The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-13
RAILWAY TRAINS DELAYED
Street-Car Traffic Suspended at a
Number of Places.
Business More or Less Retarded Every
where-The Lakes Lashed Into
Fury-The Storm in Indiana.


with embrace that caused the people
to cry out aloud. The oldest resident does
not recall blizzard that equals the present
one for severity. All day it showed and
blowed. Great guns doesn't express the
force Of a gale that blew seventy-five miles
an hour and lifted people and carriages
from the earth and dashed them across the
street, lashed Lake Michigan into such
fury that its waters were tossed hundreds
of feet inland and covered piers, railway
. tracks and cribs with ice: a midwinter hur-
ricane more nearly describes the storm.
The blizzard really began last night with
snow, sleet and penetrating wind. This
morning it had increased in volume. Great
snow drifts blocked the streets, suburban
trains were delayed and snow sweepers
We're kept constantly in use to prevent
stoppage of the street car lines, traffic on
which was badly delayed. At noon the wind
was blowing at the rate of seventy miles an
hour. All incoming trains were from one
to two hours late The wind rushed around
the down town corners with terrific force,
carrying pedestrians off their feet and in
juring many. Mrs. Jane Brahany was
picked up and hurled against a fire plug
at Dearborn and Van Buren streets and
fatally injured. Many carriages on Michi-
gan avenue, where the wind swept straight
off the lake, were overturned, but none of
the occupants was seriously injured. Lake
Michigan was in furious state and the
waves rushed over the breakwater and
swept across the Illions Central tracks into
Lake Front Park.
EVERYTHING DEMORALIZED.
So severe was the storm that at the public
schools only about one-third OF the pupils
were present Many of the teachers were
absent as we'll as most of the scholars
Business a the stockyards was suspended.
A large observation window in the Leland
Hotel was blown'in and several guests mar
rowly escaped. All of the mail trains were
seriously delayed. Several city deliveries
were abandoned and the mail service gen.
orally demoralized. Wires suffered severely
Many, torn from their fastenings and poles,
were blown down, and many crossed cur
rents injured the service.
Three men at the water-works crib. four
miles out in the lake, were brought face to
face with death. The landing platform was
smashed by the waves which washed over
the crib structure, drenching the imprisoned
men. The telephone line to the station was
uninjured and the men telephoned that the
building was shaking frightfully. No boat
could live in the storm and effort to res
cue the men could be made
During the afternoon the storm increased
in violence, the wind at times rising to a
velocity Of seventy-five miles an hour, and
the snow growing heavier. 1t was the worst
storm Chicago has ever known, and by
o'clock in the afternoon business of all
kinds was at a standstill. At that time the
big office buildings were practically desert
ed people having started for home In or
der to do their travelling before nightfall.
Tonight most of the Eastern railroads
did not send out trains of any kind. The
New York limited on the Erie pulled out at
O'Clock with two engines and three hours
later was twelve miles from Chicago, stuck
fast, and two additional engines which had
been sent after it could do no good. The
incoming New York limited on the same
line stuck in a snow bank at Fourteenth
street, one mile from the depot, and six
engines gave it up as bad job. The Rock
Island started out one passenger train, and
it came back after running something over
a mile in three hours. The same condi-
tions prevailed on all lines, and this even
ing most of them declared that unless the
storm moderated by midnight they would
not attempt to turn a wheel.
Owing to the driving snow, which made
it impossible to see fifty feet, wreck oc-
Cured on the Lake Shore road at Seventy
ninth street and Stony Island avenue The
fireman, Luther S. Webster, of EIkhart
Ind, was caught between the engine and
tender and badly crushed. Several freight
cars were knocked into kindlng wood
BAD DAY FOR PEDESTRIANS.
On the streets collisions and accidents
were numerous. Charles Chase, driver of
a bakery wagon. received a broken leg
when his vehicle was overturned by the
Obor
by a gust of wind he was passing the
corner of Wabash avenue and Adams
street. His left arm was broken and he
was badly bruised. Moses Bloom, jr MEM
ber of the Board of Trade, was badly in
jured while on his way to the board A
gust of wind carried him twenty feet and
he struck against the curbstone fracturing
his wrist. John III. Wood, manager of Car
son, Pierre, Scott & Co.'S retail store was
struck by falling sign and painfully in
jured.
An exceedingly dangerous spot to pedes-
trians was directly behind the Masonic
Temple, which is twenty-five stories high
The wind was drawn down the narrow AL
ley behind it awful rate, and whoever
attempted to cross the alley was blown off
the sidewalk. and was very fortunate if he
kept his feet. So many people were in
was made to keep everybody off that side
of the street.
The new addition of the postoffice was
badly damaged; windows were blown ir,
and the glass roof shattered Snow an inch
deep covered the floor and the water drip-
ped through the roof, softening the plaster
covering of the BEAMS and great lumns
of the plaster fell to the floor. Superin-
tendent of Carriers Stoll was struck on the
arm by large stucco ornament and badly
bruised.
The gale from the lake continued furious
ly we'll into the night without abatement.
and before it driven binding snow.
Drifts six or more feet deep which formed
in the streets along the lake front made
them almost impossible The high wind
caused numerous fires, and ii was almost
impossible for the firemen to get through
the streets. The street-car tracks We're
practically blocked by vehicles, and the
snow was too deep on the sides OF the street