MITCHILL ON THE TERRIBLE SNOW STORM IN 1811. 339 



the 24th, and continued until about three in the afternoon. At four in 

 the morning the wind veered to the north. The quicksilver fell to the 

 eighth degree, in the hall of the house ; and if exposed to the open 

 weather, would have sunk nine or ten degrees lower. 



At Sag Harbour, Henry P. Dering, Esq. remarked that the evening 

 of the 23d was moderate, and almost a calm, until near midnight. The 

 sky, however, was overcast, and somewhat lowering. The wind then 

 shifted suddenly from the southward to about north* and blew with 

 uncommon violence. It shortly after began to snow, and the tempest 

 swelled to a hurricane. The vessels at the wharf received consider- 

 able damage. Several of them parted their fasts and drove ashore. 



At Litchfield, in Connecticut, in about latitude forty-two degrees 

 north, the sun rose clear on the morning of the 23d, and the weather 

 was mild. But it grew cold until near noon, when the wind came 

 round to the southeast. The weather then moderated, and was misty, 

 though the wind was yet chilly. The snow on the ground became soft, 

 and appearances indicated rain. But about four o'clock in the after- 

 noon it began to snow, and this continued without any wind until ten 

 o'clock, p. m. Afterwards, about two o'clock in the morning of Tues- 

 day the 24th, the storm had become violent, both as respected snow 

 and wind; and a furious gale blew from the north, or nearly north, 

 until some time in the night of the 24th. Many sheep, in this county, 

 froze to death. One man lost ten cows out of sixteen, and some of 

 them were congealed in the erect posture, standing upon their legs. 



It appears from these facts, that the commotion in the atmosphere on 

 this occasion, had become very serious off Cape Hatteras as early as 8 

 o'clock, p. m., of the 23d» It had commenced at New-York by mid- 

 night. The snow had began to fall at Plandome by one o'clock on the 

 morning of the 24th ; by two, at New-London, and by four, at Boston., 



