Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-04-26
The Eastern Avalanche.

II is difficult in this latitude and longitude
10 correctly comprehend the extraordinary
state OF things existing the past three days In
the great cities of the Atlantic coast. People
In Chicago aud 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 and Inventive
ness, aud 1t has been extremely unusual in the
worst OF winter weather to see ordinary bust.
ness and traffic hindered for more than a few
hours at a time. In Chicago for instance it
has occurred but once in alb out twenty years
that street-car transportation has been stopped
10y snow as long as twelve hou rs consecutive
~. Even in Dakota and Mimi esota, the roost.
ng-place OF the festive blizzard, they manage
to do some business aud main tain some sort Of
an existence with reference TO the world in
general.
But the storm results in New York, Penn.
sylvania, aud New jersey since carly on last
Monay morning have been something unprec.
edentei. 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 aud Phil
adelpha. and along the thousands OF miles OF
railroads radiating from those ceu.ers 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 had been buried under an Alpine ava
Inn Twin fN..s
from their places Of business or employment
have had compulsory vacation of nearly four
days. Their horse-cars ceased to run, their
elevated roads were blocked, and their side
walks and streets were clogged with huge
drifts OF snow that rendered pedestrianlsm
aud the passage of vehicles out OF the oues-
ton. Funeral professions were stalled, and
the dead could not be buried. Railroad trans
portation into or out Of the city did not exist,
and telegraphic communication was destroyed
on all sides.
A thousand cities aud towns within a DAVIS
ride and containing twenty millions OF people
were as badly off as New York. Nothing SO
stupenduous In the way OF storm damage has
ever been known in America. Human inge-
nuity and inventiveness have been powerlcss
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
on the lines extending out OF New York and
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.
lt Is probable that twice that sum will not
lully cover the loss, to all the interests that
have suffered in consequence Of the big
storm, and weeks must elapse before its rava-
yes can be wholly repaired aud its dsturban-
ces wholly removed. -Chicdgo Times.