"Arriving at my home after walking through a heavy shower the night before the Blizzard of March 12, 1888, I was much surprised upon waking the following morning to see a heavy snow on the ground and piled high already on one side of the street.

"The air looked as though some people were throwing buckets full of flour from all the roof tops–the snow was so thick and of such smallness of flakes.

"The word 'blizzard' was just a word to me as were 'hurricane'–'cyclone,' 'tornado' and 'typhoon'–I had never been in one and did not think about one. I was employed by a clothing manufacturing firm in Bleecker Street, New York City.

"In those days the tailors and cutters started work at 7:00 a. m. and the office, where I worked, opened at 7:30 a. m. I left the house at about 7:00 and took the elevated road from 53rd Street and 3rd Avenue–by the time we got to 42nd Street there was trouble on account of snow on the rails and by the time I got to Houston Street Station we were just creeping along–. Walking was bad on account of high wind but I got to the office by 8 o'clock. At about 3 o'clock p. m. we were told to leave for home. There were no subways in those days and street cars and elevated road were no longer running. The wind was high and the temperature was very low and my hands, feet and ears hurt from the cold. I finally got to the Bowery, but then what–! How would I get up town? The few wagons running would not take on extra weight-the horses had all they could do–. There were no automobiles or auto-trucks in those days. After some time a farm horse brewery wagon came along and the driver allowed me to ride, upon my agreeing to drive the horses as his hands were 'most frozen–I a kid of sixteen driving four horses-don't think I had driven two before that–. He only went as far as 38th Street so I had to walk the rest of the way–. It took me at least an hour and a half to get from 38th Street and 3rd Avenue to 54th Street and 4th Avenue. (It was not called Park Avenue then.)

"I was exhausted when I got home about 5:30 p. m.–two and a half hours for what now takes ten minutes via the subway."