The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-02
All Branches OF business at Boston I'm
a. state OF Paralysis.

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BOSTON, Feb. IA northwest snow
til this afternoon completely paralyzed all
branches OF business. and street car and
steam railroad traffic and for a time shut
OF the city from communication by wire
with al places outside the limits of Boston.
The storm was the most severe this city has
experienced IN twenty-five years, and
caused the loss of several lives, beside do
ing n money damage of hundreds of thou
sands OF dollars. Between l and 5 o'clock
this morning a foot OF heavy wet snow
chung TO the poles and wires, and, aided by
a wind blowing at the rate of fifty miles an
hour. prostrated all telephone and tele-
graph lines out of the city, More than half
the electric lights OF the city went out, and
in suburban towns the fire alarm service
was crippled.
In Newark. brcaen wires falling across
others started fire in the electric room of
the elegant residence of Charles ]. Travelli,
the wealthy Pittsburg steel manufacturer,
and in two hours nothing remained of the
house but ashes. Mr.. Traveli's family es-
capped in their night clothes without saving
anything The loss amounts to about $780,,
OOo
Last night the big three-masted schooner
Charles T. Briggs, of Bath. Ne. coal laden.
wds dashed to pieces on the Nahant coast,
and it is believed her crew of eight men
persisted. The body of one of the crew has
been recovered.
in the business district here it was nearly
noon when the employees reached their
places of employment all suburban trolley
lines having been abandoned at midnight,
and the steam railroads being unable to run
more than two or three suburban trains
during .ne forenoon. All through trains
from New York and west, as well as those
from the east we're from four to six hours
lste, and m2ny did not get in until late in
the Afternoon. The Boston & Albany road
started two express trains for New York
during the forenoon, but it was o'clock be-
fore they were able to proceed beyond Nat
lex. ten miles from the city. The tracks
were not only biockaded with snow but
masses of broken poles and wires scattered
over the road were encountered at many
points
Tonight the few trains moving are run
ming without a telegraph service. The city
and suburbs arc covered with broken poles
and tangled wires. Many horses were killed
in the streets by stepping upon the ends of
telephone wires which had fallen across the
trolley wires
Tonight the situation assumed such
dangerous aspect that Mayor Quincy or
dered that none of the electric lights be
turned on except in districts where the
wires are under ground. 1t will require
weeks TO restore the telephone and tele-
graphic service. Not a single telegraph wire
out of Boston was in operation all day, and
the telephone wires were i'll almost as bod
condition. This afternoon telephone serv-
ice as far as Worcester was established.
The wholesale and most of the business dis
tricts of the city were deserted all day. The
Stock Exchange was lifeless and transact
tons were very limited
Shipping in the harbor was damaged
greatly ana it is feared that many disas-
ters TO coast slipping will be reported when
telegraphic communication is restored.
Tho center of the storm appeared to be in
the vicinity of New Bedford. and the brunt
of it fell on Boston and territory within a
radius of fifteen or twenty miles. From
meagre information received from the mid
die and western parts of the State, the
storm there was less severe. Here. about
twenty inches of snow fell.