The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-02-10

The Storm King sits Down On Ia
Roof and Closes The Cutters,

Omaha Herald.
This winter, which is nothing IT not
remarkable, set the old settlers 10
searching the by-plaees Of their memoir
les on sunday. by the almost nnpre-
eedented extent of the storm of sleet,
snow and rain. beginning on Friday
night, with a heavy fall of sleet, it
varied this with descent of Tain,
which finally turned into snow. In
convenient as any one of these falls
would naturally be, they combined to
twist wires, buildings and cutters with
a pressure which most structures in
this valley are not prepared to take.
Late Saturday night and carry Sum-
day morning, many wide awake mer-
chants and householders found that the
water was pouring into cellars and fl
teriDg through roofs in such quantities
that It behooyed them TO be alert and
move out their goods.
In spite of these precautions several
suffered heavily. The greatest dam
age reported is to Gatz 4 Freeman,
cracker and candy manufacturers, who
are located in Creighton hall building.
The roof of the building, which has be-
come defective from long neglect, let
the water through into the hall and
through that over the stock on Sunday
morning, till in spite of every effort to
save ii, the goods were damaged TO the
extent of from $1,000 to 800. Kost-
ers' paint shop, in the rear of Ramsay's
livery stable, was badly wrecked by the
falling in of the roof on Sunday. The
new block OF Dodge street, in which
Hespe's and Willis Yates stores are
situated, was flooded from the roof.
Hospe places his damage at from 5000
to $500, while Yates is probably not
over $50. A. Polack's clothing stock
was damaged to the extent of perhaps
5000 by water pouring in from a scut-
tie hole. Lesser damages are reported
in all quarters. The new blocks, es-
pecially those rooted with tin, did not
escape, though men were set at work
early to clear off the snow.i
In the streets few persons were out
on Sunday and those mostly in quest
Of gum shoes and rubber boots, in
which the dealers did a big business.
Slush from two inches to half a foot in
depth covered the crossings and wor-
shippers reached the churches with
wet feet.
The street railways were blocked and
travel was almost at a standstill.
Toward evening the accumulation of
sleet and ice formed a coating over
half IN inch thick on the telephone
wires and the poles began to defect
from the perpendicular under the
strain.
In the evening a heavy fall of snow
set in again and as it froze made the
streets and buildings resemble the pop
ular idea of mid winter in fairy land.
The rows of trees bent under the
weight of ice which covered them with
a crystal sheathing. The telegraph
wires grew big as cables, and presently
began forming festoons from breaking.
In the evening a man could walk
through the business center and hear
frequently a sharp report like that Of a
pistol, followed by n ratlling which told
that another wire had snapped. Early
in the evening the wires to the trans
fer and Council Bluffs had parted, one
of the fire alarm wires had broken and
been spliced and lines were being pros
traited in every direction. But the
worst breaks came yesterday morning
when tho heavy telegraph wires which
had started in on the previous night,
broke rapidly, twenty or more inter
ruptions being found between this city
and Gilmore alone. All wires running
to the north and south were down. Two
overland wires remained in working
order to the west. Dispatches east
were sent via the roundabout way of
Cheyenne, Denver and Kansas City
and this line vas overwhelmed with an
avalanche of work which accounts for
the lack of more press dispatches in the
Herald this morning. Repairers were
sent out on every hand, but it was not
till 10 O'Clock last night that reports
began to come in. The Union Pacific
wires west were down, and the B. &
M. and Union Pacific to Lincoln.
Over sixty telephone wires in the
city were broken and though the re-
pairers were busy yesterday, Manager
Morse informed a reporter that it would
be impossible to get all the wires in
working order before Wednesday. The
Bluffs and the Union Pacific depot
wires had not been re-strung last night.
People never knew how indispensable
the telephone is until they are deprived
of it.
Canadian Pacific Railway.
The annual report of tie Canadian
minister of railways states in reference
to the Canadian. Pacific that the line
| from the terminal point of the Canada