Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-18
THE RAILROAD BLOCKADE
TRAINS UNDER DRIFTS IN THE
EAST AND WEST.

Railroads Strewn with DerafIed Cars
and Disabled Locomotive. Mode
rating ia ChicagO-3O Degrees Below
Zero Ia Dakota aud ManitOba-The
Susquehanna Frozen to the Bottom.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.-To-dav's tele-
grams report a railroad blockade in the
East almost as complete and effective as
in the West. All trains on the Rome
WatertOwn and Ogdensburg Railroad in
Northern New York were abandoned yes-
terdaY and four trains stuck in the drifts.
A number of trains are stuck in drifts or
held at way stations at different points in
Vermont and New Hampshire. Travel
on the New Ork Central was much i'm
peded. The same was the case with the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western,
both IN New York and Pennsylvania.
The Grand Trunk is blOckaded at sew
eral points in Canada, both east and
west, and some of the trains are in snow
drifts. No interruption has as vet Oc.
CURED on the main line of either the
pennsylvania or Baltimore and. Ohio
HalIroad, but elsewhere in New England,
new ork and Pennsylvania scarcely. a
road exists which has not suffered to con-
siderable extent.
In Vermont the snow last week was
two feet deep, with hard crust upon it,
one foot IN addition fell on Sunday and
Monday, and the high winds drifted this
INTO the railroad cuts and closed the
roads completely. On some roads the
efforts to keep communication open and
move freight have resulted in strewing
the roadsdes with disabled locomotives
and derailed freight and passenger cars.
A great many passengers are spending
Tonight between stations.
IN THE WEST AND NORTHWEST.
CHICAGO, Feb. 1.-THE weather in
Chicago has moderated somewhat. Ats
a. m. the mercury showed degrees be-
low zero; at Omaha it was cloudy and 10
degrees above zero; In DesNoines il was
showing and 3 degrees above zero, In
Dakota and Manitoba the mercury still
ranges from 20 to 80 degrees below zero.
so that no immediate relief can be ex-
peeted.
The worst effects of the storm are still
felt In the south and southwest of Chi
cago. Freight trafAc is quite
generally suspended. East bound pas
senger trains on all roads except the
Grand Trunk are moving slowly. The
ran Handle, Chicago and Eastern Illi-
n0ls and Louisville, New Albany and
Chicago roads, are still showed up. The
LIMOS Central trains are several hours
late. but it is announced that the road
will be in shape to-day. The Alton. wa
bash and Chicago, AMI Burlington and
quincy trains are all delayed. St. Paul
and Northwestern trains are going out on
time, but incoming trains are from one
to two hours late.
The situation tonight, as far as the
railroads are concerned, shows no i'm
provement.
FROZEN TO THE BOTTOM.
LANCASTER, PA, Feb. 17.-Owing to
the danger threatening the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad bridge at Columbia. in the event
OF an ice breakup in the Susquehanna
river, the railroad off 1eials decided to
blast the ice from the immediate vicinity
OF the bridge. 1t was then discovered
that the river in many places was frozen
to the bottom, thus rendering the plan i'm !
practicable. Great damage to property
along the river is apprehended when the
ice moves off. The river is very wide and
shallow at that point.