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1948 Mayor To MIT: Use Flamethrowers To Melt Snow?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the yes-have-some-please dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In 1948 Boston mayor James Curley freaked out because of the record amounts of snow. He wrote to MIT and begged for help, even suggested using flamethrowers to melt it. (Check out the original type-written letter.)"

1 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:CT Homes have 4-5ft deep piles. by MozeeToby · · Score: 4, Informative

    CT Homes have 4-5ft deep piles.

    I'm not sure what we will do if another 12" falls.

    As someone who grew up in an area that managed not to call 2 feet of snow a national emergency (which is about all it takes to create 5' piles), you take the new snow and throw it on top of the pile. Or, if necessary, you make the base of the pile bigger. If really and absolutely necessary, you pile the new snow into a sled and pull the sled into the middle of the lawn and dump it there. Sometimes the answer to a difficult problem really is just to work a bit harder. Sad but true.