 |
| "The Great Atlantic Coast Blizzard" February 11- 14, 1899 Courtesy of National Weather Service Click image to enlarge. |
Before Valentine's Day in 1899 snow began falling in Western Massachusetts. That included the Springfield, MA area. This snowstorm affected Southern New England. We now know this storm as "The Great Atlantic Coast Blizzard". Many residents could easily recall a blizzard that they witnessed 11 years earlier. That was the March Blizzard of 1888.
On February 13, 1899 snow began falling in the Springfield area at 3 o'clock in the morning. The snowfall continued all day and it was still snowing at midnight. Not only were the snowflakes coming down to hinder everyday lives, but the thermometer readings were in the single digits that day, too. Trolley travel was hindered and business was not as usual anywhere in the area.
 |
| Springfield Republican Feb. 14, 1899 |
The hotels in Springfield were filled with travelers who could not continue on to their destinations, because some of the trains could not leave Union Station and some others could not arrive at Union Station to take on travelers. There were also people who could not get home from Springfield, because the trolleys had a difficult time with the weather conditions. The Longmeadow trolley line was hampered by the snow. Two trolley cars that started their route from the MA/ CT state line traveled on and then became stuck at Pecousic (near the Barney Mansion). Much later in the evening a snow plow came to the rescue. Certainly the freezing temperatures did not make for a pleasant evening.
 |
| Springfield Republican Feb. 14, 1899 |
The wind blew and the snow drifted. In Springfield, MA over 20" of snow fell.
 |
| Springfield Republican Feb. 15, 1899 Click image to enlarge. |
"The Great Atlantic Coast Blizzard" was one that required the patience of people to "weather the storm" and the hard work of others to come to their aide.
Written by Judy Moran
No comments:
Post a Comment