New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-13
THE STORM IN THE SUBURBS.
STRENUOUS EFFORTS TO REACH THE CITY
ALL THE TRAINS DELAYED ANDTRAFFIC SUSPENDED

ALL THE TRAINS DELAYED ANDTRAFTIC SUSPENDED
ITEMS or TRAVEL AND INCIDENT.
Three trains full of people from of the North
crn Railroad of NcwJcrsey had about all they
wanted Of beautiful snow" yesterday as they
waited on the western side of the Erie tunnel for
two or three hours. 1t only by heroic ef-
forts that the people got far as that and when
the train hands came in and said that only one
train had gone in on the Erie main line the pas
sengcrs felt quite jubiIant. They sang songs,
danced and chaffcd each other, and had spirited
discussions as to whether not to open the ven
tatOrs, and whether death by bad air was
preferable to freezing to death. The passengers
on the first train to get stalled were rescued
by train sent out from the Eric depot. Inc
others stayed there until about IL 30 when
train OF the Ncw-Jcrsey and Ncw-iorS Railroad
came along. This train had on good Roadway,
and was bound TO make the entrance to the tun-
mel without getting stuck but several men
with red flags brought the train to a halt, and 50
the bcated passengers on the Northern road were
transferred to the Ncw-Jersey and New York ears
packing them to their utmost capacity. linen
cnsued another dcay of about on hour. when AZ
last. by the combined efforts OF several engines
the train was started and taken through the tun-
mel. I'll,
cheers, but only little way this side OF the tun-
mel the speed slacllcncd the wheels OF the engines
again rcvolvcd Intellectually, the engines gasped
and footed in despair ana were stalled agaii,
this time the LEGAL freight depot Here
large proportion of the passengers got out ana
buffcted their way through the snoW-dinits lof
about third of a mile to the station. The STA,
ton was filled with drifts at the west end. All
around the car-yard engines were lying useless
and the engineers looked out OF the cabs with
the grimmest of smiles.
HOW THE TRAINS TRIED TO REACH THE CITY.
A Tribune reporter started from o farmhouse
in Roclland County at 80 q. m and reached
this city at | o'clock about the best time being
made in walking mile and a half to the station
After Just missing train on one road, 1t was
amusing TO sit in the operators house at Manuel
Junction and listen 10 the reports Of thr progress
Of the trains The early local. over the New
Jersey and Ncw-lork Railroad got through with
comparatively little delay. The llaverstraw ex-
press however did not start until after o'clock,
and when il reached Manuel was just two hours
late. "Old No. . is the worst engine OH me
lincr said an cmplOye. But she had plucky
driver on board, and in the run to iilllsdale she
cot ND such speed that she rooted through drifts
that reached to the car windows. one could
feel the shock of the impact as soon rs the train
struck the deep drifts in me cuts, BUT the mpe
engines could not If starting from standstlll.
The ear windows and cab windows became crust
cd with snow, and the engineer had To keep his
head out in the storm, now and then thawing
cicles from his cyeashes SO that he could sec,
fefb y and not by sight Another engine was
hitched on at Hillsdale, and when the Jersey City
tunnel was reached the passengers had the salts
faction of passing people who had started by the
The cars and engines presented weird spec
tacle as they arrived encrusted with snow and
fringed with heavy icicles. Many of the passed.
gers expressed their determination to wait in the
Station until a train would carry them back, as
there was no inducement to come to this city for
business At an early hour telegraph communi-
cation was badly interrupted III the suburbs. not
only by the breaking OF wires, but by their whip
ping against each other in the storm ., switch
tenders and fagmen had the greatest difficulty III
fast. and the deep drifts made travel through the
Yards and the signaling Of trains exceedingly
slow and laberiOus