Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-03-21
LOG OF THE BLIZZARD.
The Great Snow Storm in the
w." Eastern States.
Story of Its Work In New York, Boston
and Other Cities-Roscoe Conkling's
Narrow Escape - Many Lives
Lost ana Much Suffering.

Narrow Escape - Many Lives
Lost ana Much Suffering.
WORSE THAN DAKOTA
NEW York, March 15-New York is lust
beginning to make some progress toward
recovering from the effect OF the severe
blizzard which ragged here without abate-
nent from Sunday night to Tuesday morn
ing. Coal is scarce There is no milk at
all, and all but q few Of the telegraph and
telephone wires are yet in q desperate tan
gle Mountains OF snow block all the prin-
cipal streets and avenues The
elevated trains, though again run
ming, are in diminished numbers and at o
slow rate of speed As for tho horse cars,
the tracks are buried under two feet OF
snow and can not be cleared off for several
days All business is at a standstilL The
loss can not be estimated. but it is thought
it will not be less than So, 600, 900 to ST.
600. OOO
Ex-senator Conkl1ng came very near los
ing his life in the blizzard. During the
afternoon a man offered to take him home
in carriage for $50, but he declined to
pay such an extortionate price. He started
home about 6 o'clock. He thus describes
his efforts to reach his club:
IL was dark, no HgnLs burning, ana II was
useless to try to pick out u path so + went
along, shoulde-ing through drifts was pref
ty we'll exhausted when got to Union Square.
tried to make out the triangles, but it
was impossible. Sometimes 1 have run
across passages in novels OF great ad-
ventures in snow-storms, where there would be
vivid description OF q mans struggles on a
snow-swept and windy plain; but I have al
ways considered the presentation on exaggera.
en- ar0tn 7 ont in fhn
middle OF the park and was up to my
arms in a drift. I pulled the ice and
snow from my eyes and held my
hands up there till every thing was melted OFF
SO that m ght see, but it was too dark and the
snow too binding. l came as near giving up
and sinking down there to die as a man can
and not do it. After twenty minutes or SO
got out somehow and made my way. along to
the New York Club, completely exhausted"
The story Of the storm is told briefly as
follows:
Coming as 1t did without warning the storm
was ~ terrible blow. It began with rain on
Sunday and about midnight to snow. On Mon
day morning the wind was blowing at the rate
OF hfty miles an hour, and screeching and howl
Ing around corners in o way which was terrfy-
ing. Snow had fallen to depth OF three feet
Huge drifts from six to ten feet high rapidly
formed. The many employees OF factories and
stores started early, but horse-cars and ON
nibuses were soon abandoned. The surface
roads made herculean efforts to keep the tracks
clear, and harnessed six and eight horses to
each car to keep a-going.
BY O'Clock the surface roads were forced to
abandon their cars Then the rush for the
elevated road began, but the trains were
stalled by the icy tracks at Fourteenth street.
After hours OF delay the weary passengers
were taken from the trains by means OF
long ladders from the street. Thou
sands walked through the biting blasts only
to find their places Of business closed. After
10 o'clock in the morning all efforts to run the
elevated trains were abandoned. Fabulous
prices were vainly offered for cabs, but livery
men would not expose their animals. The tele-
graph, telephone and electric wires fell in
all directions and by noon only two circuits
OF the Western Union were in operation.
The cable on the Brooklyn bridge refused to
work and for hours no trains passed over.
Finally late at night dummy engines started
and ran two trains over the swaying structure.
No pedestrians were allowed on the bridge.
Ferry-boats on the North and East rivers man.
aged to run, but with much difficulty and
danger.
The exchanges were closed at noon, as only
few brokers' ventured down town in the teeth
OF the gale. The banks were open, but with
small clerical forces, and could do nothing, and,
for the first time in such a case, extended time
on commercial paper
Brooklyn was no better of and Jersey City
was IN worse condition. Out in the bay sail
ing craft of all kinds fed before the storm.
The steamship Alaska OF the Guion line ar
rived Sunday night, but could not 60 up to her
pier until yesterday. Down ut Coney Island the
storm has done much damage and it is ru-
mored that the Hotel Brighton had been swept
out to sea-
Viewed in the afternoon the city seemed q
prey to the elements. The Bowery looked like
u battle field with its abandoned cars. trucks
and vehicles Of all kinds Broadway
was wreck Vast mounds Of
snow in every conceivable shape zig
gagged in the street. In front OF the Grand
Central Hotel q truck-lOad OF lager beer had
been abandoned. The snow blew against it un-
til 1t was hurled from sight. Al the day wore
on the blizzard shrielzed harder and harder.
When the few business men downtown tried
to get home not o conveyance Of any kind could
be found.
Downtown hotels were packed before night
foil with business men detained in the city by
the storm. The nights terrors were even
worse than the days trouble. Men on the
street staggered along Us though drunk. and
the police found a number OF people just in
time to save them from freezing.
Tuesday morning tho big city shook itself
and prepared for o struggle. In every street,
square and avenue were huge drifts OF snow
W0lCQ DlOCKoO the tnOrOuRQ18reS ana maze
traffio and pedestrianism impossible. All
New York turned out to clear the
streets. The worst OF the great big
card had passed. but tho effects were far
reaching. Thousands OF laborers were put to
work with big wagons to cart the snow away.
The elevated roads began to run steady. Every
tram was packed. The work OF clearing out
the snow piles has gone on slowly since. BY
noon yesterday most OF the sidewalks had boon
cleared, but the streets were still impossible
for vehicles BY nightfall roadway had been
out through each avenue, leaving the snow
banks reaching up to tho second story OF the
houses in many instances.
The situation is unchanged. Mono Of the
surface lines have started except the Fourth
avenue line for about one-third Of its route, and
the Twenty-third street cross-town line. The
probabilities are that the surface roads will not
be in operation for several days.
The only intelligence received from Boston
since Sunday came by way OF London cable
yesterday. 1t was O dispatch from the Boston
Herald which said that the city Of culture and
baked beans was as much isolated as New
York. All the cattle and milk trains are
stalled on the road, and famine in meat
and milk has set In. People oil
over the CITY are using condensed milk. August
Belmont wanted to get bottle of milk yester-
day for his baby and after a long search got it,
but had to pay one dollar for pint Coal
is luxury, too. When coal carts appear on