The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-01

At six o'clock there was hardly stand
ing space in the waiting room of the
Portland railroad at the head OF Preble
street Every one there was anxious to
get started for home, but the chances of
getting homo before midnight seemed
farther away with every second of delay.
The snow plows on the Deering and Vest
brook lines would start with car bound
outward and loaded with suburbanites.
The plow ahead smashed its way through
the drifts and for q time all would go
well. Then the car would come to a sud-
den stop to allow some passenger to
alight. This osused trouble at once for
the driving whsels would not catch on
the rails, and for few minutes that car
would barely crawl along or may be come
to staDdstill altogether. Then the motor
man half frozen and blinded by the
whirling cloud of snow would reverse the
motors and the car would run back little
distance to get fresh start and to take a
breathing spell as it were. Away they
would go again and this time they sailed
through the troublesome drifts, maybe,
and were all right until another passenger
wanted to get off. Then it was the same
old story over again only more 80. and in
this way some of the people who live out
in Deering got thoir six o'clock supper
about an hour later than usual
At six O'Clock the people in the waiting
room of the Portland railroad began to
fear they would have to remain in town
all night and about one hundred and fifty
of them, who live in Westbrook or Wood
fords took the Portland and Rochester
train for home. The heavy steam engines
were making things hum along their
way, but little later the steam railroads
also commenced to find that this snow
storm vas potAfns-ts. be. dser' 7ed
Some ill-advised people tt, -''s to
tho top of Mnnjoy hill oN
with the storm right in their
had a taste of the real thing bel
got thsre, and perhaps some of them have
not got home yet. If any of these people
persisted by the wayside it would not be
in the least surprising, for it was as
much as any one could do to face the
cruel wind to say nothing of Drawing the
drifts
Then it came along to the time when
people usually go to the theatres or to
other places of amusement. The street
cars were by this time running in pairs
with q snow plow only a little ways
ahead. The people living on the Congress
street line got along pretty well, but
those out in Deering or Westbrook or over
on the Cape were very brave indeed if
they set out to find an evenings amuse-
ment away from their own yule logs.
And it was slated to be q very lively
night for theatre-goers. members of secret
orders and society people too. There was
plenty of business for the hackmen again,
and they reaped golden harvest from
this Klondike blizzard. AEout nine
O'Clock the cars on the Congress street
line were running in trains of three to-
gether and with snow plow little
ways ahead. Even in this manner it was
difficult for them to get along very fast,
but they were the salvation for many
people who were abroad. On the Desring
line at nine O'Clock things were in far
worse shape. There were cars moving
along at snail's pace, somewhere, but 1T
was difficult to say just where. People
who had to go TO Deering or who lYed IN
that place and wanted to get nome were
miserable beings last night and objects of
pity to anyone with half heart. AS far
as the Westbrook line was concerned 1T
was still more q matter of guess work.
Continued on Second Page.