Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

12 articles on this Page

r! SEVERE SNOWSTORM.

News
Cite
Share

r SEVERE SNOWSTORM. ELECTRIC TRAMWAY SERVICE STOPPED. BIG SNOWDRIFTS. TRAIN DUG OUT AT LLANDUDNO. The Christmas Holidays of 1908 will long be remembered, owing to one of the most severe snow storms that has visited this coast within the memory of the majority of the inhabitants. It is only a few days since the weather was spring- like, but quickly it changed, and during the holidays winter in its most severe mood took a firm grip of the whole coun- try. Snow began to fall on Saturday night, but it was on Monday night that the fall was the heaviest known in this locality for over thirty years. What made Monday niÎght, so exceptional was the pre- valence of a furious south-east hurricane, accompanied by more or-less heavy falls of snow. The rapidly moving air was at a temperature below freezing point. So far, in the Llandudno and Oolwyn Bay district, no tragic result of the storm is reported, but if any persons out during the night missed their way or were caught in the snowdrifts their fate' may yet be heard of. The wind drove the snow re- lentlessly, until it escaped into shelter, where it accumulated in immense drifts, many of which were six or eight feet high. The snow penetrated into the houses, through the crevices between the doors and windows, and the first thing many people had to do on getting up on Tues- day morning was to shovel out the heaps of snow around the inaides of their doors. Where wind eddies occurred there were also drifts of greater or less magnitude to be cleared outside the, doors and from garden paths and gates. The night had been so frigid that water taps and pipes were frozen up almost everywhere, and in many houses quantities of snow had been forced between the roof tiles and slates, and lay in masses on the ceiling joists, ready, if not removed-, to soak through into the rooms below when the thaw comes. TRAM SERVICE STOPPED. The electric railway between Llandudno and Golwvn Bay was blocked by the snow- drifts at eight o'clock on Monday night, when the storm was rising. The line passes over high ground near Craigside, -called Penrhyn Hill, and down a steep incline on the Oolwyn Bay side, and the drifts accumulated at the top of the hill, and much difficulty was experienced in getting the cars back to the shed at Rhos. On Tuesday there were not only big drifts -at the top of the Penrhyn Hall but- in Mostyn Avenue and Mostyn Broadway, Llandudno, and the tram service was suspended while the manager, Mr Moor- house, did his best to get the track clear- ed. By the afternoon he, had the cars running between Rhos and Oohvyn Bay, but it was not possible to get- them through to Llandudno, which was with- out the service until Wednesday after- noon. ENGINE DUG OUT OF SNOWDRIFT. On the railway the traffic, was conducted with great caution, the trains from Ches- ter travelling- cautiouslv, but- with the O 7 2. tx^.eption of the delay thus caused, which as of course serious to business people, there appears to have been nothing to com- plain of. The up traffic from Llandudno was, however, disorganised owing to the formation of a big drift on the line be- tween that town and Deganwy. Singular- ly enough, the 6 35, the 7 50, the business express to Manchester and Liverpool due out at 8 10, and the 8 15 train to local stations all got away without mishap. By t-halt j: i;■ of the morning the snow had ceased, but it was sfc-Jl blowing hard, and possibly some slight change ia the direc- tion of the wind drove the snow from a portion of the Maes Du field, on to the line between 8 15 and D'ne o'clock. At any rate, when the 9 a.m. -train reached the part. of the Kne between the M-a-es Du field and the golf links, where there is a, shallow cutting, it ran into a huge drift, and was fast. wedged there. Two engines were sent to try to excricate the engine and train, but their united efforts failed to move it, and the train was then drawn back to Llandudno station, and the down line was opened on the single line system, Mr E'dwards, stationmaster of Deganwy, being put in charge as pilot. In this way the train service was conducted without much further loss of time. But the pas- sengers by the 9 a.m., many of them being Z, 9 visitors returning to London and other places in the South and lVIdlands, lost their connection at the Junction, and had to travel by the 11 50, which connects with the up Irish mail at Chester. The Visitors in the matin quite enjoyed their -,i si -r s 1 1 it i -r remarkable experience, and flocked to the post-office to wire to their friends that, they were unable to return because -the train was snoweic1 up. The up line to the Junction was cleared at 3 p.m., and the traffic afterwards was worked as usual. The visitors at the Promenade Hydro turned out in numbers to help- to sweep the snow from the front, of the establish- ment and to join in snowball matches. The occasion was regarded as one for sea- sonable playfulness at other places, and the event, was at least singular in being the first occasion on which a, train has been stopped by snow at Llandudno. In the country districts the roads were almost impassable in many places. Up at Llanrhos a waggon loaded with jnilk f -L, for Llandudno was caught in a, drift, and the milk consumers had to wait till mid- day for their morning's supply, which a strong team of horses rescued for them from the snow. Tuesday was market day at Lilanrwst, and many farmers from the West Denbighshire uplands, in the d: rec- tion of Llangerniew, who set out for aieir usual journey to the market town were obliged to turn back owing to the depth of the drifts and the threatening charac- ter of the weather. Accumulations of -L snow were large at Penmaenmawr, but

Scene of the Collision between…

LITTLE OR M E QUARRY.

LDGAL WINNERS. AT RHYL SKATING…

[No title]

-------.-------.------_----------EARLY…

[No title]

.,.-,. LOOKING BACKWARDS.I

PLACES OF WORSHIP. -

LIST OF VISITORS.

[No title]

r! SEVERE SNOWSTORM.