Historic Events in New Britain ~ Great Blizzard of 1888 ~ Main Street, 27 West Main Street (Hotel Russwin) and Grand Street, March 1888. This was the worst blizzard to ever hit New Britain and paralyzed New England and New York with snowdrifts in excess of 40 feet and sustained winds exceeding 45 mph March 11 - 14, 1888. Info Link: wunderground/blog/weatherhistorian/the-great-blizzard-of-1888-americas-greatest-snow-disaster An eye-witness account of a New Britain resident follows, courtesy of Bart Fisher and the New Britain Herald: “HARDWARE CITY HISTORY: Remembering the blizzards of ’59 and ’88: Two of the city’s worst “Friday, May 31, 2013 10:15 PM EDT “By Bart Fisher “By all accounts the blizzard that blanketed New Britain in early March 1959 was a real “doozy.” The New Britain Herald reported during the day of the storm that up to 15 inches of snow was expected to fall statewide before it was over. “The story spoke of “drifts already up to two feet high” with gale force winds in the northwest section of the state and “freezing rain atop hard-packed snow in the Westbrook area.” The speed limit on the Merritt Parkway had been reduced to 35 miles per hour and state police were advising motorists to stay home because road conditions that were already nightmarish at press time and were said to be growing worse by the hour. “Those who did have to travel were advised to use tire chains. Obviously a pretty bad storm, but nothing compared to the one that occurred exactly 71 years earlier. “When Mrs. Caroline Scheidler raised the window blinds at her Vine Street home that March morning, the first thing she saw was heavy, snarling snow. And her first thought, according to the front page Herald story that accompanied the lead storm article, was, “Why this is the anniversary of the blizzard of 1888.” Now there was a storm! Widely regarded as the most impressive and disruptive winter weather event in American history, the blizzard of ’88 began March 11 and raged through the 14th, bringing the entire eastern half of the United States to a virtual standstill. New England and New York were especially hard hit. “While it was nearly impossible to get accurate measurements because there were drifts 20 to 25 feet high in places, it is thought that the actual snowfall amounts in our area ranged from 40 to 50 inches. “Mrs. Scheidler, who was 82 when the ’59 storm hit, recalled the earlier blizzard in great detail. “Actually she witnessed its fury from the same window at the same house were she observed the later storm. “The Herald describes Mrs. Scheidler, who was 11 when the “big one” hit, as having vivid recollections of those 19th century days. “Her sharpest memory of the blizzard of ’88 was the sight of her father battling his way up Vine Street “with a huge steak under his arm.” Mrs. Scheidler herself was not feeling well the day the monster storm hit and was kept home from school. Her sister wasn’t as lucky. “The youngster (the story does not provide her name) was at the Burritt School located at Main and East Main streets. She was among a group of several students taken home by a teacher named Miss Mary Brown. “They spent the next three days with the teacher as the storm continued unabated. When the storm finally did subside “It took us three days to shovel out to the street,” the active octogenarian told the reporter who interviewed her. “She said, “There was a lot of drifting and then there was a cold snap which caused a crust to form on top of the snow.” Mrs. Scheidler continued, “People who got out just walked on top of the (massive) drifts.” When the writer asked her to compare the blizzard of ’59 to the one she experienced as a young girl, it wasn’t much of a contest. “Referring to the historic blizzard of ’88 she said simply, “I don’t remember another one like it.” It’s safe to say no one else did either. “Although the blizzard of 1978 also brought the region to a halt for several days, the great Nor’easter of 1888 remains the standard by which all winter storms are judged to this day in New England.” This article was originally published Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. The late Bart Fisher was a columnist for the Herald as well as its longtime sports editor.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 23:04:58 +0000
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