The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-27
SNOW In SANTA'S WAKE.
FOR TEE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
WINTER'S SEAL rs ON US.

I" H<hA 10 OEN " ~ ..
-
a Three-unch Fall Furnishes Fairly Geea
sieiKhinE and Makes walking Dilculf
ana Unpicasant-A Holiday scene ON. tho
Avenues Most Freauentod by nerscmen.
For the first time this season Winter set the
seal OF his royal presence on this city yesterday.
There has been snow earlier in the season,
but 1t was Of an evancscent sort, and melted as
soon as it reached the earth. This snow was
tho real thing, however, the kind YOU can make
snowballs OF or coast on with q sled II you are
young enough; the kind that you pay to have
shovelled off the sidewalk IL you are older and
have responsibilities. 1t was even thick
enough for sleighlng. and the Jingle of bells
was hoard on other turnouts than those OF the
few erring horscmen who scrape their slcighs
over mica of all but bare cobblostones from II
misbegotten ambition to be "the first cutter on
the road" each year.
Sunday morning slumbering New York had
not walked UP when the snow began 10 fall at
half past Z o'clock. In great, soft. wet fakes it
came, not perpendicularly. but taking ~slanting
lines under the impulsion OF a moderate breeze,
and the whole prospect was u whirling dazzle OF
white. Where 1t fell it lay, not melting, but
forming u basic layer for the many other layers
OF flakes to come. by church timo it was still
coming thick and fast, and umbrellas were the
order Of the day for churchgoers. but before
noon there was u considerable lct-up, and when
1t stopped, dying away In n final furry at half
past !, there was q three-inch thickness on the
ground TO show for the six hours downfall.
Now, on any other day but Sunday that much
snow would have been a serious Inconvenience
to business and traffic, and the Street Cleaning
Department would have ordered out its snow
contractors with all their men and wagons to
clear off the moro important thoroughfares as
soon as possible. As it was, nobody seemed 10
care. The American Transfer Company, which
has the contract for removing snow, had its
men In readiness at / o'clock, waiting for Or
dcrs from tho Street Cleaning Department.
Only the street car limos suffered from the snow.
So heavy and sticky was the snow that 1t
banked UP solidly when pressed by a plough.
forming eventually an awkward barrier. One
Third avenue cable car was Gerailcd and SO
battered that 1t was removed from the track.
Then the company sent out one of its big rotat-
ing sweepcrs. All the lines where chr horses
are used were behind their schedules, and
there vas more or less trouble on every line.
no means an unnlloyed joy. Trninpled BY
many feet the snoW soon degenerated into
s much q qn& voV mater rGr i hhGrn ,eoin ro Trousers on We're re
feminine attire skirts were worn high and eau
lousy, To the small boy the SLOW. was, a boon
tho youngster who had cot a sled in his stock
luz AullC lOuuly oNeT MIN "nOSC ulhlISlHy
was a drum. Brand now sleds OF various de-
sign and mako were. to be found everywhere
where there was tho slightest suspicion of q hill.
That other sport OF urchindom, snowballing,
was also much in evidence, wherefore 1t be.
hooved the maj with q silk hat to keep an eye
out when approaching n corner. and hold him.
self in readiness TO dodge. On the whole, there
is nothing else quite SO satisfactory to throw
hat is missed, It is Likely TO fall Off when tho
man lodges. There was a royal snow Eight i'll
the Five P]6Ri inter " Was sinai tineilyS f Terminated eaffSdi
by the police after several of tho combatants
had been so rude as to inclose stones in their
In Central Park tho light sleighs were out as
early as . O'Clock, but they found it pretty poor
going, and what satisfaction they got was de-
rived, less from. the s~lelghing itself than from
the, philanthropic consideration that they, were
come after. BY the middle OF the afternoon many
OF the roadways were in pretty good condition..
runners has too few opportunities for display.
Ing 1t to let any go by unused, there was quite
g parade in the pare and ,So n i,1h.n on upper
turn out. For tho livery stable keepers the
snow meant good business, as there was a de-
don to have Phyllis take q notion to 60 sleigh
riding Yesterday, fori meant, the utter ruin Of q
lis and a $40 bill to spare the day after Christ
mas is considerable of a rarity in this locality
| plain to you IN extenuation OF the prices they ask
that all the slcighing time in ono season hardly
pays for the storage room required for a cutter
49, se hAS ANSs IA tAN wv
The, gentleman with the hoarse voice and tho
iron shovel who desires nothing in the world SO
much as to clean of your walk for q quarter.
unless 1t Is to do the same job for so cents, was
very much in evidence as soon as the snowfall
stopped. The music Of his shovel as its iron
edge shriekcd horribly against the pavement was
heard in every. street. The Bowery lodging
houses were full last night Of these one.day la
borers, who slept with lunches of quarters
clasped in their blistered hands less peacefully
than had they not, been oppressed with that
fear of robbery which is one OF the drawbacks of
wealth. What with a free dinner on the day
before and remunerative jobs yesterday. the
great army Of Intermittent toilers was playing
While they slept another gang Of laborers
worked oil night. These were the snow re-
moval men who went to work 1900 strong
about o o'clock yesterday evening. Mr.. Hess,
who Is in charge of the snow contracts, had all
his lieut. .nants in readiness early in the after
noon, and when at half-past 3 the final orders
came from Col. Warning the work Of getting the
men was at once commenced.
''To-ntght we shall work in the first, second,
third, fourth, fifth, and sixth districts" said
Mr.. Hess. That is, generally speaking, We
shall clean the principal streets between tho
battery and Fifty.ninth street on both sides of
the town. By tomorrow morning l think we
can have those districts pretty well done,
though we may have some difficulty in getting
carts, owing to its being Sunday. As soon as
this part Of the city is done we shall move fur.