132 SNOW IN BLIZZARDS. 



feet above the level of the sea, we reach the limits 

 of a region where eternal snow perpetually exists, in 

 the hottest parts of the world. 



It is therefore evident that if a strata of wind is 

 suddenly displaced by some disturbing cause, and 

 made to descend from some great altitude upon the 

 earth's terrestial surface, it is certain to reach us in 

 an intensely cold condition ; and in its transit it will be 

 sure to precipitate the aqueous vapour of the lower 

 currents of air, either in the form of a very cold rain 

 or more probably as snow and this is exactly what 

 occurs, the sudden drop in the temperature being 

 generally immediately followed by blinding showers 

 of drifting snow. 



As we have already remarked, American meteoro- 

 logical observations show that the true blizzard 

 rarely visits the Atlantic seaboard in its severest 

 forms ; nevertheless, as we shall proceed to show, these 

 visitations occasionally occur, and we shall close this 

 branch of our subject by a short description of one of 

 the most terrible of these storms that has ever been 

 recorded, which burst upon New York, and other 

 eastern seaports, in the spring of 1888. The previous 

 winter had been a stormy one, and the north western 

 states had been visited by a blizzard of unusual intensity 

 during the month of January, concerning which we 

 are told "appalling accounts of suffering and loss of 

 life, consequent upon the recent blizzard, continue to 

 come in."* "The total number of victims is now ex- 

 pected to reach 200 and in addition to those frozen 

 to death, large numbers had limbs badly frozen, while 



* Times of January 18, 1888. 



