The Engineer's Notebook

Today is the 120th anniversary of the end of "The Great White Hurricane of 1888", a blizzard which dumped up to 58 inches of snow, produced winds over 48 mph, and massed snowdrifts taller than 50 feet. On the night of March 11, 1888, snow began to fall along America's eastern seaboard. For three long days, cities and towns from Maryland to Maine lay paralyzed beneath a blizzard that would claim the lives of 400. Other winter storms have produced heavier snowfalls and much colder temperatures, but the Blizzard of 1888 created a transportation and communication crisis of historic proportions. According to historian G.J. Christiano, the "standstill" on New York's elevated railways caused the city to build subways.

The days before "The Great White Hurricane" were unseasonably mild as temperatures ranged from the 40s and 50s (Fahrenheit) along the U.S. East Coast. As torrential rains fell, the temperature plunged suddenly, producing howling winds and wet, heavy snow. Major cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia soon lay silent and alone as miles of telephone wires and telegraph cables snapped. (See the picture above.) Fire fighters with horse-drawn carriages stayed stuck in their stations as travel became impossible and roads impassable. During the 36-hour Blizzard of 1888, an estimated $25 million (USD) worth of property burned. At sea, two hundred ships were grounded and over 100 seamen died.

In inland areas such as the Berkshires Hills of western Massachusetts, drivers of horse-drawn carriages were unable to deliver milk, food, or other supplies for days. Farmers, however, continued to feed their livestock – even if it meant tunneling a path to the barn. In cities such as North Adams, strong horses were eventually outfitted with plows on each side to dig a path through quiet streets. Residents who ventured downtown for scare supplies used weights to hold their horses in place; the city's hitching points would remain buried for weeks. The mood of the citizenry wasn't entirely glum, however. As a local man who was four years old at the time later said, "It was just a snow storm as far as I was concerned".

Resources:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/blizzard1.html

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152006/news/cextra/the_great_white_hurricane_cextra_jasmin_k__williams.htm

http://www.thetranscript.com/search/ci_8532305?IADID=Search-www.thetranscript.com-www.thetranscript.com

http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/1888-blizzard.html

Steve Melito - The Y Files

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