New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-23
EFFECTS OF THE STORM.
GREAT DAMAGE ONLY PARTLY REPAIRED,

NOT GREATLY DAMAGED -scENEs UP AND DOWN
TOWN.
Efforts were made yesterday to repair tho
damage caused in this city by the storm Of
the previous day. The telegraph wires were
SO badly broken and entangled, and 90 many
poles were down, that the progress in restor-
ing communication, even within the city linn.
its. was slow. It is expected that the work.
men will accomplish much to-day. The con.
ditiOn of the streets was nearly, il not quite,
as bad as possible, and the feeble attempts of
the Street Cleaning Bureau were only irritat.
ing to the observers
THE CONDITION OF THE CITY.
EFFECTS OF FRIDAYS sToRM-GATHERINd UP THH
BROKEN wIREs-sLow WORK IN MAKING RE-
PAIRs-BUsINEss DELAYHp-GE1IIEG ABOUT
STILL DIFFICULT.
Traces of the great storm of Friday were every.
where visible In this city and its vicinity yesterday.
Telegraph wires and poles without their picturesque
icy coverings encountered the streets In many places.
Signs displaced by the violence of the gale hung in
dangerous positions. Tho debris of broken Chin
neys and shattered windows lay on many Of tho
sidewalks The trees in the parks stripped Of their
glistening icy coats with broken branches, added
to the look of desolation The streets were almost
that stopped on the day previous still refused to
mark time. The sky was lowering, and generally
the city presented dismal and gloomy aspect.
The telegraph companies were the greatest suf.
ferers by the storm but they lost tiue In setting
about to repair the damage. Coils of wire and
gangs of busy men could be seen from almost any
street corner. The work of repairing, however,
seemed to proceed slowly. The tangled web Of
wires that hung over the streets and Uttered the
ground in all parts of the city did
not present any altered appearance last
night. The many men that were at work on them
directed their energies toward Strengthening out
few wires so that circuits could be established with
distant points. Any attempt to complete the repain
in each street and each house they went along
would have delayed the opening of communication
for many days. At the head of Crosbyst last night
at least fifty broken hung to the street below
This was specimen of what could be seen in othei
parts of the city. The wires in many places had to
be cnt in order to get them Strengthened cut. Poles
that had fallen were as general thing broken of
close to the ground instead of being uprooted, and
this added to the troubles of the companies.
The American Union Telegraph Company was the
first to break the telegraph blockade 4 the wires
and poles of this company were all new. they with
stood the storm better than those of older cor
orations and there were not 80 many wires on pole
Very few of the poles were down In the city. and
the manager said the troubles in the city were
almost wholly due to the falling of other wires
against those of the American Union, thus inter-
rupting the circuits. The company sent out all
the men it could command who knew enough about
the work of linemen to be Of any use. and by
o'clock in the afternoon business was resumed
directly from tho main oiace. Lines wsre
at that hour in working order to Boston aud
.nI 30 nfnn
and in fact to all principal cities. The damage
to the wires was principally within few miles of th3
city. It will take several days for the American
Union to repair all the damage wrought by the
Storm but the managers expect to have many of tho
branch Offices ia this city open Monday.
The Western Union Company had over 800 line.
men at work repairing its wires. These men
constituted principally the repair force OF
the company in Massachusetts,, Connecticut,
New-York and New-Jersey They were
scattered about the city in gangs Of ten. Their first
work was to strip the prostrate poles of their wires
and gather them in a bunch and pin tben to some
convenient roof Then the broken strings were
singled out, tied and connected us fast as possible.
Leading circuits were attended to first Late last
night many of the wires repaired, so that bus-
ness will be resumed to-day directly from the main
office. All messages from the South and West
SON and Elizabeth, from which points
the wires were working. Messages for
the cable aud Boston and the East, and for Albany,
Chicago, Pittsburg and the far West were sent by
messengers to Wllhamsbridge The usual amount
of business from the main office was transacted with
about two hours delay in each case No messages
were received yesterday without the sender con-
sented to delay of from two to twenty-four hours.
The ninety branch offices in the city were closed 10
business except as messages were forwarded By
bows The operating room at the Western Union
main Office, where the roar of the instruments ia
usually like that Of cataract, was sheut'
and the 800 employees were allowed to read news
papers or occupy their time as they pleased. They
were kept in the building, however. as the manager
could not tell at what moment circuits might bf
opened.
The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company had
no communication with any point outside the city
by direct wire Messages were forwarded by tram
to the nearest working points, hat apparently little
business was transacted.
WHAT SOME MANAGERS SAY.
The Superintendent of the Gold and STOCK Ie'e>
graph Company said that the main system OF soo
l." printers" which deliver quotations in brokers'
offices were in working order with few exceptions.
The circuits running uptown and to the Cotton ana
Produce Exchanges were interrupted; also those
running to Brooklyn and New-Jersey.
Mr.. Ellsworth of the Metropolitan Telegraph anu
Telephone Company. said the management hal eui'
Moved all the men it could get with anv knowledge
of telegraphy and 1t was expected to have most OF
the wires in operation Monday. 1t viii be some
time before ali the 1000 instruments in Subscribers
houses will be in working order. Only about 100
were in operation yesterday.
Mr.. Childs, of tho Law Telephone Company said
that about all of the 600 wires entering the operat'
ing room of the company had been stopped. few
were repaired yesterday. lie thought 75 per ceno
of the wires would be in working order tomorrow.
The New-York City Telephone Company has In.