, 1891-02-11
A storm in the United States,
From the World, 26 Jan.)

~@-
The metropolis was clutchod tightly in the
embrace of the Storm King yesterday. For
several hours the storln-swept thoroughfares
were at the mercy of the elements and wide
spread destruction was wrought in the city and
suburban districts. The meteorological disturb
ance was phenomenal in many respects, and
the devastation caused by the extraordinary
visitation finds only a partial parallel in the
great sleet storm of ten years ago, when, as was
the case yesterday, New York was practically
isolated from the outside world.
The telegraph, telephone and railway service
was at a standstill not a message could be
transferred from one police precinct to another;
not a fire alarm could be sounded over the wires.
The most perfect fre-alarm system in the world
was paralyzed, and it was a most fortunate cir
cumstance that the horrors of the situation were
not augmented by a great confagration, which,
under the existing condition of affairs, it would
have been almost impossible to arrest. To
guard against such a possible calamity the Police
and Fire Departments were compelled to return
to the primitive methods in vogue in country
villages, and police and fre-alarm signals were,
per force, despatched by messenger service,
performed by police and fromen, who made
their way with difficulty along the slush-cover-
ed streets and through the bowling of the
blast.
mo 6l0CLTIC llRnCb W0E0 III use III NSW 4Olh
last night. During the afternoon Mayor
Grant received the following letter;
To His Honor the Mayor:
/ have the honour to report that, consider
ing the present condition of the various tele-
graph and telephone wires in the city, in my
judgment the electric light current should
not be allowed On overhead wires tonight.
Everywhere broken wires are down, and
upon the electric light system, and to put
those wires in use would be dangerous to life
and property. Very respectfully,
EBERT SMITH. Supt. Fire Telegraph.
Mayor Grant acted upon the letter by
sending it to the Acting Superintendent of
Police with the following Endorsement:
Under the circumstances related III the
within communication l do hereby direct that
you supply all the resources of your Depart
ment to see that no eleotrio-light power
company shall turn on 8 current of electricity
on any Of the wires until it shall be declared
to be absolutely safe by the Board Of Elec-
trica1 Control experts.
HUGH j GRANT.
The official order Of Mayor Grant for the
extinguishment of the overhead electric lights
throughout the city was promptly enforced,
and but for the "corporation moonlight
which prevailed the city would have. been
practically shrouded in darkness. A tour
HAdOo pS d VOElu reporter al mIunlSnC ub~
closed the fact that there were no lights on
Broxdway from the Battery to Thirty-third
street, nor on Fifth avenue from Washing
ton square to Twenty-fourth street. The
City Hall Park, Bryant Park, at Forty
second street and Sixth avenue, Madison,
Union and Washington squares and other
public resorts were enveloped in gloom.
The corridors of the leading hotels present
ed their usual brilliant appearance, as they
received their supplies of electricity from
private sources through the subways, and