The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-02
STORM SWEPT STATES.
Continued from Fifth Page.
LowELL's STORY.
City Was Isolated and Business Was sus-
pended.

City Was Isolated and Business Was Sus-
pended.
Lowell, Mass. February 1.-Snow fell
in Lowell early Monday morning until
Tuesday noon, accompanied by high
wind. AS result railroad travel was
suspended in whole or in part for twenty
four hours, telegraphio communication
of the electric street railway were obliged
to spend the night in the midst. of snow
drifts. Today about 1000 men have been
employed by the city and by the street
railway for the purpose of clearing the
Streets but despite that fact and the
by private persons, the city was practical
ly paralyzed during the day Some enter
prising business men came down town on
snow shoes, which was about the only
method of making sure of a successful
Journey, as the street cars on most lines
did not pretend to run with any regularl-
ty until evening. At / p. m. the tempera-
ture is twelve above zero, slowly falling,
thessky is cloudy, and it would not be
safe to predict that the storm is entirely
over. Apparently about eighteen inches of
snow fell and it was continually blown
about. Drifts ranged from three to eight
feet deep on the principal streets Last
night several street cars were stalled.
The Canadian Pacific express from Bos-
ton on the Southern division of the Bos
ton and Maine railroad arrived at 9.15
last night. 1t was the last train from
Boston until two o'clock this afternoon.
No trains have arrived or departed for
Salem or Lawrence since Monday even
| ing. One train from Lawrence with
several Lowell passengers Oh board spent
the night at Lowell Junction, an unin-
habited place nine miles FROM here. AT
noon today fourteen trains were ready to
| leave Lowell for Boston, but the snow
| banks forbade their proceeding. At 1915
| Roadmaster St1ckney arrived with snow
pillow from. Boston, clearing the outward
| bound track, over which several trains at
once started The tracks north of here
| have not been in such bad condition, and
trains have come in on fairly good time.
| 1t is expected that the work of the plows
tonight will result in all tracks being
cleared by noon tomorrow.
The mills and other large establish
ments where women IRE employed were
crippled by the absence of many of their
| female employees, though none of the
mills were compelled to shut down except
| the Merrimacl, which employs upward of
| two thousand hands and the United
off the turbine wheels by snow made it
impossible to start up the machinery at
the Merrimack. Difficulty of the same
kind was experienced in other mills, but
they were all able to run during the day.
The tlremen had the worst night in
their experience. At two O'Clock this
morning, they were called to the build
ing of the Fl. R. Barker company, steam
filters. on Middle street. Many pieces of
apparatus were unable to respond on &C.
count OF the deep snow, and remained in
their houses. Others managed to plunge
and shovel their way through the drifts.
All were late in arriving and in conse-
quence the building was Quilted before
| the fire could be brought under control.
The fire is believed to be incendiary, and
the police are working up clue. An at
tempt was made last November to fire
the building Last nights loss was total;
insurance $50, 600, which may not cover it,
Tonight the telegraph and telephone
companies report wires working every
where except toeBoston.
There has been communication with
New York by way of Albany and also to
noints east, but no Boston wire. All the
boston business from both directions has
| been sent to Lowell, and from here for
warded to Boston on the trains.