See The First NYC Blizzard To Be Captured On Film

Jen Carlson

Published Feb 5, 2014

Modified Feb 5, 2014

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Jen Carlson

Published Feb 5, 2014

Modified Feb 5, 2014

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Special snow plow vehicle plowing during the Blizzard of 1899. (Courtesy of the MCNY)

We have looked back at plenty of epic blizzards the city has endured (1888 and 1899 were real doozies), but what if we could watch these old New Yorkers physically struggling through the snow mounds and ice-coated streets? WE CAN. The Bowery Boys point us to one of the old Edison Manufacturing Company videos, which shows the blizzard of 1902 (which hit the city on February 17th)—this is the first footage of a NYC blizzard (and they guess "probably the first film of any American blizzard").

The NY Times noted that it was a "paralyzing storm which smothered traffic in fifteen and a hair inches of snow," calling it the worst storm since the Great Blizzard of 1888, and the footage (shot by Edwin Porter) shows horse-drawn carriages skidding through the streets (though the trolleys seem to have no trouble gliding down the tracks). This was all shot by Madison Square Park:

The footage is old and dark, so for some guidance let's turn to the Edison Catalog, where they provide this plot summary: "A realistic panoramic view taken at Madison Square, New York City, on February 17, 1902. A portion of the New York Fire Department trying to make their way to a fire through the immense snow drifts. A few pedestrians are bravely plodding through the immense piles of snow, and a snow plow is hard at work on the Broadway, underground trolley line, endeavoring to clear the tracks. Madison Square, Madison Square Garden, Broadway, the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and 23rd Street are all shown in succession."

Too bad there's no footage of New Yorkers walking across the frozen East River, or building that bar on the frozen Hudson.

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