Thursday, April 8, 1926
BIG SNOW
Dear Editor:
As all the old timers seem to be having a say regarding the Big Snow, I have decided to follow suit and make it unanimous.
The exact date is not definitely fixed in my mind, but some facts pertaining to the circumstances at the time are indelibly stamped hereon, as I was out in it from the time the first few flakes started drifting lazily down, as an advance guard of the myriads soon to follow, until the last stragglers of the vanguard had arrived. It is my impression, however, that December 16, 1890, is the correct date that the snow began, at about the middle of the forenoon and continued without cessation until about the same time the next day. I had started to Ronceverte with a three-horse team and a light load of poultry and was to bring back a load of Christmas goods for our store at Buckeye.
The snow began to fall at Millpoint and was soon coming so fast and furious that I could see only a few yards ahead of my team. I reached Falling Spring, now Renick, about night, and there I stabled my horses, feeding and caring for them until a very late hour and slept in the same barn myself. But my sleeping hours were very few (not more than four or five) and I know that there was no slackening in the fall of the snow by the accumulation on the canvas cover of my wagon.
The next morning, I was ready to start by daylight, and it was all that my three big strong draft horses could do to start the wagon and pull it to the top of a small bank, as my wagon bed was dragging in the snow. After reaching the top of the elevation, there was down grade to Spring Creek, which I made without difficulty. At Falling Spring, I fell in with another teamster, a Mr. Waugh, I believe, who was from Hillsboro, and bound for Ronceverte on a similar errand to mine. He had two horses and a heavier load than mine. About the time we reached Spring Creek, the snow ceased falling, and there was a rift in the clouds, the sun shining out brightly for sufficient time to slightly soften the snow and cause it to be just right for bailing. When we tried to negotiate the stiff upgrade from Spring Creek, we found that it would be necessary to double team and take one wagon at a time. So, we would hitch all five horses to one wagon and drag it a few hundred yards and then go back and get the other one. The snow would ball up in the wheels of the front wagon until they would lose all semblance of wheels and looked like four huge snowballs rolling along. And every little while we would have to knock it off before we could proceed any further. It took us till about night to top the two-mile hill leading up from Spring Creek toward Frankford. By that time the wind was rising, and it was rapidly turning colder.
We reached Frankford about nine o’clock that night, having covered a distance of about six miles from daylight to that time of night, and our horses were about exhausted, as well as ourselves. The next morning, everybody was sure enough snowbound…
After arranging to have our poultry taken on to Ronceverte on sleds as soon as possible, my companion and I started back toward home with our horses only. We followed the roadway but very little of the distance on account of the huge drifts. In many places we rode right over the tops of fences, sometimes not knowing that a fence was there until some one of our horses would sink into the snow deeply enough to strike the top rails. I got back to my home on Swago the second day after leaving Frankford.
After some weeks, I made a trip to Ronceverte with a sled and got our Christmas merchandise, several weeks after Christmas had passed. But we put on a celebration and sale when we did get it and disposed of most everything just the same…
I did not get my wagon home until the following April…
DIED
William Edward Puffenbarger, aged 44 years, died at his home near Boyer March 22, 1926, of tuberculosis. For many months he has been suffering from this dreadful disease after everything had been done that could be done by friends and physicians for his recovery, he went to the hospital in Baltimore for examination and treatment and nothing could be done.
Mr. Puffenbarger was a good father, husband and neighbor. Not until almost his last days did he attend to his soul salvation, but we are glad to say that God did give him time to repent and he did make the sacrifice and accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour and God did save his soul. It was a great consolation to his wife and children as well as others that he left behind.
