Snowy Day

It's snowing this morning with about 5 inches on the deck railing and  lots more is to come.This storm is an easy one and nothing compared to what we had in 1950 when we lost power, half the bay froze over, strong enough to iceskate on, and a cold snap that lasted long enough so that when the thaw finally came, heavy vehicles weren't allowed on the roads, which meant no school. Finally,when buses could run again, we kids went to school on Saturday  to make up the lost days. I was almost 10 years old and the one thing I remember most was that our teacher, Mrs. Pratt, let us listen to our favorite Saturday morning radio program, Let's Pretend.

Just for fun, here are the recollections of an old friend and classmate of mine, Ron Reierson,  who also experienced the storm of 1950, and took the time to put them on paper.....................oh...and our phone number was 36....a long and a short. 

THE BLIZZARD OF 1950

In 1950, only radio and newspapers were available to the general public, and certainly to those of us in rural Gig Harbor. We had lived there less than 2 years, on 40 acres with several farm animals, including cows, horses, pigs and chickens. By Thursday 12 Jan, the news reports forecasted severe weather ahead: heavy snow, high winds and low temperatures unlike we’d ever seen. By Friday afternoon, we had lost electrical power. We took the contents of the freezer section and placed them in a box and placed it outside: near the back steps,in the alcove near the wood supply. Dad made sure we filled several (former) 7-gallon milk cans…used to supply raw milk to a local dairy… with water and placed them on the back porch. Paul was a junior in high school; I was in 3^rd grade. We moved the farm animals to the lower shed part of the Chicken House, where the horse stalls were located, as well as the “Maternity Ward” for calf birthing, where the cows resided during this period. We closed the outside opening of the chicken coop, and spread straw liberally on the floor of their compartment for added warmth. We stacked the outside entry area of the house with wood for both the wood stove and the fireplace.

My maternal grandmother was visiting from Seattle, and as the weekend progressed, the winds continued to increase, snow began to drift outside and we listened to the wind whistling around the house as the temperature dropped into the teens, and lower. The card game, Canasta, was very popular in those days. Mom, her mother and I played that multi-deck game for hours on end. No power meant no radio; portable radios were not in general use yet. Dad had what were known as Coleman Lanterns…powered by white gas (highly volatile) being pumped through metal tubes in vapor, across twin “mantles” covered with tear-drop shaped asbestos-fibred “bulbs”. It was lighted by a match. Air pressure, by means of a small, internal pneumatic pump, had to be restored periodically, as the brightness of the light dimmed. The sound of the gas hissing through the mantles, and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace were the only sounds within, except our own voices. We also had candles as back-up as well as flashlights for trips to the bathroom and bedrooms. Without power, the pump furnishing water to the house was inoperable; thus, the fresh water previously stored was also used in the toilet tank to ensure flushing, esp. for #2’s. We learned to “accumulate” #1’s without flushing each use. Because the back porch was unheated, we kept an old blanket over the cans of water to keep them from freezing. Brother Paul always slept upstairs…in the unheated attic…his “nest”. Flannels and lots of blankets made the sleep good. He didn’t tarry in coming down to the warmth of the fireplace each morning!

By Saturday morning, the hot water pipes, which circulated the water through a water jacket (“manifold”) in the firebox in the Monarch wood stove, had frozen in the N. wall of the house, near the bathroom. Without circulation, we could not use the wood stove anymore or risk burning out the pipes,so our heat depended on the wonderful fireplace in the front room. The kitchen became like a walk-in cooler since we kept the door closed to the front room to conserve heat there, esp. for grandmother. Mom even improvised, cooking stew and soups on the hearth of the fireplace. Sandwiches, soups were the order of the day; cereals and milk helped the morning fare.

  

Telephone systems in Gig Harbor in those days were family lines. that is, several families shared a basic phone line. All residents had a four (4) digit phone no; there were seven (7) families on our line: our “ring” was 2 long rings and a short ring. One didn’t spend a lot of time lollygagging on the phone in those days; too many folks could listen in. But, there was little reason to use it, ‘cept to check with neighbors as to their situation during this blizzard.

We had a 1946 Ford Truck, purchased soon after we moved there, from our neighbor, Russell Lloyd. On Saturday, Dad put chains on the drive axle tires, and we visited our neighbors to ensure they were OK. Dad always drove the wheels into the snow; widening the “ruts” made by prior drivers in the deep snow, to aid others driving later. We provided eggs, water and other necessities to folks more needy than we were…one of my first lessons in service and sharing.

During the day…and into the evening…we continued to provide the horses and cows food and water. Hauling those pails of water, transferred from the 7 gallon cans, was a real chore for us, but necessary.

By Sunday morning, ice had formed on the salt water in North Gig Harbor, enough for skaters to enjoy the day. About 18 gill netters and purse seiner fishing boats, most owned by Yugoslav-Italians, were encased in the ice; many owners enjoyed walking out to their boats, and a holiday spirit abounded! We carried on, doing our daily chores, and obligations toward or neighbors.

At home, snow drifts continued to grow: eventually, several would reach 3.5 feet in height! Ice on the inside of the window in my bedroom was approx. 1/8^th inch thick! But, full flannel pajamas, long-john style(feet enclosed), plus 4-5 wool blankets kept me warm during the night. One didn’t spend a lot of time dressing in that environment! Dad was always up early to stoke the fire and get heat building once again in the front room, where “grandma” (who NEVER wanted to be called that) slept during this time, due to her health and age, since it was the warmest room.

By Monday, the storm had eased. Gig Harbor (and for that matter, the Northwest) had never seen such a cold front. We were another day from restoring electricity, so we struggled through the warming of this event. It took a day or so to restore order to our lives: We got electricity back on Monday afternoon , 16 January. We again checked with our neighbors to ensure they were OK. We were pretty much “canasta’d out and the return to civilized living was welcomed. As a child, I knew no different: to me, it was “business as usual”. But, it turned out to be a signature event. I’ll never forget it.