Smyrna Times

SMYRNA SUFFERS WORST SNOW STORM AND COLD OF WINTER

SETTLED DOWN ON COMMUNITY SATURDAY WITH A BLIZZARD

Leaving Huge Drifts With Roads Impassable Trains and Rural Routes Held Up—No School on Monday

Smyrna and vicinity was visited by the biggest snow storm of the season Saturday which with high winds and drifts and a temperature near to the zero mark, practically shut off business and made the streets of town and the roads impassable for hours. While the duPont Boulevard with its fleet of snow plows, was soon open, there was difficulty in keeping it so because of the high winds that prevailed all Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday. Near Hoffecker or Garrison's Millpond, between Smyrna and Bishop's Corner (Cheswold), a huge drift had caused a number of cars to stall. Smyrna was practically shut in on Sunday and from early morning to late, citizens were busy digging themselves out. The snow on the level was over a foot deep while drifts in some places were six to eight feet high. Church attendance suffered and only a few ventured out. Monday was nearly as bad as Sunday, especially in the country districts. The thermometer dropped to within two degrees of zero Sunday night. There was no school all day Monday on account of the building being too cold and because school trucks in nearly all instances were unable to make their trips. The school children made the best of the opportunity and had a full day of sledding and coasting. It was with difficulty that Sunday trains were met at Clayton on account of the big drifts. Many cars got stuck and horse driven vehicles were resorted to. All trains were running behind schedule time. The Sunday papers did not reach Smyrna until nearly noon and then they had to be transported by a wagon pulled by two horses. Mr. Staats was unable to make deliveries about town because of the snow that was thrown into the gutters making homes of his subscribers in most cases inaccessible. Later Sunday a snow plow from the State Highway Department opened the road between Smyrna and Clayton so the bus and jitneys could meet the trains. Monday the traffic conditions were but little better. Milk routes were served in most cases by horse and wagon. No rural routes could be served out of Smyrna. Farmers came to town with most any kind of a horse driven team. Automobiles for the time being were of little use. Roads had to be broken in some instances thru fields to avoid impassable drifts. Yesterday conditions were better and are improving from day to day as farmers and state highway forces are digging the roads out. Many of the lateral roads are still impassable. Smyrna is practically back to normal and the merry sleigh bells and sleighing and sledding parties are taking full advantage of this the first real sleighing snow of the winter. A number of cases of exposure and experiences with stalled motors are being reported, the general expression being it was one of the worst snow storms Smyrna and vicinity had experienced in years. The same experience is reported all up and down the state.