The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-02
NEW ENGLAND ALL D UP
STORM STOPS TRAFFIC AND cUTs OFF
BOSToN COMPLETELY

Trnnnc In ana Near Town s~topped-Eaerses
Killed on tue Streets bJ Failing wires-Busi.
mess Suspended In Many CIttes-No Rniiroaa
frame In Mnine-HiEh WIND Drirea the
Deep snow md n blockade Resulted In the
Eastern s~tates-Trains stalled on All Ronds.
Boston, Feb. l.-By messenger to Worcester,
thence by tclcgraph.l-The snow storm which
began yesterday morning and continued till Q
late hour this afternoon. is the most severe In
every way Of which tho weather bureau has
any record. About eighteen inches Of snow
foil in Boston. with tho wind blowing
from thirty to fifty miles an honr. There
is reason to believe that the storm w,p
even moro severe in the north aud
east. For about eighteen hours Boston was cut
Off from all communication with tho outside
world. no telegraph or telephone wires working
and ali trains and electric cara stalled. Hun
dreds OF miles of wires are fiat, and II will tnke
thousands OF mon several days to restore the
service to its normal condition.
At least sixty horses have been killed in Bos-
ton by falling trolley and electric wires. This
streets In many places last night were literally
covered with a network Of live wircs. and, 40
the districts were In total darkness. IL was cE-
tremely dangerous TO pedestrians. After mid
night last night few electric cars made any
progress, and many filed with passengers were
stalled nll night because of falling wires and
deep snow.
The stonm trains Jared little better, as nearly
all tracks were covered with wires and poles In
addition to the snow, making progress even for
a locomotive dangerous and practically impos-
siblc. Add TO this the fact that switches and
signals refused to work md that no
communication could be had with con-
ductors Of trains on the road and some
idea of tho completeness Of tho blockade
can be obtained. superintendent Merritt of the
western division of the Boston and Maine Rail-
road says 1t Is tho most disastrous storm on his
road since tho one in 1867. Trains were stalled
all along the line last night and to-day. On the
southern division two trains that left the Union
Station after IL P. NJ. became stalled less than
q mile from the station and remained there all
night filled with passengers. On the Boston
and Albany and New York. New Haven and
Hartford lines there were practically no trains
running all day.
On the tracks Of the Lynn and Boston narrow
gauge road there were hundreds Of poles aud
tons of wires rs ecrly as 8 o'clock last night.
The ferryboats to East Boston made their reeu-
lar trips and were the only means Of transporta-
ton In city or suburbs that could be reliea upon
for twenty-four hours. Even the subway was
practically deserted from midnight till noon,
and after that time the cars ran In 1t only very
infroquently.
1t was a friRhtful night in the harbor. Many
Of the mall vessels dragged their anchors and
had to call on tugs for assistance. though no
serious damage was done In the inner hars
Dor so far as can DO learned. t about 8
o'clock this morning the booming guns Of
o vessel in distress were heard down
in the direction Of Hull. but up to
a late hour this afternoon It could not DO learned
what had taken place. There is no communities
ton with Hull or Highland Light or any of the
stations down the coast. The steamer Saturn.
which passed Highland Light yesterday towing
q barge, has not yet arrived here.
There were two disastrous fires In tho height
of the storm. one destroying the historic Pill
grims Church Mt Dorchester and the other the
costly private residence of Charles I. Travelli In
West Newton. The loss to Mr.. Travelli will be
about 800, 600. The family barely escaped
with their lives. The wires were 30 crippled
that 1t was impossible to give an alarm for
either fire until 1t had gained great Roadway.
The snow that fell last night was very moist
and, driven by the furious wind, 1t stuck to tall
buildings and covered them with q winding
sheet many inches In thickness. The cold snap
following ON tho heels Of tho snow fall fxod
this snow covering and turned Boston into o
city of grotesque ice palaces.
Tho trees on the Common and Public Gardens
suffered severely. and in some cases were en-
tirely stripped OF their branches. State street.
was quieter than ON a summer Sunday after
noon. the bankers being showed in at their
homes and the brokers finding no custoniers.
The Chamber of and Stock Exchange
were practically deserted.
The wind went Town at daylight. but It did
not stop showing until the middle of the after
noon. After 3 o'clock the mercury fell rapidly
until 1t neared the zero mark. freezing the
wet snow and making 10 almost impossi-
Bile to make any Roadway in clearing
the streets. No New York mails have been re-
| ceived at the Post Office since IL 80 o'clock last
night. though one was received from Albany
early this morning and another from Troy dur
ing the forenoon. No mails have arrived to-day
from the North or East. Business in the retail
section OF the city was at n standstill and all
the big stores closed their doors at 2 p. NJ.
Owing to the danger from falling wires. Mayor
Quincy has ordered that the current TO cut of
from all the electric light wires except those
underground. and this means that the city Is In
darkness tonight except a territory In the very
centre about a mile square. Very few Of the
suburban cities have any lights. as the under
ground service does not extend to them.
Gen. Bancroft of the Boston Elevated Com
pany Operating the entire street car system)
says the storm will cost his company alone half
a million dollars. The company has 1000 men
and more than 1000 teams at work clearing
tho tracks. The city has about 1890 men and
1000 teams. and will oxpend about 100000.
The tie.up OF telephone and telegraph wires
was practically complete. Not a wire of any
sort was working out OF Boston at 10 A. M. and
not a New York wire was working east Of
Worcester up to o tonight. New York de-
spatches from Boston were sent TO Worcester
by train tonight and put on New York wires AZ
that place.
At Tremo ont and Ruggles streets a man was
found dead this morning all tangled up in .
mass OF wires with the snow drifting over him.
No one dared 20 near the body for fear Of the
wires.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Feb. 1.-The first train
from Boston since last night arrived In Spring
field at q o'clock tonight. Telegraph
cation with Boston may not be restored for sew
eral days.
VHERE SOME TRAIN ARE.