The Jersey City news., 1898-11-28
THE CITY SNOW BOUND.
Storm Stopped Trolley
Traffic Midnight
Saturday.
HAD TO WADE THROUGH DRIFTS.
People Perish in the Fierce
Blizzard Other
Casualties.
HAD TO WADE THROUGH DRIFTS.

been the motive power on the street rall-
ways in Jersey City traffic was com
pietely stopped on Saturday night by the
storm. The employees of the North Jersey
Street Railway Company did the best they
could for the patrons of the road, but
long before midnight they were reluctant
Nv compelled to admit that they had been
defeated by the elements and by midnight
not one of the lines was open. In all
parts OF the city cars full of anxious
passengers were stalled. Some of them,
not relishing the idea of walking home,
renamed in the cars for hours, thinking
each minute that the block would be
raised the next. Persons living on the
Heights who went TO the theatre Satur-
day night were perhaps the worst suffer-
ers. Thomas Fallon, who lives on Glen
denny avenue, and Daniel Smith, both
members of the Bergen Democratic Club,
went to the Bon Ton Saturday night.
They boarded Montgomery street car
at eleven o'clock. The car was stalled
by the snow before it reached the trestle
of the Junction Railroad
s.I'H be hanged If | walk home" said
Fallon ''Ill wait until the block Is
raised if 1t takes all night
suit was that they remained in the car
until six o'clock Sunday morning, by
which time they had reached Bergen ave
nue. They We're informed that the cars
could go no further and in spite of their
resolution they walked the rest OF the
way. Other passengers remained IN the
cars for hours and were then compelled
to walk home. The company's officers did
the best they could. They put every avail
able man in the employ OF the company
at work clearing the tracks and hired
hundreds of extra hands, The difficulty
they experienced was not so much on ac-
count of the heavy fall OF snow as it was
on account of the drifts. AS fast as the
snow was shoveled or swept from the
tracks the high wind would drive 1t back
In the early part of the evening traffic
was delayed by the trucks that became;
stalled or the tracks, but after seven
o'clock Saturday night the snow itself
was the cause of impeded traffic. Cars
were lifted bodily off the tracks by the
sapw All the power that it was possible
to generate WAS turned 81. but it did not
suffice to drive the cars through the drifts.
One thing occurred which caused con-
siderable fault finding from those living
on the line of the Montgomery street cars.
Saturday evening the Montgomery street
ears, like those on other lines, were badly
blocked. At the ferry cars on other lines
tll8t could not be run through on any
thing like schedule time were taken off
and were sent to the Bergen avenue car
stables by way of Montgomery street. On
every corner all the way up Montgomery
street persons were waiting to go to the
Heights. They begged the conductors ON
tho cars which were going to the stables
to take them. The reply was always the
same:--
Il amt allowed to take passengers; I'm
going to the stables"
The conductors on those cars kept the
gates on the rear platform closed and
absolutely refused TO accommodate any
of the waiting persons. Complaints were
of no avail Superintendent Henry Fullers
when told of the way these conductors
acted. said:-"It was in disobedience to
orders that the conductors refused to
take passengers. I left word that all the
ears which ran to the Heights, no matter
which route they took, were to stop for
passengers The conductors who refused
to take passengers did so on their own
responsibility. They were probably in a
hurry to get through with their work and
were afraid that II they took passengers
up Montgomery street to the car stables
they would be compelled to continue on
to West Side avenue.
.sSome of the persons who were passed
by such cars had to wait over two hours
for the Montgomery street cars. No cars
ran TO West Bergen or the West Side yes
terday. 1t was $50 o'clock last night
when the first car was pushed through as
far as Bentley avenue. Persons on the
west side of the Hill were scarcely able to
leave their houses yesterday. Eacn per-
son who boarded a West Side avenue car
yesterday was told that it OILY went as
far as Bergen avenue. On all the lines
yesterday blocks were frequent, but aside
+, from unavoidable delays the cars ran uii-
der lleadway of fifteen minutes There
was very little traffic yesterday most
persons preferring to remain in the house
rather than run the risk of being caught
in a blockade Many of the cars that
ran yesterday were practically empty
but they were kept running in order to
keep the tracks clear. All the employees
of the North Jersey Traction Company
were obliged to work overtime Saturday
night and yesterday Many Of the men
are worn out today. Perhaps the hardest
worked man of all was Superintendent
Harry Fuller who personally superintended
the work of opening up the various lines
He worked all Saturday night, and did
not get a minutes rest until yesterday Af-
ternoon, when he lay down III his Office
for few hours to prepare himself for
another night Of work. He was up again
all night travelling to all parts Of the