Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: “The Great Arctic Outbreak: The Blizzard of 1899"

Monday, March 01, 2010

“The Great Arctic Outbreak: The Blizzard of 1899"

The Great Arctic Outbreak: The Blizzard of 1899,"

The defunct Democratic Advocate published an article about the storm on Feb. 18, 1899: "Heavy Snow Storm -- Railroads and Public Roads Blockaded -- Westminster Cut Off from Outside Communication -- Deepest Snow for Many Years."

DAYHOFF: In the 1800s, residents endured a real storm of the century http://tinyurl.com/ycw27sr #history #writing

http://www.explorecarroll.com/ EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff Posted http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/4006/dayhoff/ 2/28/10

Everyone has a story of driving a car in the middle of a snowstorm, but can you imagine attempting to negotiate the snow in horse and buggy days?

"The first round occurred on Feb. 5 through (Feb.) 8 with over 1 foot of accumulation."

The second wallop happened when "a ferocious four-day storm that began on Saturday, Feb. 11 and continued through Tuesday morning, Feb. 14. ...

"Approximately 25 inches of snow fell on top of the prior foot of snow in the 1899 storm to reach a total accumulation of over 3 feet. The blustery northwest wind pushed the snow into drifts of 8 to 12 feet," according to both local historian Joe Getty and the newspaper account.

To add to the misery, temperatures were in the record-setting sub-zero range; from 12 below zero on Feb. 9; then 20 below zero on Feb. 10, and "from 14 to 27 below" zero on Feb. 11.

The photograph is from the family papers of Caroline Babylon and Kevin Dayhoff ©. Depicted is a scene from the February 14, 1899 blizzard. The view is of Main Street, looking west over the railroad tracks at the intersection of Main Street and Liberty Street. Oral history indicates that the individuals in the photo include family member Frank Thomas Babylon. [18990214 Main St during Blizzardc]