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Phila - Sat. Eve - March 17th '88

- Cecil's birthday. -

My Dear Leilie.

This blizzard'y week has passed, but the results are not. You have already heard something about the storm, but you can hardly realize the extent of the damage it has done - the loss of life - the innumerable injuries to health of persons who were exposed to the storm by land and sea - in trains that were snowbound for days together - too far from any refuge, to be left.- etc. etc.-  We did not take it in at all the first day, but were more amused and interested than troubled,- but everyday brought new evidence of the disasters caused by the snow and wind. Nothing like it has ever been known here at the East. Certainly since the first railroad was made between here and New York there has never been an interruption of twenty four hours - and since the first telegraph was made there has never been any important break in communication. Uncle Will says he sent you some papers, so that you must have read some of the accounts. Uncle José left Mrs Laurena's on Monday morning to go to New York, but nothing was heard from him till Thursday, when he wrote saying he had got no farther than Trenton until then. We dont [[don't]] know any thing of Uncle Charlie, but as he did not come to Riverton last Saturday, we conclude that he was not on the road on Monday. Emma was here on Wed. and said that there was not a single train through R. for two days, and on Wed. they began very gradually, but on one track only, so that there must have been danger of collisions. There was no mail from New York for four days!! All through New England it has been even worse. We are anxious to hear from Washington.