, 1874-01-09
THE TELEGRAPH WIRES,

| a Nflta Account OF til t Havoc CAuA 6u
at the EaHt by W'assucsdny,u Storms.
Thc DaAnlsaEe Partially Mepa1rcd.
| Tho wholesale destruction Of telegraph wiree
Wednesday OF this week has practically isolated
Chicago from tue Eastcrn world. Tho damage
has resulted from an attack by that moat effect
i've enemy Of tho Telegraph syston-a asorm Of
rain and seot. tho wires being gradually encased
in coating Of ice, which increases in thickness
until tho motaf gives way on ncoount Of tho
! great weight. Instances have .boeu known
where the incruBtation of ice reached q diameter
OF over four inches As the telegraph polea arc
about l20 feet apart, tho strain becomes enor-
mous, aud tho wires give way. Then tho sudden
shifting OF the strain upon the poloB snaps
them Ii ke pipe-stems, though they are two fost
thi cit at tho base; a1ld, tho work of demolition
once begun in tlis way, wires mud polaB come
crushing down like row. OF toy blocks. Tho
ground, and new ones must be put up without
waiting to recover tho old wires. A large army
Of rapairors work night and day to remedy tho
mischief, Tor the vital needs of the telegraph
storing the limos to working order. Tho terms
OF the contrnct Of the Western Union
Telegraph Company. with tho various railroad
companies are such that the Inter contribute
~ needed assistance ln tho shape Of extra gangs
with worAmon and material. The present dis
astrous state of things occurred in a region
rarely Visited by protracted storms Of sloet aud
raiil In mldwintor, and tho extent OF tho damage
IL moro widespread than ever before In those
aectiona: AZ nearly aB we could learn yestorda
from Col. Wilson, Superintendent Of the Chi
cago District, who kindly placed at ourdisposal
his daily reports from all quartors,-tho sloet-
storm has prevailed extensively throughout the
States Of Now York, Pennsylvania, "a fur weat as
Toledo In Ohio. and . portion Of Canada.
On tho three main lines between Chicago and
New York, communication was cut Oh, reapect-
ivoly at Detroit On the Canada route. ut Toledo
on the Lake Shore, aud at nucyruH, Ohio. on the
Pittsburgh l. Fort Wayne. No reports havo
bcen rcceiyotl from oilicoa east OF those points
R1nco Wednesday, morning. md telegraph brei-
neBs with tho EaHt had como almost to 4 stand
STILL Detroit was able to "get" Moptroal, but
Montreal could not reach Now York, st. Louis
managed to lind one circuit by way of Nashville,
Chattanooga, and Savannah to New York. hut, a.
this limo in scarcely equal to tho requirements Of
ordinary OCCASIONS it hns been OF no service III this
dllolunla. The Western Union has upon its
hands an enormous accumulation Of commercial
aud ordinary businesa which it IL working on az
we'll as may be by means Of the railways between
pointa whore the wires arc down, but, i1l tho way
OF presa dispatches, nothing can be- tloue until
repairs arc n,auo. Several thousand men nre
busy at work In tho devastated districts, aud It
Will not be long before the damages aro repaired,
The lines to the westward, southwark and
noEthward arc In good orslor.
OhcINsAT1, O., Jan. 9.-The weather has
hecn clear oil day, moderately warm, aud not
thaTing tast. The Western Union wires, cart
OF Columbus, wero not in use at 10 tonight,