I'm pretty sure I've posted this Liberty Hill column before. However, it takes on new meaning when paired with the descriptions of the storm that I found this week.
Caddo Herald
January 18, 1918
Some Winter Weather
Last Thursday night a real blizzard struck this part of the country and since then ice and snow have been plentiful, even though, possibly, unwelcome. About an inch of snow fell Thursday night while the mercury fell also to 4 degrees below zero, the coldest it has been in ten years. The mercury played tag with zero for two days, then went up a little. Monday a big snowstorm came, after a drizzling rain which froze as it fell.
People who know tell the snow is good for crops and we believe them, for nature hardly ever wastes anything. But it’s pretty hard on owners of small coal and wood piles, to say nothing of thin clothes and porous shoes. Anyway, we’re glad it come so early in the winter, so that it will not interfere with crop planting.
Saturday Morning Advertiser (Durant)
January 19, 1918
Worst Weather Here in Fifteen Years
Cold Snow, Followed by Sleet and Coal Shortage
Imposed Many Hardships on Community
This immediate community has probably suffered more from the cold snap that commenced about supper time Thursday night of last week than from any similar cold spell in fifteen years, according to the old-timers who have spent their lives in this county.
Beginning Thursday night with a cold norther and snow which pushed the thermometer down to one degree below zero, this was followed by a slight thaw Sunday and this by a bad sleet Monday morning early, making conditions unpleasant in a great many ways.
Friday and Saturday of last week the coal situation was relieved as far as supply was concerned, but the orders piled up on the dealers to the extent that they could not commence to deliver them. Monday’s sleet made it impossible to deliver anything in the city with horse-drawn wagons, unless the horses were shod for such work, as few of them were, and this condition kept many homes cold early in the week.
The sudden freeze froze up the plumbing in dozens and dozens of homes and the Sunday thaw allowed the frozen and bursted pipes to leak, and there was little or no relief from the situation save cutting off the water, if that were possible, or sopping up the water as it leaked out, as the limited number of plumbers in the city could not begin to answer the calls that came to them.
Home-canned fruit in glass jars froze and containers burst, potatoes stored away in supposedly warm places froze and were ruined; and many other articles which a freeze spoils were destroyed.
Monday any kind of road traveling by autos or horses was almost impossible, owing to the sleet, and city delivery hacks made their deliveries with great difficulty.
Train schedules were knocked sky high on all lines and traffic generally was pretty badly tied up.
The Caddo Herald
February 1, 1918
Liberty Hill Items
By C. W. Banta
With six inches of snow and the thermometer below zero the scribe has but little opportunity to get the news of the neighborhood.
Uncle Jim Green and wife had a fine girl to come to make her home with them. It was born last Saturday morning. Mother and babe are doing well, but so far they have been unable to find a name good enough for it.
Grandma Baine has been on the sick list, but is better now.
Dr. Dale passed Liberty Hill Sunday night, going “somewhere in the country”.
The Literary Society at Liberty Hill had a very good attendance Friday night. The program was short, but interesting. All seemed to enjoy the spelling match. Next Friday night we will have debating and speeches by the little ones. Everyone is invited to come and take a part in the program.
There was a prayer meeting at F. M. Green’s residence Sunday night. On account of bad weather, only a small crowd was present.
Liberty Park Grocery will have a fresh supply of garden seed soon. We cordially solicit our friends to give us their patronage in this line of trade. We handle only the best.
We have been completely snowed under. No work of any kind has been possible. One did well to have fires to keep from freezing.