The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-15
Spencer Persons Are
Anxious.
DIGGING OUT TOWN
Street Commissioner
Working Vigorously.

spencer, FEB. l4.-Ile WORST storm on
record, even worse than that of 1888,
is the popular opinion in Spencer of the
storm which began raging at $50 Sun
day evening, and which has kept it up
steadily until noon today The snow
fell in sheets. while the wind, blow
ing at a terrible velocity, hurled it in
every direction, and piled the beautiful
crystals up in small mountains in sew
eral places throughout the town. The
traffic has been entirely blocked until
] o'clock this afternoon, when the first
train on the Boston and Albany branch
was able to push it's way through the
drifts to South Spencer.
Yesterday noon the Boston and AL
bany crew worked like beavers in order
to get the engine through to South
Spencer, and after "A long and tedious
JOB, at last succeeded in getting to
South Spencer about 2 o'clock. They
again left South Spencer at 2.30, arriv-
ing finally at the Spencer depot at just
6,26, it taking two hours and thirty
hve minutes to make a trip of a little
over two miles. After this tedious
journey, the railroad officials deemed it
wise not to attempt making another
trip, and pulled the engine into the
house.
The crew was up bright and early
this morning, assisted by big gang
OF shovellers. The engine was again
sent plunging into the drifts, but it
proved of no avail, and was sent back
under cover to await more favorable
conditions. The shovellers succeeded
IN fairly well clearing the tracks short
~ before noon, and at l o'clock the
train made it's first steady trip since
Saturday night.
Where are the electric cars, is also a.
question which is being asked by many
cltlzens This is hard question to an
sWer, but they are surely covered I'D
somewhere along the line. Nearly ev-
cry inch of the ground will have to be
shoVelled, and if Spencer is visited by
electric cars before tomorrow evening
either from the Warren or the Wor-
ccester end, it will be big surprise.
Large gangs of men were sent out ear
~ TINS morning to clear the rails, but
lhey hnd it hard job there being
many drifts from 10 to Is feet high,
Inc snow is also packed in hard and
solld, making wooden snow shoyels
nearly useless.
Last night, in fact, the storm ragged
TO such furious degree that several
stofekeepers and business men were
either obliged to sleep in their places of
business or bunk at the hotel. Among
those who were unable to get to their
MONIES were Judge Hill who remained
all night in his office Martin Ratiean.
who had to bunk in his store on Main
street, James "A. Harrington, 1eweler,
who remained all night at the hotel
ana James H. Jones, employee at the
isaac Prouty & Co. boot and shoe fac
tory. who was forced to remain all
night at the home of his sister, Pleas
ant street
Besides these unfortunate men there
We're many drummers and business
men who have been bloekaded in Spen-
Ger for several hours The storm was
so bad last night that the female en-
ployees in the different factories were
obliged to be- carried to their homes
some in pung sleighs, and others in any
old thing to which there was a horse
attached. The different concerns in
town We're also badly hampered in
their business this morning, as the
travelling was so bad that the ladies
and girls did not dare to venture out.
The roads and sidewalks were cleared
enough by noon nevertheless, so that
by many strenuous efforts most of the
fair sex were able TO resume their du-
ties this noon.
This morning many roads in town
were impossible, a fact which Super
intendent of Streets Hugh Kelly was
not long in grasping, and when the sun
was rising Mr.. Kelly had all the team
sters in town out with their heavy
teams, breaking the roads Road
breaking gangs have been busy at
work all day knocking down the big
snow banks, and were obliged to go
to bed tonight thinking of the noun
tains of snow they will be obliged to
buck against in the morning. The
teamsters who have had their teams
out today are S. D. Hobbs, Louis
freeman, Louis D. Bemis, Joseph Du-
mas Con Sullivan and r. P. Cutler.
Any person over fifteen years of age
who owned a snow shovel and wanted
work was quickly accommodated this
morning by Mr.. Kelly. All thus stu
ated were set Immediately at work in
some section of the town. clearing the
sidewalks. tt-
Hundreds Of men We're thus engaged,
and tonight the sidewalks in the GEN.
tral part of the town are pretty we'll
cleared. 1t will take surely another
day, and perhaps more to place all the
sidewalks in town in a passable condi-
ton. The road from Spencer to Wire
village was broken out this forenoon
by the Spencer Wire company's four
morse team, so that this afternoon q
load of wire could be hauled over it.
The United States mails were also
among the many things missing from
Spencer during the past "a hours, and
no mail arrived in Spencer from yester-
day noon until o'clock this after
noon.
While Spencer was in all this trouble,
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