Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-04-07
The Eastern Avalanche.

1t is difficult in this latitude and longitude
to correctly comprehend the extraordinary
state Of things existing the past three days in
the great eities of the Atlantic coast People
in Chicago and the northwest know some
thing about snow-storms and have learned by
experience how to grapple with the difficulty
and promptly overcome it With them neces-
sity has given birth to energy ard Inventive
ness, aud it has been extremely unusual in the
worst Of winter weather to see ordinary bust
ness and traffic hindered for more than few
hours at a time. In Chicago. for instance, It
has occurred but once in about twenty years
that slreet-car transportation has been stopped
by snow as long as twelve hou RS consecutive
IL. Even in Dakota and Mimi esota, the roost-
ing-place of the festive blizzard, they manage
TO do some business and main tain some sort Of
an existence with reference to the world in
general.
But the storm results in New York, Penn
sylyania, and New jersey since early on last
Monay morning have been something unprec-
edented. Not since March. 1881, when in a
limited district along the line of the northern
Pacific railroad the running of trains was sus-
pended for about two weeks, has there been
anything approaching the condition OF things
in the two great cities of New York and Phil
adelphia: and along the thousands of miles Of
railroads radiating from those eenters of bust
ness. 1t is now nearly four days since New
York ceased to hold any communication with
the rest Of the world by rail. by telegraph, or
any other mode Of transmitting intelligence.
During that time the New Workers have been
as completely isolated from mankind and, in
deed from each other, as though their big
city bad been buried under an Alpine ava
lanche People living from one to five miles
from their places of business or employment
have had a compulsory vacation Of nearly four
days. Their horse-cars ceased TO run, their
elevated roads were blocked, and their side
walks and streets we're clogged with huge
drifts OF snow that rendered pedestrianlsm
aud the passage of vehicles out OF the Ques.
ton Funeral professions were stalled, aud
the dead could not be buried. Railroad trans
portatiou into or out of the city did not exist.
and teegraplie communication was destroyed
on all sides.
A thousand cities aud towns within davis
ride and containing twenty millions of people
were as badly of as New York. Nothing so
stupenduous in the way of storm damage has
ever been known in America. Human inge-
nuity and inventlyeness have been powerless
in the presence OF this wonderful demostra-
ton OF the elements. No appliances known
in those parts have been equal to cleaning
the streets and railway tracks and restoring
the efficiency Of the vast system Of telegraph
wires. The wires even now are so Frustrated
~ sHS 'NSS "a SuNANs Sus Va -NSn 1VAh anu
Philadelphia that only meagre news OF the
great storm can be procured. As for the news
papers, the fluent chaps who certify to great
circulations have found their occupations
gone. There has been no such thing as news.
paper circulation. The damage in all direc.
tions is roughly estimated at twenty millions.
1t is probable that twice that sum Will not
fully cover the loss, to all the interests that
have suffered in consequence Of the big
storm, and weeks must elapse before its rsva-
gcs can be wholly repaired aud its disturban-
ces wholly removed. CAicdgo Tunes.