With Monday's measurable snow and the forecast for more snow on Friday, we wanted to remind readers of what measurable snow meant to local residents in the early 1900s.  Originally published on Dec. 12, 2002.

            We're not used to eight-inch snowfalls at the beginning of December!  With all the false alarms dispatched by weather prognosticators with modern radar and satellite equipment, it's no wonder that many folks were caught with their snow blowers in the shop and their snow tires buried under the porch furniture.  Last Thursday's snowstorm brought more needed relief to our current drought situation, but it also gave us treacherous driving conditions. 

A horse drawn sleigh makes its way along Main St. after a snow storm.  Years ago, it was this type of horsepower that got one around after a heavy snowfall.

           Those who had to travel were greeted with a heavy snowfall that hampered visibility some of the time and created slippery roads that made driving tough all the time.  One thing that our local road crews do not look forward to is a daytime snowstorm that requires them to try and do their job while there is other traffic on the roadway for them to dodge.  To their credit, they did a fine job of keeping the roads open.

            Here we are approaching the close of 2002, and we moan and complain how bad things are when we have to go out and try to negotiate the roads and highways whenever the white stuff hits the macadam.  Next time, before you sing the sour notes of winter driving, stop and think about the problems that folks traveling around here

When it was time to dig out after the big storm, a strong back and good shovel were the order of the day.

faced during the first decade of the last century.  Try to imagine yourself in their place and time.  Early newspaper accounts paint a pretty rough picture, and it seems that our problems pale in comparison to those of the early 1900s.  Most folks used a different kind of horsepower to get around back then, and the following tales shine a little light on some of the problems a snowstorm brought to that generation of Upper Perkiomen-ites.

            For instance, in 1906 a yoke strap broke on a large sleigh, scaring the two horses pulling it.  The team bolted, and the sleigh overturned, dumping Pennsburg resident Beuleh Kline and five others into the snow.  The team ran all the way back to their stable.  Unfortunately for the stranded travelers, the stable was in Trumbauersville.  During the same storm, Clement Schlicher and Frank Fox, of East Greenville, were dumped into the snow when their sled overturned in Palm.  Their horse was eventually caught several miles away near Haring's Hotel at Perkiomen Heights but not until Schlicher and Fox walked all the way home.

Workers use a horse-drawn wooden plow to clear snow off the ice before harvest- ing.

            Also in 1906, Herbert Kneule was at the reins of a team when his sleigh upset in Red Hill.  His horses galloped all the way to Fourth Street in Pennsburg before they were corralled.  While Kneule was having his misfortune, the wagon shaft of rural mail carrier James Hoffman was broken when his horse fell on a bare spot on the road near Wentling's bridge, leaving him and the mail stranded.

            Another person having a problem during that storm was Geryville farmer Curtis Weiss.  His horse took off from the Bucks County village, pulling the sleigh.  The problem was that nobody was in the sleigh.  The hose and sleigh made it to Main Street in Red Hill before local store owner J. M Shive managed to jump into it and bring the runaway to a safe stop.  Meanwhile, a harness tear allowed the horse of P. U. Hendricks of Woxall to escape from his sleigh, and put Hendricks in the precarious position of sliding backward down a long hill.  Fortunately, he wasn't hurt during the harrowing experience.  I'm sure that there are many of us who have don't have the nerves, heart, or luck to take that kind of ride and live to talk about it.

            Trains running on the Perkiomen Railroad Line were quick to be affected by the slippery precipitation too.  Snow conditions were quick to cause a slowdown or interruption of the rail service that would hinder the delivery of newspapers and other mail coming from the cities.  Major storms would close the railways for days.  Many a steam locomotive was forced to sit idle at the Emmaus or Collegeville junctions when a deep blanket of snow-covered passes in the Upper Perkiomen Valley.  Large diesel engines made small work out of a snowfall that crippled the coal and wood burners. 

            Snowfalls in the early 1900s also made it difficult to make a living for many around here.   Farmers were unable to make their usual trips to local creameries with their heavy, milk-laden wagons.  Mail carriers traded in their buggies and delivered their post by horseback or sleigh.  When the snow piled up too high for workers to walk to work, many local factory owners needed to hire local teamsters with large wagons to traverse the area and try to bring in employees who couldn't otherwise make it to work.

            A snowfall would wreak havoc on one of our area's major winter employers, and make the job of harvesting ice more dangerous.  Many local workers like farmers and carpenters relied on the seasonal work at the local ice plants to see them through to next spring.  In addition to the locals, hundreds of workers converged on our area for jobs.  The wintry precipitation brought danger to those who relied on the cold weather work. 

            When snow covered the ice to be harvested, heavy mules or horses were brought out on the frozen waterways to drag wooden plows or planers to clear it off.  More than one worker went into the frigid waters along with his harnessed friend when they hit a spot where the ice was just a little too thin. 

            Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that dreaded trip across the white carpet of snow, down the path that led to the outhouse.  You may have been fortunate enough to have a pot under the bed and thus were able to postpone the trip, but eventually, someone had to empty it.

            I guess singer-songwriter Billy Joel was right when he sang, "The good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."