New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-12
EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW.
STREET TRAVELLING MADE DIFFICULTY.
TIE bIItEEI-LLEhNINH DEPARTMENT MD THE GO
TRACTORS HARD AT WORK.


| The people of New-York who retired early on
Saturday night were surprised to find the earth
covered with mantle of snow when they opened
their eyes yesterday morning. They had only re-
covered from the nervous fears induced by Profess
sor Wigglns's prophecy, and, rejoicing in his dis
| comfure they were unprepared for inflictiOn of
weather of another kind. The snow began to fall
about 10 o'clock Saturday night, and the flakes
came down so thicky that by midnight street traffic
was seriously interrupted and the surface cars were
being hauled by four horses. The hush peculiar TO
! a snOwstorm had settled upon the earth, and the
sound of tinKing bells and the voices of men urg-
ing on the struggling horses could be heard for
great distance. As the small hours of the morning
dawned the enghted travellers in Chatham-st.
and the Bowery amused themselves by engaging in
SNOWFALL fights, undisur6ed by the police. When
the snow ceased falling at o'clock it covered tho
ground TO depth of celriy eight inches, and there
was promise that tho lovers of sleigh
riding would have a treat But almost i'm
medately the hope dsNpatcd for
it was seen that the light. heccy snowfales had
ceased to fall only to give place to heavy drops Of
rain. At daybreak under murkcy, ran-dIoppng
sky the prospect was dismal. The sidewalks were
a wet. slippery macs Of half-cougealed snow
water. The cutters were running riyulets whose
gurgle was the reverse OF musical, willie from off
the caves OF the houses and the bare branches Of the
trees the water drpped and drippcd in huge spat-
terng drops.
Before church-tImo individual househoIders had
partly cleaned the sidewalks, and the Street-Clean-
ing Department had made passable somc of the lead
ing thoroughiarcs While tho big poughs and brooms
of the srectcar companies, drawn by eight horses
had considerably improved the condition of the car
tracks. Very few persons, however veutured out
and the attend inco a. the churches was yety small
~ 1880 +. H. tlc rain ceased Tor tine. but dullng
the afternoon there were occasional hght showers
The wind was light warm all day, and the tom
pera iure r0so steadily, 30 that there was RAPID
tha@ By night the street-cars were beihS drawn
by single teams again aud were making their scAed-
ule time. The streets, however We're lull OF WAFER
and many were the accidents that bttei
pedestrians Pools OF water banked on either
side by snow, could scarcely be dIstihSulshcd rom
paying-stOnos and n eager feet plunged into them
the noise OF the splash was frcaucntly drowned oy
The loudmputhrd profanity that broke the qhet
of the Sunday air. Many persons SAT down
without intending II, and arising hastily
disappeared into liquor stores seemingly bent upon
spelling the wet without by an Application OF wet
within.
ne roads on Staten Island were almost impass-
able 10 p"dcstrln7 On the Shore Railroad sleighs
had to lie substituted for cars. fog hung over the
bay most OF the dav. and the staten Island ferry
boats had difficulty IN making their trips.
Inquiry at the Signal service Office elected the
fact that New-York had suffered more by the storm
than any other city. The storm began
TO fall in the Northwest ON Saturday morn
ing, aud the storm came on through tho
Upper Lake region and the ONO Valley, and passed
out INTO the Atlantic. There was not much snow
west of Michigan, and the storm extended gcnei"liy
over the country east OF the Mi,ol's pp ana uoith
OF the Ohio River At o'clock Yesterday atter-
the reports from all the stations In those DIS
trcis told of SNOW rain. cloudy weather, while
there had been a general TI-" IA temperature
aud an equally uniform fall Of tho barometer. Ia
the Northwest on the contrary. the temperature
had fallen and the barometer was rising. The
coldcst places yesterday were Moorhcad Minn..
where the temperature at j o'clock was
o. Mtfff.. Nan
to5a. where the thermometer registered
- "a fall Of 3 in twontv-tour hOirs. No reports
are received from the s9u,hen stations on sun
days and he warincst place reported was Oswego,
\. Y. here the thermometer reglseicl so, nse
of I3@ in tweuty-i0ur hours ght snow was siiI!
falliug at Chicago at o'clock. the temperature be-
iug {l- a rl~e of 81 in twsnty-four hours. At
Boston II was raining, the temperature being 30,
rise of TO-.
ont the day. At 7 a. IN. the Thermometer regis
terrd - fall OF lO-; by 1 A. m. II marked 33@.
and "a, p. m. 30. rise OF - III twenty-iour
hours. The barometer, winch marked 5000 at
o'clock. indicated % ~ by 3 p IN. The total rain
fall was LIS inches up to o'clock, the rain
that fell after that hour beng small
a. to he inapprccable This ~ The greatest rainfall
reported yesterday. The wind was very light, aud
was from the south and southwest.
There was very little interruption to railroad
communication on account Of the storm, ana the
only of the day mails reported late was the
north mail. over the Ne"-lork Cohtrai
and Hudson River Railroad, which should
have reached the Post Oiice AZ lI:3O a. m, but
which was not delivered until 5:45 p m. The tele-
graph companies suffered no Interruptions Wires
were up every whore, except at places where there
Hoods, and with wmch COMMUNICATION had
been interrupted previously. The only trou-
bile complained of Was bad insulation.
A. ~ customary along Fiith-ayc. tho snow has
been led up IN the middle of the street. While IL
Is ceul No. makes "A very pretty spectacle but "A the
snow melts and the dirt alOno remains IL becomes
unslghtly mass. ~ 90,
soon alter dark a fog stole mp, and settling softly
over the city added to the existing unpleasanness
In the streets the discOmfOrts OF wayfarers wero
already 30 great that IL made no apprecl-
able difference, but on the rivers
the fog horns and the changing of tog-be is gave
sufficient Indication of difficulties OF navigation
Boats were temporarily suspended from tie koose- |
welt Ferry and trips were long on all the othor ier
rios The staten Island boats were taken OH ALTO
pether early in the evening much to the annoyance
of numbers of would-be passengers who were left
behind About ii o'clock the log lifted telnpOrarl-
ly ard the stars came out but Ia SNORT ume the
pail of mist again appeared
The street Cleaning Department and Contractors
Walton and Brown were engaged WIN 4 laigt Iorce
in removing snow from some OF the prlnclpai
thoroughfuTes aud pIlng II upon each side ot the
roadway Before midnight the snow was piled upon
broadway from the Battery To FOurteenthst., and
good deal OF II had been removed. In Fulton wall
and Whltehall-St the snow was piled up by Con-
tractor Waltons men, On the west side of Broad
way Contractor Brown mad force or mon
engaged in pilIng up the snow ID Liberty. Cort-
landt and ChambeTs-sts. The Cleaning Depart
men had 200 horses and carts, with their attendant
drivers employed IN removing the In Broad !
way and about the same number OF men engaged
in loading the snow in the carts and piling tup.
Earlier IN the day an extra force OF Itaans Wss ~
work opening the cutters and culvcrts. Snow
ploughs we're used to advantage on broadway ana !
the streets loading To the ierrles. Inc SHOW
was light aud easily handled. commissioner Coie-
man hopes if the temperature does not turn cOu, |
10 have most of the business thoroughfares IN !
pretty fair condition tonight.