During the Great Blizzard of 1888 more than 400 people died, including about 100 sailors, across the Eastern Seaboard. From March 11 to 14, up to 50 inches (1,250 mm) of snow fell, and winds gusted up to 80 miles (130 km) per hour, causing snowdrifts as high as 50 feet (15 meters). Many New Yorkers unfamiliar with blizzard conditions tried to go to work. As the weather worsened throughout Monday, workers were stranded in the streets, on trains, in elevated transit cars, and at their places of employment. Shops, government offices, courts, Wall Street businesses, and even the Brooklyn Bridge closed, and saloons, hotels, and prisons were overflowing with people who were seeking shelter.
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