The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-03-28
AN EASTERN BLIZZARD.
The Worst Snow Storm in New
Y0rk's History.
Almost Entire Stoppage Of Busi-
ness in the Metropolis.

ness in the Metropolis.
The storm that visited New York on Mon
day reduced everything to condition OF sus-
pended animation. Traffic was practically
stopped and business abandoned. The elevated
railway service broke down completely, but
not without supplying tragedy to
the history of the day; the street.
cars were valueless; the suburban rail-
ways were blocked, telegraph communica-
the Mayor didn't visit his office; the city was
left to run itself chaos reigned; and the
proud, boastful metropolis was reduced to the
condition Of primitive settlement. The
wind and snow did it all. The mischief began
brewing on Sunday with drizZling rain and
gusty winds, which steadily increased in force.
When the city awoke Monday morning, it
was staggered and amazed. Great riffs Of
snow that kept shifting and twisting were
piled up at the doors; sidewalks and streets
were invisible, the air was filed with sieet
and fine pellets Of hail, which, impelled by
the force Of the wind, pinched and stung like
hot needles, and clouded the vision with
what looked like clouds of white smoke
Getting to business proved to most people
who essayed it an insurmountGble task. In
the earlier hours Of the morning here and
there street car might have been seen
lurching like ship in storm behind four or
ceeded in getting down town had to foot it
or endure the extortion of some mer-
cenary Jehu. Fabulous prices were de-
manded and often paid for carriage hire.
To add to the difficulty of locomotion was
the danger Of getting ones legs snarled
up in the wrecked telegraph, tele-
phone and electric light wires that
Yer Tere pentgdY o ssGsTed re wed aSOqt
the legal mill ceased to grind and for day
offenders went ''unwhipt of Justice" Sad
was the plight Of many who had come into
the city on the early suburban trains and
when they started homeward learned
that there were no trains To make
matters worse when they hurried
to the telegraph Offices to send re-
assuring messages to their wives and families,
they were frequently told that the wires were
down" and there were no communications
open"
Many people rather than put up with the
discomfort of q return uptown on foot,
stopped for the night at down-tow hotels.
Taken all in all it was a unique experience
for New York, one that New Workers
will talk about for many. a day. Up
10 O'CLOCK, GWO leSU OIL BIO"
had fallen. The blockade on the rail-
trains out Of town all day. Superintendent
Toucey, Of the New York Central, said that
some forty trains were snow bound between
10th Street and Woodlawn Junction on the
Harlem Road sand Spuyten Duyvil, and that
the blizzard had captured all the trains
within distance of at least thirty miles.
But two trains were dispatched-one of
4bo,, f-oi ~, ,xyifb
and the other the Southern express with three
locomotives Both were sent out wild, with
out reference to the time table. All tele-
graphic communication was cut off
between New York and the Jersey coast.
The telegraph wires began to give out shortly
after l O'clock A. N. This was kept up until
daylight, by which time there was only one
or two in operation between New York
and Chicago, half dozen or so to,
Springfield and other New England cities.
These did not last long. At noon communi
cation with the West was almost entirely
cut off except at intervals. Then the South
ern lines went down, except at Philadelphia,
where O wire was occasionally obtained for
lew moments and then lost.
1t is calculated that not less than 500, 0J0
men, women and children, who are classed as
wage-earners, were idle in New York, Brook
iyu, LoiS lsialu SiCJ, oeiSc SlIy anu hV
bokcn in consequence of the blizzard.
Then there about 10000 men who are
employed in various capacities by street,
steam railroad and elevated railroads who
could not work. They are employed as
drivers, conductors, freight clerks, freight
handlers and checkers, yard and switch
men, truck-drivers, expressmen. Streets
which generally are lined with
moving freighted wagons and trucks were
tod ic
and wagon drivers did not work. Thousands
of porters, cab-drivers, store-clerks, printers,
agents, collectors, slaughter-house men, lum-
ber-handlers, 10000 longshoremen, dock
laborers, brick handlers, blue and brown-stone
cutters, coal-yard employees. granite cutters,
derrickmen, hod-carriers, laborers remained
at home. When dusk came there was no
abatement Of the fury of the blizzard It
howled more and more loudly; aseentuated e gie
ing sounds. New York had at last
with a Western blizzard. Business was
totally suspended in Wall street, the Ex-
changes, the Clearing House, the banks, the
Sub Treasury, the Custom House, AMI the
business that centers about them. All the
great Exchanges were practically closed at
noon.
A collision occurred on the Third Avenue
Elevated Railroad in which one person lost
his life and several passengers sustained in
juries. A serious accident occurred at Dobb's
Ferry, III which several persons were injured,
and one very seriously, and it is almost
miracle that there were not number
killed The ferry-boat Oswego, Of the
West Shore line, came in collision
with a schooner on the North River,
An unknown woman who was passenger on
the ferrvboat, lost her life through the acci-
dent. The mail service was at standstill
the carriers could not make their rounds.
and no mails were received from the outside
world The loss entailed on the
city by the storm is simply incal-
culable. Figuring only on the few cases
in which definite amounts are obtainable
the losses mounts up into hundreds of thou
sands, and if estimates based on the total sus-
pension of business in all branches be in
millions.
The Day After the Storm.
The day after the storm New York CITY
was completely isolated from the rest Of the
world. Business was at a stand still.
The greatest precautions were taken to
prevent confagrations, the fremen and
entire reserve police force patrolling the
business sections all day and night.
One.third Of New York spilot-boat fleet lay
wrecked along the shores Of the harbor and
tertained for the fate of fifteen other
Of cruising off the coast. The
first news that came of the mis-
haps to the pilots was brought by the tug
boats Zouave and Richards when they de-
posted their load of fourteen castaway pilots
at Stapleton They were brought from