deluge that rushed
down upon the track from the steep side
of the mountain. Escape seemed impossi-
BILE. No living thing could stem the flood
that came down the mountain. To leave
the car was but to rush to watery grave
This all happened in less time than it takes
me to write it. But as if each wild, un-
harnessed element of nature had We'd with
the other in their fierce war upon us, the
hail was added to the lightning, thunder
and rain. Hail showered down upon the
car as thickly as it could fall, and in blocks
of two or three inches in diameter. As
the nuggets of ice fell upon the roof of the
car, they made a sharp, startling noise,
like the sound of musketry near at hand
One could not liken the terrifying roar Of
the elements now to anything but the noise
of battle, with deafening thunders for ar
tillery, and the rapid reports of the falling
ice for the rattle of musketry. 1t was
now six o'clock. The passengers in the
sleeping car had been aroused by the
storm, and the conductor rushed in and
shouted, ''For Gods sake, ladies and gen.
tlemen, leave the car and go forward, OIL
you will be swept into the river" In &
moment all rushed pell-mell to the forward
car, which had run off the track into deer
mud, and was anchored fast. Some of tht
ladies were en- dtShabiue, for the night hac
been very hot, and many of the gentlemen
were only half dressed. But now was nc
time for ceremony. In the face of deatl
few care to make toilet. Soon all the
passengers, about sixty, were in one cal
together.


The hail was shattering the window
glass to pieces. Almost all the glass OF
both sides Of the cars and in the doors a
each end were broken, for we were in ;
whirlwind, and the rain dashed in upor
us. Men turned pale, ladies and children
cried with terror. 1t was pitiful scene
but we were helpless, we were powerless
and the elements had us in their stron.
arms. But, thank God, He who rules tn,
armies of Heaven, had each raging ele
ment in His mighty and merciful hand.


The scene was now one of unsurpassed
sublimity. The torrents leaping over tn,
tops of the trees, and the red and blu,
streaks of lightning robing them in gar
mcnts Of resplendent fire the rush of tn,
waters beneath US madly plunging to til,
river, the roar of the thunder and the rat
tie of the hail forming altogether seen,
of terror and sGDlimity beyond all the pow
ers of the widest imagination.


For an hour and ten minutes the grea
Jumps of ice continued to drop. Wate
still descended in flood. Now othe
trains were due, going east, on the sam
track we were on. Who would go out t,
: put up the red signal? No man wa
strong enough to successfully wade bacl
across the mountain torrents, and even j
he could do that, the hail would have kill
ed him. But the trains had all beei
stopped. ..


In trying to describe this terrible lorna
do, feel that I have already wearied tn


reader. 1t is impossible to convey full
/ and correct idea Of it. Eight hours die
it thus storm upon us. No element relax
} ed its fearful warfare except the hail
which quit at ten minutes past seven. A
about two o'clock this Storm of such un
precedented duration and fury, ceased
We were still all safe in the car. TIL
water was three or four feet deep upon tn
track, and the edge Of the river was real


~ flowing under the car. Soon the wa
, | terS subsided and onoa rna,a ,ro- atoo,