Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-22
ICE MAKES HAVOC.
Spencer Has Worst Experience
for Twenty Years.
Telegraph and Telephone Communication
Cut Off and Thousands of Dollars
of Damage Done-oId Trees
Destroyed.

| in 20 years. Communication is cut off
with the outside world by telegraph and
telephone, and the damage will amount
to thousands of dollars. Every tele-
graph and telephone wire between
| Spencer and Leicester is down.
| Poles are broken off short and wires
are broken. The line to Charlton is
not open. Wires are down, and tele-
| phone poles, unable to bear the burden
of ice, have fallen across the highway.
The Brookfields and Warren cannot be
reached by telephone.
Spencer is a central telephone office,
| and is connected with Worcester by
three lines, with Palmer by two lines,
one to Southbridge, one to Warren,
Charlton, the Brookfelds and Leicester,
| Four or five subscribers in town could
| be reached by telephone at noon time,
| but the ice-laden wires all went down
| during the afternoon.
| Never since telephone wires were run
| into Spencer have they been so com
| pletely wrecked as they are now. Tele-
graphic communication could be had
with Worcester during the forenoon, but
! the telegraph wires went down early in
the afternoon.
| From Edward Warren's residence to
| Mt. Pleasant school house, between
Spencer and Leicester the road was one
complete mess of tangled telephone
wires, and the gigantic poles which sup
! ported the wires were broken short off,
making it impossible. for Mr. Norton,
with his gang of helpers, to make much
Of showing in clearing the road. The
| town proper looked aa8 though Spencer
had been visited by cyclone, as well
as an ice storm. There was not street
in town but what was strewn with large
branches, broken from the stately shade
| trees.
The large elm trees on Main street
were a magnificent sight. Large branch
es fell from the trees on Main street
and in several instances depended from
the trolley wires of the electric road.
Several persons walking on the side
walks We're hit on the head by falling
branches. Shade and fruit trees by the
hundreds were ruined.
Two historic maple trees in front of
John OGara's residence We're blown
down.
Most all of the peach trees in Walter
Adams orchard were broken down
| The Spencer Electric Light Company
has been on the hustle all day in mend
| ing the breaks Four electric light wires
were broken on High street, and wires
were down on Mechanic street. An
electric lamp was blown entirely off
! the pole at Darling's mill Thomas
| Clark, manager of the gas house, assist
| ed by George Maxwell and Manuel Ma
| thews, have worked like beavers today
| in repairing the damage done to the
electric light wires
The electric roads suffer the least
| from the effects Of the storm. The
cars on the Warren, Brookfield and
| Ssencer road had a hard time during
the early part of the day. but in the
| afternoon were within 40 minutes or the
schedule time The Suburban road kept
! within an hour OF schedule tlme
| throughout the day.
While Edward F. Norton was untan-
Cling the telephone wires on Main street
! this morning, boy attempted to help
him, and received a slight shock. Jos
| Achim also received a shock, No Sc
rious injuries have been reported.
Reports have been coming in all day
of the devastation in the country dis
| tricts Farmers who have lived in
| Spencer for more than so years say that
they have no reeollections. Of an ice
storm of such magnitude.
The electric lights were turned on at
6 O'Clock tonight Live wires dangled
| promiscuously around the street, and
| Teddy Connors received a shock while
walking in front of Bacon & Sibley's
| shoe shop A horse driven by man
named Daudin, received a shock from
a live wire in front of Capt. Emerson
! stones residence, High street. Super
! intendent e. A. Hill was notified of the
| perilous situation, and the electric light
/ power was quickly shut off. The troll
| ley wire of the Suburban road is down
between Leicestsg and Spencer, and no
| cars can be run into worcester from
| Spencer tonight
Nathan c. Capen, trackmaster on the
| Suburban road, is experimenting re-
| pairs on the trolley wires. Cars are
running on the Warren, Brookfield and
| Spencer road.
| TOWN IN DARKNESS.
Spencer is in darkness tonight, and
limbs of trees heavy-laden with ice are
being blown to the sidewalks, making
walking perilous.
MARDI GRAS FESTIVITIES.
A portion Of spencers French Cana
dian population enjoyed its annual
Mardi Gras festivities tonight. There
are two Mardi Gras clubs here. One So
ciety held its carnival tonight at Odd
Fellows hall; the ether will be celebra-
! ted at Hotel Windsor tomorrow eve
ming. Odd Fellows Hall certainly pre-
sented very pretty scene tonight The
costumes were original and the dress
of nearly every nation was represented.
A short musical entertainment was rem
dered at O'Clock by |. D. Achim, Miss
Achim accompanist.
The grand march was started at 8
o'clock, led by Fred Lupien, imperson-
ating Lord Fauntleroy, and Miss Isabel
/ White, representing a flower girl, fol-
! lowed by the following couples: Leon
Perkins and Miss Mary Pecor Joseph
Plough and Miss Love, Arthur Dain and
Miss Emma Love, Adolph Boudette and
Miss Louise Pecor, Larry Quinn and
Miss Josie Austin, d. A. Boudin and
wife, d, A. .Amelotte and Miss Paron,
Joseph Bouvier and Miss Bouvier, Ross
Bird and Miss Bird, Joseph Barry and
Miss Barry, Alec Bolac and Miss Ca
bana, VIM. Favero and wife. N. Gau-
dette and Miss Delcogy, Napoleon De-
griny and wife, Delo Grevlin and Miss
Grevlin, Joseph Mathieu and Miss Gen.
dreau, Napoleon Cassaveau and wife,
| FRANC Bolac and Miss O'Coin Joseph
CHouard and wife, A. Alvy and Miss
| Regina Courtemanche, Joseph Bosquet
and wife, George Bouvier and Miss Car
/ tier, n. Doucette and wife, Mr.. and
Mrs. Larriviere and daughter, John
| Stone and wife, S. Lupin and wife,
Theodore Parent and wife, Joseph
| Wedge and Miss Chawon, Peter Garon
and Miss Garon, George Tebeau and
Miss Rose Bouvier, Theodore Matthew
and Miss Dora Gendreau, Arthur Cas-
| savan and wife, Arthur Dion and Miss
| Mary Love, Joseph Pecor and Miss For
! tier, N. Grenier and Miss Grenier, Felix
Goddard and wife,, A. Boutiette and
Miss N. Picard, Joseph Bouvier and sis
! ter, Alfred Depiun and Miss Anna Bird
Arthur Grouard and Miss Mamie Tiff
fany, Frank Carpenter and Miss Cham
beau, John Giouard and Miss Cora Tiff
fanny, L. Quinn and Miss Forcier.