Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-01
ANOTHER BLIZZARD.
Conditions of '88 Storm Were
Repeated Monday,
STREET CARS GET STUCK.
Trains on Steam Roads Stalled
and Telegraph Service Crippled.
Many People Who Ventured Out to Attend
Entertainments Were Sorry-some of
Them Couldn't Get Home -FIsnty
of Weather
STREET CARS GET STUCK.

The man who made out the weather
predictions for the Old Farmers Alma
nae says opposite the dates of January
27 2S and 30: "A storm brewing" 1t was
brewing, and nobody will deny that it
was first-class "brew" Not since the
great blizzard of 1888, just 10 years ago,
has such a storm struck Worcester. 1t
was a "eorker," and at the time of
writing this-123O this morning-it was
storming just as hard, ii not harder
than at any time since the snow began
to fall early Monday morning. The snow
certainly seemed to be coming down
faster and in greater quantities; and the
wind was blowing as if it was on for a
24-hour match against time. Everything
in the city, with the exception of the
newspaper men, seemed to be at a stand
still. Occasionally a belated might
hawk would be seen struggling against
the storm on his way homeward, where
he would have remained after supper if
he had any sense. The electric cars were
lost in all sections of the city. Inquiry
at the car barn of the Consolidated
Street Railway Company brought out
the fact that everything that could be
brought into use, both in the way of
cars and street clearing machines, was
out somewhere; but nobody knew just
where the several pieces Of apparatus
WERE They were scattered all over the
city. and once in a while the telephone
bell would ring and a stalled conductor
would impart the information that ne
was stuck" This had got TO be an old
story at midnight, up to which hour the
only cars that had got back to the oarn
were two from the Odd Fellows Home
line There were Providence street and
Grafton street cars ON Thomas street,
irving to get in, but they were moving
at about the rate of a foot every ten
minutes; and if they keep up the pace,
thew NAV reach shelter some time be-
fore the sun gets up.
It was, without doubt, the worst storm
the electrics ever had to cope with.
Back in 1888, in the great March bllz-
zard. horses were the motive power, and
the cars were forced to give up the bat
tie early in the day, but the electrics
managed to stick it out couple OF
hours longer. Toward the end of the
afternoon. however, they began to give
in before the wind and SNOW; ana in
the evening they were tied up In sew
eraa directions The cars began to lose
trips, and then a couple of them would
manage to get together and finally
reach the end of the line. This was true
Of all the lines, except those that had
to climb hills, like the Providence street,
Grant square, the west side and Cham
dler street. The people on the top of
Union hill We're practically shut off from
the rest of the world, so far as electric
car connection was concerned, soon af-
ter o'clock; and then the car could get
only as far as Harrison street. Another
car started for the top of the hill about
$50 from the car barn, but it was stalled
on Front street, opposite the soldiers
monument, and it had to wait there I'M
til car from Odd Fellows Home,
which came down Main street instead of
Summer street, came along to give it
boost. Both managed TO get as far
as the railroad tracks at 10 o'clock; and
then they tried to get back to Main
street, but they were stuck on Front
street, opposite Trumbull street, and
win have to be dug out some time to-
day. Another car is stuck at Washing
ton square, and SO the tale goes on.
The Main street line was the last to
succunb; but it. like the rest, had to
give in, and the snow lies like a beauti-
full white blanket all over the tracks,
covering them the entire length Of the
line. Travel was practically stopped all
over the city shortly after 10 o'clock,
plows scrapers, sweepers and cars be-
ing tied up. The cars on the Quinsig-
amond line We're obliged to give up a
few minutes after 10; and, ut last ac-
counts. there were three cars between
Lincoln square and Barber's Crossing,
and four somewhere down the line to-
ward Quinsigamond. The Chandler
CT iaJ ~
street; and down on the bend on the
lake line, there are three cars and a
sweeper. The four cars that carry the
passengers on the Boynton street and
South Worcester line are stuck out on
Boynton street. On the Main street
line there are two sweepers and six cars
at Tlrrell street. and at Grand street
there are two cars. The west side line
cars are nearly all stuck OH the hill.
The Consolidated management tried
hard to keep its lines open, and early in
the evening got out six road machines,
each drawn by six horses, to try to
break the way for the electric p1ows
and scrapers, but the animals refused
to face the storm, and that plan had to
be abandoned About 1130 Inspector
Foy and a gang of men organized them
selves into a SHOVEL brigade and
started to dig out a couple of cars that
" ClG oLtRC1A Oii IslUCOlu SlItHl Ullt, anu
they had not been heard from up to 1
o'clock.
THE SUBURBAN ROADS
The Marlboro line made valiant ef-
fort to get through. but about o'clock
it was obliged to pull off the half hour
cars in order to put the men on the
sweepers and plows It managed to geg
car into this city in time to leave at
$50 but the next one did not get in un-
til O'clock. 1t came up from the lake
all right, and then started for its trip
to Northboro with a Consolidated sweep
er and a lake car ahead of it. down
Foster street. After 90 minutes of back
ing and filling on the part of the three
machines combined, they got as far as
Cutting & Bishops shop, and then had
to give 1t up. There was a lake car be-
hind the three, and after struggling
against the storm for another quarter
of an hour, they started back up Fos-
ter street, and then tried to get down
Front street They did manage to get to
Washington square, and then the Marl-
boro car started for Northboro on its
own hook, but 1t Is now at Brackett,
court, on Shrewsbury street. where it
will have to be dug out.
The other Suburban lines suffered
their full share in the storm. AS early
as 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the cars
on the Leicester division began running
behind time, until during the evening,
the cars were anywhere from one to two
hours late The last car TO arrive at
the barn in Leicester, left Worcester at
s o'clock and got In at IL