Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-12-21


early hour cicmfla communication
ahuut the city WIS almost entirely
suspended. One ~ the wires came
iu oonlsot With y horse ~ the Ma
olcny stage aud he dfopped In hIs
tracks on state street. The aplmal
WA soon fcsusoilaied.
ELECrnto COMMUNtcA1foN ctr orr
By iOa M the telegraph aud tel
ephohe Offices we're completely dis
abled. Shortly after 10 flashes ~
iife and smoke issued from the
switchboard aud relays In he wes
tern Uulo1 office wires had
crossed their liuos from the electric
Hight and power wires aud there
was not u tick to be heard. Tue
network Of wires all oyer the city
, were weighted down by heavy
cliuglng snow aud chaos reigued.
There was some communication by
telephone to Portland but the city
exchange was burnt out. At the
Postal Telegraph Go. the clickers
were all silent. The messenger call
boxes Of both the Western Union
aud Lockwood systems were not
in operation. The prospect seemed
good for not 0nly being cut off form
all communication with the outer
world, but for the city spending
the night IN darkness, without elec.
tric lights.
LETTING UP.
At II a. m. the snow fall let up o
little but the wind was driving from
due south harder than ever, the
snow descending at an angle of
about thirty degrees. The railroad
men were positive all trains would
be blockaded by night If 1t did not
let up.
THE CAPITAL CITY
electric railway began moving cars
at 7 and connected with the local
train at the Southern Pacific depot.
The first car went south about 10
and regular trips on all the lines
were beiug made about noon. A
good many poles were blown down
in the suburbs. but forces of men
were put at work strengthening
them out. AS fast as lighter
wires broke the circuits they were
cut and everything was done by
Manager Anson to keep the wheels
moving. There were not many peo-
pie stirring out and there were more
cars than demands for Transports
ton.
THE SALEM MOTOR
street railroad got all its lines open
ed up by 10 o'clock. Superintend-
ent Derby and the other officials
were out working like heroes to clear
the tracks, and soon had their light
cars spinning along on time over
their entire routes. Operating street
cars has been difficult feat, as the
snow was heavy aud wet, each car
carrying half ton of the beautiful
| -. a., II. H., .,nI roof
THE TELEPHONE
exchange was completely paralyzed
by hot wires. Men were put to
work at once to restore order but II
will take several days to get fully
restored exchange in running order.
For a time in the morning a COLI
neclion was kept up with Portland
but that soon broke and Salem was
cut off from the world without.
AT THE FREIGHT DEPOT
all wires were down. The morning
| freight was got down on time, and
all the forenoon trains were running
without dispatches. Wires were
down In all directions. A similar
snowstorm began December 10, eight
years ago and lasted three days,
snow lying from two to four feet
deep, and every Train showed III up
to the hubs.
AN ELECTRICAL DISPLAY
was witnessed on state street that
was of startling bnIliaucy. One OF
the telephone wires In Pap
Waite's hop yard fell across several
line wires aud burned with "a bright
fl .sh al each poiut Of contact. As
the pieces fell through the network
Of lines other flames were seen play
ing like lightning along the wrig'
cling metal serpeut that finally was
extinguished in the snow below.
Wires Kept dropping nearly all
day and line men had to move al
double quick to keep things from
collapslng altogether.