New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-22

k.1ahllshed. The full extent Of tho losses 20 the
scroan,ea cannot be estimated with any accuracy.
ina ,oss In daily receipts alone will amount to
very large sum- The damage to the wires in TINS
city and its vicinity is estimated at $lOo,OOO'
The network of wires which oyerhangs the city
rresented very picturesque scene. view rom
THx TRrpugE building at noon was an Interesting
.ieht The tops of the buildings below wcrs almost
hAeured by the ice clad cables running IN ell direc-
4iope Each wire was covered with ice nearly an
inch thick, measuring from tho wire. the whole for
NATION being nearly two inches in diameter Two
fringes of icicles hung down from them Every Few
minutes wire would snap and then fall IN grace
fui curves. The whole mass was swayeo py tne
wind. The frameworlzs erected on the tops OF tne
houses TO support the wires would frequently give
yay with q crash. In some instances as many as
. hundred wires crossed the top of one building.
The enormous pressure which the ice imposed upon
The support for this number OF wires not only
brushed it, but threatened to break In the roofs OF
bildinss, and IN some instances wires were cut 10
avoid damage to the roofs. The Post Office authori-
Ass aeptword TO the telegraph Companies that tina
wires which were thpmping with great force on the
roof of that building would have to be cut unless
relief were furnished immediately. The companies
tied the wires together, dashed them TO the build
ing to keep them from moving, and thus saved them
hon being cut
Tbs streets M and down town were encountered
m MANY plaees with fallen wires and poles. Along
Broadway the wires were apparently in an mex
tricable tange Several persons were severely hurt
by being struck with a broken wire covered with
lce The dropping Of the ice alone also caused
injuries to men and horses. in Csnal-st the poles
and wires fell across the street at West Broadway,
snterrupting travel for some time. A pole In the
Bcvery crushed into the plate glass window OF q
large clothing store Wires fell across the tracks OF
Hbe elevated railways, and trains were moved with
raut,on While a train on the Third-ave. road was
sasn;ne between Thirty-fourth and Twenty-third-
Eta. wire snapped and struck the glass windows OF
The cab of the engine, smashing them with loud
mise The passengers were startled at first, but
were treasured when the cause was explained.
In westst. the tangled web of wires and fallen
poles almost closed the street In the upper part OF
the city, where the wind struck the poles with full
force. many of them went down. In fact, IN all
directions, and almost at every street corner.
tangled mass of wires could be seem The telegraph
companies complained that the principal damage
yas caused by the telephone lines and the many
urivate wires running throughout the city. These.
IT was said, not being erected in substantial
auner had fallen across the regular wires. inter
ruptang circuits and causing some wires to snap.
An officer Of the American Union Company stated
that many of the poles and wires Of the Western
Union line were old and rotten and were easily
broken.
In Hudson-st the poles from Canal-st.. north, for
seven OF eight blocks, were blown down few min
utes after o. One of these. which fell near Charl-
ton-sr, killed horse attached to an Eighth-ave
car. The other horse escaped with few bruises.
The driver and the passengers, who were four In
number, were not hnrt A short time after this the
line of poles in Canai-st. from West Broadway to
Hudson-st. fell, dragging with them several OF the
poles in Thompson-st. No one was injured aud no
serious damage was done to the buildings in the
street In Thrd-ave. many poles fell. at One
bundred-and- thirteth-st. eight poles came crashing
down at noon. One of them struck Car No. 131 of
the Thrd-ave line Just after it had come out of the
depot. and went crashing through the top The
driver was the only person on the vehicle. and he
was not injured. At One.hundredth-st. six poles
fell but without doing any injury. The poles IN
Third Sixth and Ninth-aves, which were blown
down Often fell against sns asS2 the
of the trains until they were cleared away Trains
were stopped sometimes three-qaarters OF an nonr'
day guarding the tracks.
Uptown the supports of the wires on dwelling
houses and business blocks were blown down, some
times iujurng the roofs So many complaints were
made to one telegraph COMPANY by property owners
that 1T Kept carpenters at IT'S eidce all day 30 tnat IL
could send one out at any moment.
Toward evening, when the weather grew little
warmer and the ice began to fall from the wires, the
TALKS WITH OFFICERS OF THE COMPANIES
Mr.. somerville superintendent of the Press Bu-
reau of the Western Union Company, said early last
evening that out of the 267 wires running out of
4he CITY and the 100 wires the city belonging to
that company only two were working. One OF
4hese ran only to Twenty third-st., and the other
TO the United States Hotel A good many poles were
down at different points. 80 being down at Gutten-
berg N. j., but the company had 500 men out at
work on the wires, and expected to establish COM
munications again TO-DAY, although 1t would be
some time before oil the lines would be up again.
He thought the damage to the Western Union
wires wonid not exceed $4,000. Agents had oeen
sent out on the trains In all directions with
Press dispatches to be sent from the nrst points
reached where the wires we're 10 operation. They
would also bring back dispatches from these points,
Superintendent Owen. of the American Union
said The wires began TO work badly early III the
Tnorniuo and as the storm continued circuit
after another refused to work. BY noon the only
wires that could be used were those running to the
Now-England States from Harlem n ms commun !.
cation was repeatedly broken. and at later hour IL
was cut of. He did not know TO what extene tne
wires were ds%aed as other points fSat OF tbey
were all right north of the city in this state lbe
American Union wires and poles were al new ana
iongior TO the American Union Company were down
In the city 90 far as known. de thought $lO,OOO
would more than cover any dsmsg S..;s. ,. IN a
bad condition. Up 70 a. m. everything was In
good working order. but hour or two after there
was not single wire in the city that would take q
message. A report was received IRON CleVeand
early IN the morning that the wires there were being
covered with sieet but yet were not seriously
damaged. In the afternoon . wire between New
ark and Philsdeiphia was IN working order The
soIes and the wires Of the company, the manager
iaid were down all parts Of this city, and many
Inca we're made useless by the fixtures and of
telephone aud other telegraph companies which had
given way. Gangs Of laborers were sent out early
fomske repairs, but little hope was entertained OF
improving the situation last night
me general superIntendent Of the metropolitan
srelenSone and raleQraph Company, when has about