New-York tribune., 1899-02-14

boats on the East and North rivers still ran
and were able to make about hals their usual
number OF trips The snow was 50 binding and
the fee thick that IT was necessary 10 exercise
the utmost care 10 avoid collision. Not snip
entered or left this nsrbor yesterday.
The street-Cleaniug Department retired from
business as Oon the contractor FOR the re-
moval Of snow had taken a look at the Alpine
scenery OF the city. The Department was abso-
lutely paralyzed. It was only the efforts OF the
streetcsr companies that prevented the streets
Of the city from becoming absolutely impassa-
bic. They swept their tracks &C nearly clear
possible. and had a large force % men at
work especially along Broadway keeping the
piled UP snow from drifting back again ulon
the tracks The heaps Of snow grew larger as
the day advanced and the storm increased in
bitterness.
The telegraph companies escaped almost un-
harmed by the blizzard. The snow was too
hard and dry TO stick 10 their wires and they
reported few interruptions until late at night,
when the high wind began 10 affect the wires.
but at no time was their business seriously In
terfered with.
NOT so SEVERE AS IN 1855
"reminiscences OF the blizzard OF 1888 were
heard on all sides Many were inclined 10 think
which stuled the activity Of the city eleven
years ago, but those people did not have good
memories. Not only was the snow hard and
dry yesterday. while II soft and wet IN the
other blizzard. but the wind did not average
so high a rate as in the former storm. although
il exceeded the record OF 1sSS after nghtfan.
In the snowstorm which began or Saturday
evening fourteen ard half inches OF snow had
fallen up TO 10 o'clock last night In the bliz-
zard OF 1855 the snowfall was 209 inches. But
for all that, there were on the ground last night
twenty-three inches OF snow. part OF which
fell last Thursday and Friday
The temperature during the present storm
was much lower the average than in the
storm of eleven years ago II remained nearly
stationary all day ct j. , and degrees above
zero until o'clock in the evening. when II be-
gan to rise rapidly, owing 10 the proximity OF
the storm centre. At o'clock il had risen 10
10 degrees above zero and was still slowly ris-
ing What made the storm such a bitter one
was the high wind that developed In the after
noon. From noon IL blew a gale, and in the
evening II rose TO the hurricane pitch. At 10
o'clock Il was blowing its hardest, and was
shooting the snow horizontally over the island
at the rate ffty-two miles an hour In the
blizzard Of 1855 the temperature never fell be-
degrees
blew more than fifty miles hour. But the
snow stuck to everything like a coat OF lead.
THE SURFACE LINES BADLY CRIPPLED.
While as a whole travel on all OF the lines was
more or less crippled the cars on the Broadway
and Third-ave. lines kept running a, fairly reg
ular intervals. There were periods in the after
noon in which the Lexington-ave cars were
stalled at times for ten and fifteen minutes at
time Things went fairly well with the Sixth
and Fourth-ave. uolley-cars until the afternoon.
when they were practically tied up. The Fourth
ave trolley cars a. one particular period IN me
afternoon were behind on arrival ei the Brook
lvn Bridge terminal on the Manhattan Borough
end fully twenty minutes. Later they gave IL
IN entirely Traffic on the Sixth-sve trolley
line was much impaired IN the early morning
hours and al intervals through the day was
practically suspended. A. o'clock the line
ceased operating Delays were more or less fre-
ouent on the Third ave. line but as whole tbs
line was operated with only slight delays.
The lines operated by horse power suffered the
most and the delays were Of the most frequent
and prolonged kind. The most noticeable thlns
VAS that the passengers on all OF the lines COM
nlatned in the most caustic language ot the
frigidlty OF the cars. great number having left
their seats and preferred walking 10 travelling
on wheeled ice-boxes. II was noticeable that all
oe the horse cars had two drivers. one was sup
posed 70 take the place OF the other should he
collapse from the cold. AS 1t was, one devoted
his time 10 the operation Of the brake while the