Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-15
UneQualled During the History
Of the Present Gen.
Grafton.
Travel Of Every Kind Brought to a Most
Positive Stand Still.
Railroad Trains Imbedded in SnOW-DriitS
Fifteen Feet Deep.
New York Telegraphs to Boston by
Way of London.
BosToN. March Il


present time Especially is this the cas-,
west of Boston. Up to the present time the
New England states are practically cut Oh
from the rest of the country except by water
The snow everywhere has piled itself up in
almost impossible barriers. Drifts estimated
TO be Il feet high are reported in places
The Providence K. X. has got through only
to Provideuce the Boston and Albany trains
are stalled at Worcester; the Fitchburg is
i'll dead lock at Fitchburg and the Lowell
road is opened only Us far AS Concord.
Great suffering is already reported from
various sections and unless communication
is soon opened up much more will surely
follow.
New York City AMI State are completely
paraly zed. SO far as railroad and ,elegraphic
service are concerned. There is absolutely
no travelling in the State save for very short
distances. Cities and towns are effectually
boxed up and are likely to remain in
thickly settled parts of the State for a few
DAYS at least, and in the more widely scat
tered sections for week, and perhaps a
longer pc eriod 1t is agreed on all sides that
the storm is the worst New York State has
ever experienced, and when it possible for
humanity to move about again with custo-
mary freedom. and the results of the biz
zard can be summed up, it is expected that
the loss of life will be found to be heavy
and the extent of the damage to property
vii be placed among the millions. There
are no service roads III operation, no trains
are moving and no wires but those under the
ocean that can be operated from this city.
Numerous accidents have been already re-
ported, and several lives are known to be
lost
Boston still remains isolated so far as New
York is concerned and railroad officials
| think connections cannot be established be-
fore Friday. Telegraphic communication is
open to Hartford and New Haven, Conn,
/ Providence, Il. l., Brattleboro, VT, Concord,
/ n. H., Portland, Me, and Worcester and
| Springfield Trains have arrived from Port
land, Me, and Providence, X. L., besides
| those of the suburban service.
| Telegraph wires are badly tangled, and
telephones in the suburbs are working poor
| ". The fire alarm system is in working or
der, and the horse cars and local traffic is
subject to little delay. Mail matter is ac-
cumulating rapidly at the post office, little
being sent out and the city's milk supply is
! low. The storm extended throughout New
England. Thirty trains are stalled in various
parts of Connecticut New Hampshire
traffic is badly blockaded. No disasters Of
any moment however, have been reported
from
Nobody ever saw the Atlantic SO billowy
as it was on Tuesday morning. Cape Cod
was swept by "A 70-knot cyclone. From Pol
lock rip to Nnnset nothing but waves and
foam are visible. The waves are of euor
nous size, aud at high tide they leaped fully
twenty feet into the air and went rushing and
tumbting over the beach taking before them all
in their path The life boats must have had a
terrible experience of rolling and pitching,
but they are riding 1t out finely. The crew
of the lfe-saving station ut Chatham, report
that at high tide the water rushes across with
such force as TO prevent the men from pa
trolling their usual number of miles
Nothing has been heard of the feet of
schooners and the two barges that were at
anchor of Dennis on Sunday, but it is sup
posed that they rode out the easterly gale of
Monday all right, as the wind and sea could
not get such a heavy rake on them, but when
the wind changed about midnight Monday, it
must have swept down on them with a ter
tible force. as the wind changed from east to
a southerly direction. and brought in heavy
sea from outside People are anxiously
waiting the time when II will clear up.
The storm has unquestionably been the
worst for the telegraph business that has oc-
Cured since electricity has been used as a
means of communication. Never before
have the wires been completely tied up.
or rather broken down. Eight years ago
there was a storm that did considerable dam
age, but it was not as bad this one.
The only possible communication which
Boston aud New York enjoyed with the out
side world or with each other for 80 hours,
was by cable via London. Even this thread
of intelligence worked very poorly. The
communication with the cable from Boston
was intermittent, and the single cable work
ing between London and New York was
crowded with business, as it not only had to
do the work of ten cables, but the only
communication between New York City and
the outside world.
The Commercial Cable Company had the
only cable working directly from the ocean
into New York City, all the others being
overland from seaport points east 1t Is
doubtful if a direct wire to New York is Sc
cured this week. The lines between New
York and New Haven must be substantially
rebuilt, so great is the damage, and the rail
road must be in running order before the line
men can get out TO do the work.
All along the coast of Cape Cod wreckag,
is drifting ashore. Many summer cottages OF
the Massachusetts,, Connecticut and New
Jersey coasts have been badly damaged. The
storm was far less severe on the Maine coas
than farther west.
number of vessels are ashore at Della.
, ware Breakwater. 1t is said that 25 person;
have been drowned. Two bodies have beer
recovered. Several pilot boats have beer
lost al Sandy Hook.
There is no man in the Boston post Office
who can recall time when the mail seryic,
was 50 seriously interrupted as it has beei
t this week. The New York Mail has offer
been late before but never since the railway
service has amounted to anything has Their
been two days discontinuance of posta
exchanges between the Hub and the metrop
oils
Certainly not since the Presidential vot
was cast has there been snch a burning de
sire to hear from New York. Nobody full,
, realized before what a useful appendage t
Boston, New York is.
Fully three feet of snow fell in Vermont
and it is likely 10 continue showing throug
. the night. The drifts in the village are eve
with the caves of houses, and business
entirely at a staBdstill. Many whose bus
ness is urgent are obliged to travel on snoa
. shoes. Local physicians on horseback fin
I it extremely difficult to visit their neares
= patients.
= A Concord, y. II. dispatch says: Tn
; storm which begun here on Sunday after
i noon has been the worst ever experienced !
" the State. and though it still continues wit
the wind dead east it has been intermitter
in character through the afternoon, sunshin
alternating with heavy snow falls. On tn
Northern road passenger train was abaI
. doned at Franklin, as was a stock train
Lebanon. passenger train was stuck 0
this road, were two on the Boston. Coz
cord & Montreal, one passenger and a pa
g train on the Claremont and passenger trai
n on the Peterboro branch. No serious suffe
o ing resulted TO passengers or train men.
e the trains became stalled where stations cou
l. be reached aud the necessaries of life o
s iained.
l. Not a single weather report has been r
seived In New ENGLAND from General Gree