The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1891-01-28
The Great Telegraph and Telephone
Companies are Paralyzed by
Its Effects.
POLES AND WIRES s1REwK everywhere
Between Philadelphia, Trenton and
New Brunswick Telegraph
Equipment is IA Total
Wreck.
Immense Gangs of Men are Busy
Clearing up the Wreckage.

Cvnnrs,,u. M, fhn NJ rpnkn DR.
-
New YORK, Jan. 26.-For the frs
time in the history of the great telegraph
and telephone companies which cente
in this city, they are paralyzed. Neve.
have they experienced such complete anc
absolute havoc. The condition of theil
lines during the memorable blizzard wa:
nothing compared with the state of thing:
the te%legraphic companies experienced
today. The storm of yesterday was by
all odds the worst telegraph companies
have ever had to deal with. The slcet
storm in 81 mad a record for general
havoc. because 1t laid low every wire
belonging to any company in this town.
But Yesterdays storm went further ever
than that. Some idea of what wreckirg
of lines was done may be gathered from
the fact that out of 1900 running out of
this city, the western union has hut three
wires working this morning. The rest
with the poles that supported them now
lie beside the railroad tracks and
across fields and are caught in trees. The
postal telegraph company actually had
not one wire working out from this city,
while the Metropolitan telegraph and tel
ephone company roughly estimates that
$500 of its wires have been laid low.
The total damage to the companies men
toned, which will result from this condi-
ton of affairs, is roughly estimated at
100000. Two weeks of unceasing work
will be required to get the wires back
into the condition which existed before
the storm broke and tore down the poles
and wires. Between Philadelphia and
Trenton and between that point and New
Brunswick telegrapbic equipment ia to.
tally wrecked along the line OF the Penn
sylvania railroad whera ran some of the
heaviest trunk lines, poles and wires are
scattered about on the ground. All east.
ern wires are down between Williams
Bridge and Stamford and all western
wires between Williams Bridge and Gro
ton Falls are in same condition.
Western Union wires which run
through Jersey are piled into small heaps
on Jersey flats, not a pole can be seen
standing across the meadows. Reports
of that kind the company received from
employees who came in on trains this
morning. The wire cannot be got into
complete working order for two weeks.
In this city the number Ut wires down is
roughly estimated ut 45oo, and poles
down or broken at $50. In addition to
forests Of poles that were strewp about
tho a+,oo+ 90 -. ma.o ha.a;sa ~
~ ' ""o A""s's IL
dangerous posl''oh'
Immense gangs of men were busy re-
moving snow and wreck and toward
,fterpoon ma,ters hep.n 70 .so,,ra a
N"n.-
more cheer1ul appearance. A long thick
heaVy vail OF mist shuts out from view
the Long Island, New Jersey and Staten
Island shores. 1t was ,mpossible to re.
mort ony incomino vosso,s from H;rh
~ nN -
lanas or SANDY HOOK not only were they
not discernible. but the wires had beer
broken down by the heavy fall of snoy
and the oa1e thnt h,ew wbi,e tho storn
NV '"o s"' '"" ~" WHY 'Ae SUN
was IN progress soon AFTER dayligh
two big Atlantic steamships doomed al
quarantine incrusted in snow and ic,
and their shrouds fr;noed with snow
nv nN
lhey were the french line steamship
La Bretagne and Cunard steamship
Auranin.