February 13, 1861 (Ash Wednesday)



Thriving in a Winter Season -- Early Thaw

 It is reported by the House Divided, John Osborne, that an early thaw causes heavy ice damage and severe flooding along the riverbanks of New England.

"An early thaw after a period of extremely cold weather caused the breaking of ice dams and flooding in many parts of New England.  Albany, New York was cut off for a time as the moving icepack on the Hudson and its tributaries caused damage and severe flooding and the city itself was partially under water with destruction reported nearing the $200,000 mark.  No deaths or serious injuries were reported, however."

As an aside, President Lincoln's journey by train travels to Albany in five days.

The Library of Congress reports the following on the third day of Lincoln's journey to Washington D.C. along with several good articles filled with anecdotes:

"The Lincoln party left Cincinnati at 9:00 a.m. on a five-hour journey to Columbus, Ohio.  The train stopped in many small towns along the way, where Lincoln was greeted with cannons firing and large, enthusiastic crowds of well-wishers.  In Columbus, Lincoln gave a speech that minimized the difficulties of the country, stating that 'there is nothing going wrong.'  At 5:00 p.m. Lincoln received word that the electoral votes had been counted, and he was officially elected president."

Also, Ted Widmer of Disunion--New York Times writes a narrative on the third day of Lincoln's journey from Cincinnati to Columbus entitled 'Lincoln Elected (Again.)'

Lots of anecdotes in the narrative, however, one that stands out to me is just after Lincoln left the Cincinnati train station:

"Just after they left, a bag was found in Lincoln's car; when it was opened, a live bomb was discovered, set to go off within 15 minutes.  Again, Lincoln kept going, northeast this time, toward the capital of the Buckeye State."

Read the narrative for a good story of the days events....  btw, the article addresses some of the comments made by Lincoln in Columbus.