The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-03-21
SNOW GIRT NEW YORK
The Mighty Pale Of tie Great Metropolis
Almost Eilllsd By ihs stoEm.
The Busiest Tnoroughfare Turned Into
Scenes of Winter Desoistion-rraveI
and Business PaialJ zad-Raging
Wind and BIinding Drift
New York Herald. March 81

alton cannot picture the extraordinary
scenes that have taken place in the metrop-
oils during the last twenty-four hours to
one who has not looked at them.
No one living can remember such storm
in the city.
All business was abandoned, and the
snow drifted in mountains against miles
and miles Of closed business houses. The
elevated railways ceased running, and all
the horse car lines were completely blocked
mp. Telegraph wires we're furiously torn
from their fastenings and Whirled up and
down the roadwsys.
Huge trees in TEenty-third and other
streets were pulled up out of the ground
and thrown in all directions by the mighty
wind which increased in strength every
moment. Men and women were thrown
about like strEws, and many had to be dug
out of The vast drifts. Wall ST. looked
like an icy gulch in Montana, and thirty
lonely brokers shivered in the empty
stock exchange. All the big centers of
commerce were deserted.
Ferry boats were blown helplessly up
and down the North and East rivers in
the shrieking tempest, and no vessel dared
to enter the storm. smitten harbor. Trains
on all the railways were showed in. The
telegraph companies refused to take mess
ages.
A horror Of darkness deepened over the
crowded city, and the terror stricken pop
ulation covered at the awful sound which
came from The throat of the whirl wind.
Il started at about mid night. A gentle
rain bad been FLASHING on the pavements
for several hours. Gradually 1t turned
into a wet Snow and the cutters ran slusn.
The wind began To rise and the thermome-
ter fell rapidly. Suddenly the whole city
seemed 70 treIGble Sc the storm swept down
upon IL with grandeur and power that
are indescriba Down came the snow
in twisted orreDis nil the sidewalks were
buried under the drifts. SignbOar6s were
torn nom the fronts of buildings, rO1fs
were stripped, windows blown out, wagons
overturned aud srSe cars halted. Wnsn
day broke the city presented an smsz ng
APPEARANCE. Through the wild clouds OF
snow that were driven along the streets
conld be seen l0a6ed wagons gived up by
their drivers. AT every turn could be seen
these deserted vehicles. Their owners had
fed for their lives, apparently regardless of
what became OF me properly. Butchers
wagons piled high Win meat, milk tru ks
crowded with cans. grOcers' wagons, coal
carts, street cars were scattered II the
were Thousands upon thousands OF these
abandoned wagons sud carts, some over
turned, some lying across the street, some
half buried in the drifts. Here and tdere
they formed enormous bsrricades, which
caught the snow and rolled il up in solid
barriers.
Long before Day light the ho:sa car lines
gave up ell attempts to carry pa sseDgers.
The multltudes trudged through the
storm to the elevated railroads, sud crowd
ed every train. Even these Il aims were
few and far between. The snow and wind
msde it almost impossible to work the
switches, and the brakes were rendered
useless.
Finally the whole elevated railway svs-
tenn came to a dead stan6still. Then ensued
scenes of excitement and suffering. There
was a solid blockade of trains on the Sixth
ave. road from Fourth ST. to Twenty
eighth 81. The passengers we're half frozen.
They could not reach the stations except
by walking along the narrow edge of the
tracks, which was frightfuIly dangerous in
such high wind. Women cried and men
swore. Many of the men took of their
overcoats to shelter the half persisted
women.
= When this condition of things had ex-
listed for an hour or so a young man, who
stood on platform OF one of the blOckaded
cars, locked down into the snow -su rgtng
avenue at TWeoty-second ST, He saw
| big colored man wrestling with the wicd.
'Sa-a-a a-asyl" he sbrieked.
The colored man looked up.
IF you get ladder and let me get down
into the street I'll give you a dollar"
There was look of indecision on the
| dusky face. Here Broker Mason of the
| Consolidated Exchange shouldered his way
to the door of the car.
IF you get ladder within five minutes
I'll give you s." he shouted.
"AwIight, boss!n answered the man in
| the street. a few minutes later he came
| down Sixth ave. with two companions lug.
| giDg a long ladder. The ladder was Get
! against the IRON railway structure, but it
would not reach the tops of the pillars.
| Two cry goods boxes we're put under the
lower end snd the top rung Just touched
| the upper side of the truss work. The col
ored man in charge Of the ladder yelled
out that he would allow passengers to
climb down at the rate of % cents each.
This offer was eagerly accepted. Men,
women and boys struggled down 10 the
| sidewalk. Train after train was emptied
| In this way. The passengers would get
| out OF one train and cling to the greasy
| locomotive wheels as they crept to the next
train. So hundreds of people were rescued.
The colored man with the ladder made
over 800 in an hour. When the news Of
| this spread all the colored men in the
neighborhood could be seen hurry.
IN to Sixth ave. with ladders,
until there was one to every half
block from Twenty. eighth ST. to the
Fourth Et. corner. One train at Ninth
| st. Snd Sixth ave. was blockaded for
| four hours and the frantic passengers in
vain tried 70 reach the street. The cars
| rocked in the storm until the unfortunate
| prisoners expected TO be dashed upon the
| pavement below. Some of the men tried
/ to climb down the trestlework or creep
along to the next station, but the almost
| inconceivable 6erceness of the wind
| coupled with the binding snow aud hail
| drove them back shivering and frightened.
Suddenly thirteen policemen appeared
on Sixth ave. They carried O ladder
| which had been hastily constructed at
nejghboriDg carpenter shop. A terrific
cheer went up from the host on the cars
| above as their rescuers came in sight. In
q few minutes all the passengers were safe
| in the street. Another train load of pas
eengers was saved by firemen.
But no one but a rich man could get down
/ town unless he walked, and it took strength
and courage and endurance TO travel in
/ the streets. In many places the snow was
drifted seven and eight feet high across the
roadways, and men who tried to force their
way through had to be pulled out by res
/ cuing parties.
No cabman would take passenger to the
lower part Of the city for less than $40.
| AS the day wore on the cabmen began to
forsake their vehicles. Within q few hours
they had gathered q weeks wages. They