The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
new YORK STORMBOUND.
Almost Dead to the World for
a Day.
The City's Vast Network Of
Wires Ruined.


suffered from storm which is generally ad-
mitted to have been the most destructive to
property, especially that Of the telegraph,
telephone and electric light companies, since
the great blizzard Of March, 1883.
The storm, witch possessed many OF the
elementary symptoms OF blizzard, was
ushered in mildly enough by light rain
shortly before II O'Clock. In less than half
an hour it changed to snow, and huge whitc
fakes beat down merclessly upon the heads
of passing pedestrians.
The destructive effects of the storm eH-
tended over q comparatively limited area.
A stort distance below Philadelphia was the
southern limit Of telegraph decentralization,
and Boston was the northern limit. The
storm was practically confined to the coast
and extended no further north in New York
State than to Peekskill and Haverstraw. 1t
started as g comparatively harmless affair
down in Texas It's centre was in Alabama
while the entire Gulf was deluged with rain.
A heavy northeast wind preceded the
storm. Its maximum velocity was forty
miles an hour and minimum thirty-six. The
precipitstion was %, 100 which would be
equal to nine inches Of snow were it dry. AS
it was not fearful slush, ankle deep, was
the result. The storm did not reach the
lake regions, but disappeared as mysterlously
as IL arose.
Great damage was inflicted throughout
the Atlantic regions. Freight and pasSen-
ger traffic was suspended for hours through
out New York, Massachusetts, Pennsyl-
yaniaL New Jersey and the Southern States.
Mails were delayed from four to eight hours,
and at every point wires Of the various teie-
graph companies were completely pros
frated.
The storm proven the most destructive
which had visited New York in many years
It completely prostrated the wires OF all the
telephone and telegraph companies, and IN
the high wind which prevailed even the
stout wooden po,es were uprooted, and fell
with tremendous force In the streets.
This was notably the rule in the upper
portion Of the city upon the west side. On
West Thirty-ninth street, between Seventh
and Tenth avenues, not a pole was left stand
ing, and the wonder is no lives were lost. At
West Fifty-niDth street the elevated poles
fell over the Ninth avenue track and delayed
traffic for considerable time.
Every principal street was soon lncum-
bered with tangled wires. Not only was
there a vast amount Of damage done in
the morning hours by the falling o. gigantic
telegraph poles laden with their
intricate masses of wire, but the dan
ger of still greater destruction was made
Imminent by the crippled condition IN "hlcn
In two short hours after the storm md be-
gun to exert its force.
Perhaps the scene of the storms greatest
work of destruction wes in Park avenue, be-
tween Pifty-ninth and Ninety-ninth streets.
There the entire line of telegraph poles fell at
different times in the course of the morn
ing and lay across the driveway like
immense hurdles. These wires are
owned By the Mstropolitana ana = Tsls1 1i1I
take days to repair them. When those who
dared to 90 out to church passed along this
street in the morning they were in constant
danger from the poles which came crashing
down every few minutes. One of the largest
fell on the roof of the railroad station at
Eighty-sixth street and crushed 1t like an egg
shell.
The lively swapping Of wires, under the
weight Of the snow, had their part in making
trouble on the elevated railroads. On the
Sixth avenne, line the engineers OF the
to proceed with much caution and to
keep a sharp LOOKOUT for obstruction.
Wires were not only broke and stretched
across the track at various points but some
even sagced down so as to catch the smoke
stacks Of engines as they passed along.
Several engineers noticed the wires too late
and ran into them. Tae station porters and
trackmen were kept busy in clearing away
the wires when the storm was at Its height.
It was such a storm as the telegraph com.
panies have not been called upon to combat
In ten years. Old telegraph hands said that
there has been nothing like it since the
famous sleet storm Of Sunday, January %,
1851, just ten years ago almost to day,
when the telegraph lines all through the East
were psralyged.
Every instrument in the Office Of the Postal
Telegraph was silent for every wire out of
the city was lost. Even the blizzard Lad
not so absolutely demoralized the service:
The Western Union could boast Of just
three wires in use at eight o'clock at night.
These ran to Buffalo and Albany, and by
these routes all business north, south, east
and west must be transacted.
The long-distance telephone lines which
withstood the blizzard bravely, surrendered
completely to this storm.
The Metropolitan Telephone and Tele-
graph Company is probably the heaviest
been prostrated.
A notable incident Of the storm was the
stopping Of all the clocks exposed on public
buildings and church steeples and towers.
The hands appear to have been clogged BY
the ice, and slush was forced into the works
The reports received / IN suburban SEQ
tions on the day after the storm were neces
Sarny meagre, owing to the interruption to
telegraph and telephone lines, but the scenes
OF destruction which were witnessed in New
York City were repeated in the outlying dis
tricts Of Long Island, New Jersey and West
chester County.
In Brooklyn telegraph and telephone wires
were Frustrated in every direction, and the
damage will be very heavy.
In New Jersey the storm was very severe.
In Jersey City, Newark, Plainf1eld and other
cities heavy damages were caused by the
wrecking Of telegraph and telephone poles
and wires. The wires used in electric light
Ing in Jersey City and Plainfield were de-
stroyei and there were no lights in their
streets that night
Five lines of wires across the Newark
meadows looked as if a cyclone had passed
over them, so completely had the damp cling
Ing masses of snow done their work
Trains and mails were delayed in all Sec
tions of the great region in which the great
storm prevailed.
On the New York Central, Pennsylvania
Central, New Jersey Central, Erie, Southern
and Western roads the trains were all from
four to six hours behind schedule time in
the early part Of the day, and from one to
three later on.
DAMS SWEPT AWAY.