Blizzard of 1888, Eye witness account by Albert Hunt recorded in 1949

On this day in 1888, one of the worst blizzards in American history strikes the Northeast, killing more than 400 people and dumping as much as 55 inches of snow in some areas. New York City ground to a near halt in the face of massive snow drifts and powerful winds from the storm. At the time, approximately one in every four Americans lived in the area between Washington D.C. and Maine, the area affected by the Great Blizzard of 1888.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/great-blizzard-of-88-hits-east-coast