The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-02
STORM SWEPT STATES.
BOSTON ISOLATED.


cation With Outside World.
Boston. February LA northeast snow
torn which set in yesterday and ragged
until this forenoon, completely paralyzed
all branches of business. the street car
and the steam railroad traffic, and shut
'off the city from communication by wire
with all places outside the limits OF Bos-
ton. The storm was the most severe this
city has experienced in 25 years and
caused the loss of several lives, besides
doing q damage estimated in the hundreds
of thousands.
Between one and five o'clock this morn
ing foot of heavy wet snow settled over
the city, and levelled wires in all quarters
The snow stuck to the poles and wires
with a remarkable tenacity, and, aided
by wind blowing at the rate OF nIby
miles an hour, all telephone and telegraph
lines out of the city were Frustrated. over
half the electric lights of the city went
out, and in suburban towns the fire alarm
service was badly crippled. In Newton
broken wires falling across others starved
a fire in the electric room OF the elegant
| residence of Charles j. TravelH, the
| wealthy Pittsburg steel manufactures,
and In two hours nothing remained OF
the house but ashes. His family escaped
in their night clothes without saving any
| thing. The loss amounts to about SlUO, uoo.
| Late last night the big three masted
schooner Charles T. Briggs of Bath. Me-,
coal laden was 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. While the
storm was at It's height, before day light,
several serious fires occurred in suburban
towns chiefly due to the collapse OF the
| fire alarm system.
| In the business district it was nearly
noon when the employees reached the1I
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 the forenoon. AL
the through trains from New York and
the west as we'll as those from the east
were at least from four to six hours late
and many did not get in until late in the
afternoon The New York and Albany
express, one section of which left New
York at nine O'Clock last night and wal
due at 6. IS a. M, did not reach here unit
1.25 this afternoon. The other through
trains which were due before noon die
not arrive until late in the afternoon
The Boston and Albany road started two
express trains for New York during the
forenoon, but it was two o'clock before
they were able to proceed by Natick, ter
miles from the city. The trains were moi
only blocked with snow, but masses OF
broken poles and wires scattered over the
road were encountered at many points. A
freight train which ran off the rails neal
South birmingham blocked the Albany
express tracks for three hours. None Of
the roads were able to run any trains
further than ten miles during the early
forenoon, and tonight what few trains
were moving are running without tele'
graphic service.
The city and suburbs are covered with
broken poles and tangled wires. Many
horses were killed in the streets by step
ping upon the ends of telephone wires
| which had fallen across the trolley wires
| Tonight the situation assumed such q
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
graph service to its former standard. MOI
a single telegraph wire out of Boston was
in operation all day and the telephones
were almost in as bad shape. This after
noon telephone service as far as Woroes-
| ter was established.
The wholesale and most all of the busi-
ness districts were deserted all day. The
Stock Exchange was lifeless and tran.
saotions were very limited, chiefly due tc
the absence of news from the New York
Stock Exchange.
Shipping in the harbor was considerably
damaged during last night and the early
morning. 1t is feared that many disasters
to coast shipping will be reported when
telegraphio communication is restored.
| The centre 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 reports received from the
middle and western parts of the. state, the
| storm there was less severe.
| Here about twenty inches OF snow fell.
A large number of men were employed
by the transportation companies clearing
the tracks, and it is expected all roads
will operate regular trains tomorrow.
| At Dedham township three Italians
| shovelling snow on the Providence
division of the New York, New Haven
| and Hartford roads, were struck by q
train and killed number of less serious
accidents We're reported. A number Of
train met with accidents in different
parts of the state, but as far BnoWn
| there were no additional fatalities.
A message was received here from Pea
| body township, stating that Livingston
| tannery and six adjacent dwelling houses
were burned this morning. The fire alarm
service was badly crippled by the storm
| and greater fire was aVerted only by the
arrival Of part of the Salem department.
| The loss is estimated at $25, 900.