The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-29
SNOW BLOCKADE.
The Old Inhabitants Have
Little to Say.
No Chance For Argument About
the Genuineness of Blizzard.
Steam and Electric Railroads Had a Hard
Struggle -Suburbanitcs Had Their Troubles
at was q corker."

at was corker."
That phrase was given in reference to
the storm which was In progress all day
yesterday and well into last night, seems
to be very applicable one. 1t was the
hardest suffered In PawtuclSet for ten years.
The Storm King is no respector of persons
or things when he gets right down to busi-
ness, which he did yesterday. 1t takes
big storm to bother the trolley cars and
the locomotive power on the railroads, but
His Highness sat on the throne yesterday
and showed his real disposition, while the
flakes fell and the wind swept the snow
into big piles along every nook and corner
In the city. The driving snow made out
door life miserable. The wind rose and
whirled the 'beautiful" into fantastic
shapes, piling it up into drifts from two to
five feet high. The mercury began to fiirt
around the zero point and fully seconded
the efforts of the Storm King to harrass
humanity.
20, for the days of my youth! that
might once again behold an old fashioned
snowstorm." The old inhabitants who
have been harping on this subject for the
past few years were as silent as the tomb
today.
1t was not the beautiful, soft, flaky snow
that one reads SO much about that fell.
1t was a heavy cutting mixture and it
took ones breath away at every step.
About o'clock last night 1t looked as II
the Storm King had got his second wind.
The mercury got dropping and the snow
was piling up energetically. Looking down
Main street last night under the glare OF
electric lights the scene was one OF great
beauty. Along the streets snow was piled
up to the depth Of several feet. Wires,
| signs and poles were covered with man
| tie of fieecy white--all combining to make
| a natural picture Of surprising beauty. 1t
must have been pleasing to the Storm
| King to look down upon the scene, but
people who stood on the street corners and
waited for cars that never came were not
in an appreciative mood.
Everything possible was done by the
management OF the local street railways
| to give their patrons something like satis-
factory service under the circumstances,
| but the powerful electric plows cut but
little figure against the great odds. They
! were up against the real thing, to apply
| snow covered the tracks as soon as the
| ploughs passed and 1t was very discourag-
| ing to get any particular line in anything
| like passable condition. The Broad street
| line was the only one that was threatened
with being in anything like working
order. The Interstate cars had rough
| time of it and traffic was practically sus-
pended. Nothing could be done in the
blanket of snow that enveloped earth and
| air, and it will be few days before things
| get thoroughly Strengthened out again.
| The city ploughs were kept on the move
| all the time, but five minutes after
| plough had passed certain point 1t was
| impossible to see any visible indications OF
| it's visit. TO the mill operatives 1t was de-
cidedly unpleasant to reach home last eve
| ming after quitting work for the day, but
they were Obliged to face the elements
and progress homeward was very slow. 1t
| was decidedly picturesque winter scene,
pleasant to look upon from window, but
decidedly unpleasant for those who were
directly concerned. Business went to the
dogs and for that matter the stores down
town might have shut up shop and take an
adjournment until more auspicious con-
ditions prevailed. Last night the streets
had deserted appearance and about the
only things moving were the policemen
and the signs that were set in motion by
the wind.
There was no such thing as schedule
time ON the Consolidated railroad. Trains
run on sort of a go-as-you- please time
table, while Boston and New York trains
passed through the city on their way to
their destinations on any old time. Most
of the through trains were hauled by two
engines, but even then locomotion was de-
cidedly slow and mighty uncertain.
As for the mails. Down In the post
Office from early morn till late at night the
sign, "All mails late" hung In conspic-
uous place. The young men who were ex-
pecting sweet epistles from their sweet
hearts out of town found moro fault and
did moro grumbling than the business
men who were banking upon the receipt
of checks to meet drafts and the like today
There was no chance for argument today
that It was great and notable snow
storm. Although 1t was not up to the
severity OF the storm Of jan, 1857, II was Q
fairly good imitation and bears out tn,
statements of well known prognosticatori
that the cycle OF big snow storms Is ever,
thirty years, both AZ to year and month
The old inhabitant that went on the Rialt,
today and endeavored to talk snow storm
OF the past was buried under an avalanch
L a ~.