[AT] Blizzard of '78

[Gene Dotson]

    During the blizzard of 78, the redeeming factor was that it happened in 
the early morning hours before people went to work. By 5:00am, nothing was 
moving. I got up to go to work and could not see out of the windows that 
were ice covered. Turned on the CB base radio and heard 2 truckers talking 
who were stranded on St. Rt. 31. Went back upstairs and told my wife she 
might as well stay in bed as we weren't going anywhere. Got a message on my 
CB radio from a friend who got a call from my elderly woman neighbor whose 
furnace had quit working. She lived across the street and back a lane. I 
bundled up with everything I could get on and walked to her house. By the 
time I got there, I was so exhausted from the wind and snow that I don't 
think I would have made it home if she hadn't opened the door. So much snow 
had blown down her chimney that it filled the burner and put out the pilot 
light. Fortunately she had another furnace that was working alright and I 
turned up the thermostat and put a fan in the hallway to circulate the heat. 
She was fine and I got the other furnace going that evening after things 
settled down.

    A week before we had another snow storm during mid morning after we were 
at work. Businesses shut down and sent everyone home. Got to about 1/2 mile 
from home and got stuck. Neighbor had to pull the truck home later in the 
afternoon with a 4 wheel drive tractor. Snow had blown into the engine 
compartment and completely packed in solid.

                    Gene



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie V" <1cdevill at gmail.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 7:43 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78


I think we missed the worst of the '78 blizzard here South of Lake
Ontario.  People talk of storms in recent years (last 25) and I recall
some pretty bad conditions at times.  My father talked of the storm of
1944 which I was too young to remember.  He talked of 20 foot drifts
during that one.  I recall clearly the blizzard of '66.  That was a
humdinger followed by days of getting roads open, etc.  On Jan. 28 of
1977 we were walloped with another fast and nasty event.  Not as much
snow as '66, but equally violent.  I was caught 40 miles from home
when that hit and was tied up there for three hours with the imminent
business.  The trip home was a 2 1/2 hour adventure of trying a road
south.  Blocked by snow and stuck vehicles.  Turn around, go back, try
another road and hope for the best.  I finally made it through the
white outs and blocked roads to my front door in the Bristol hills and
shut myself in.  My wife was so glad I made it that some tears of
relief were shed.  At that moment I loved two things, my wife first
and the 1970 Ford pickup that brought me home second.  When I looked
out the next morning, the Ford was gone (under the snow).

The other outstanding event that put our area out of service for a few
days was the ice storm of 1991.  That was a story in itself.  With
20-30 trees in the yard, it was like a war zone out there.  For hours
we could hear bang, crash, tinkle,tinkle,tinkle as the ice buildup
broke loose from fallen trees. Putting the destruction aside, the
moment was about as captivating as standing by Niagara falls during a
lightning storm and feeling the combined powers of Mother Nature.

In a nutshell, big events leave big memories.

Charlie V.
>
>> Just wonder how many of you remember the Great Blizzard of "78 during
>> this week in 1978? 40 inches of snow, 100 MPH winds and temperature 
>> of -17
>> degrees. Wind chill was
>> -80 degrees. Barometer reading of 28.28 in. At the time the lowest ever
>> recorded in the USA. 51 people died. Snow drifts 18 to 20 feet. Took more
>> than a week to dig out. Snowmobiles and National Guard snow tractors were
>> only vehicles moving. End loaders and bulldozers were used to clear the
>> roads.
>>
>> To make it tractor related, the township commandeered me with my Case
>> 700 and a back blade they had to help clear some of the streets in the
>> village of Broadway where I lived at the time. Pushed snow for 3 days.
>> Fortunately I had a heat houser on the tractor, but was still cold.
>>
>> The program on Bowling Green PBS station last week and again tonight
>> brought back all the memories. It was a rough time for everybody, but 
>> sure
>> brought the community together. Local restaurand and bar fired up their
>> wood
>> stove and had a perpetual soup pot on the whole time for anyone who 
>> needed
>> a
>> meal. Everyone brought what they had to put in the pot.
>>
>> Gene
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> AT mailing list
>> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>

_______________________________________________
AT mailing list
http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at