New-York tribune., 1871-01-20
TIE Sr0S-STORA IN TIE VEST
IMMENSE DRrFrs-rELEGRAPH WIRES BROKEN.

I,fMENsE EDRIFTs-TELEGRAPH WIRES BROKEN.
CHICAGO, Jan. 19.-The recent snow-storm
here was almost UNPARALLELED this section severity,
solatng several days from the East Appearing
first in the Mountains II struck Friday, the
18th inst and did until sunday night Though
not more than % inches of fe it piled in
fearful drifts in every direction storm Of seet which
acccmuancd or aternated With the snow, adhered 70
the telegraph wires, loading them down until they
snapped In lieces. The wires from this point eastward
for ron 70 % 100 miles wrecked they
before over 1000 have been at work night and
day in making repairs. Communication with the outer
world :. rCG,tabshed at last and by tomorrow the
Western Union lines will he fully restored. What little
news we received from the Eas between Friday night
and yesterday reached by railroad express from To
leGo or ~ wire via Cincinnati, ST. Louis and Omaha.
IHE COURSE or THE sToRT-Irs PECULARHIEs.
From The Chicago Tines, Aoatay
The Tremendous storm Milcl Lao Just passed without
p.er IA tue knowledge OF the oldest ni abitant, and is
remarkable not only for its violence and duration, but
for several peculiar features conueced with IT, Untl
within recent period the facilities for taking weather
observations were >g and imperfect b1t the action Of
tie War Department IN 0rglnzns meteorological sta-
th- IN Of the principal cities OF the country has now
mt It within the province OF observation 70 secure al
The aois Ui Interest al the earliest possible date re
r-gt -uow-styr4 which visited Chicago on Friday first
a lie Us app,a anoe the 10th ut AZ Reno among the
Rocky Mountains, where it commenced with sueh Vio-
ence and with such binding fan Of snow that tie work
men repairng the Union Pacific track could not see
tn foet before them. II made its appearance in
Choycnue on the 10Th and then has been steadily
/ advancing across tho country. II has been one OF
tie .arr OF the mercury n ne barometer. On
tic 15 "a h. friafter r6se while tue thermom,
etc' iclt The immediate c5Ise 0t lle a2i - ft nch
IN the fag Of the thermometer sCsSs,| -, No. a
mild weath,r. Tie earliest direct news OF
received nom l.eyenne, the most westward M.
logical station having commenced to snow there abO.
L n. on January H. Reports were also received from
Omaha Duuth. ana ST Paul on the same day, showing
storm continued with cessation violence till
al -Lt 2ih, when the weather teegrams failed
dssnp arsd but only 70 strike Chicago with premoni
MY arzzc oi rn ON he morning OF the 18th the same
symptoms showing themselves in II. Louis and Mil
Wukco. IL changed 10 show in the afternoon, and The
storm Oh, let the fu power OF It's fury The snow
dense particles from the warmth OF the atmosphere, and
crftiI that testified 10 the violence Of
on satur,ay the storm showed strange changes from
snow -leet from see Ia rain aud rice rrsa, but all
the while such herce tempest tnat lt diff
Hos @ " Ter part ~ SiIrjIv With he san,e $50 20
violence marked ito earlier stages The mixture Of
ram and s.cet with the snow which had characterized
Of the previous day, disappeared aud all day
there steady aI Of moist w-akes OF great size
ana weight There has been no such storm In Chicago,
except the great storms OF the Winters OF 1867 and
The Weather these occasions was many de grees
colder and consequently the fall OF snow comparatively
light. The amount oI snow tha has fallen during the
present storm Is almost unparalleled but, great il -
10 he'd m, eaftb "a Ibe amount OF rain and seet
ht III ia the makes IL almost heavy salt. An
other Interesting feature Of the storm has been its
extreme duration, as compared with It's vlo-
lrnce. As bitter the driving wind has been,
the stOrG took 80 hours 10 reach Chicago
from Omaha, progress which would give the
very slow momentum OF about 10 miles hour. Pre-
yiOus To the commencement OF TINS unusual visitation,
the weather in ali parts OF the country except the
Atlantic seboard had been very mild FOR the IL
is the r5t stOru according the statement of the tee
graph operators which has ever been known travel
the Immense distance from Reno, among the Rocky
Mountains, where the present stosln commenced. But
tie absence OF any daily meteorological reports
til the present may possibly allow the harbOring
OK doubt Oh this subject. When AL the data shall have
been collected bearing on this unexampled carnival Of
fh. # ..
draw unusually interesting conclusions from the cOndi
tious Of inception ana the peeuarties of its course
al Irntf inn