New-York tribune., 1899-02-17
STREETS TURN INTO CANALS.
SNOW PILES WASHED INTO POOLS OF
SLUSH.
HEAVY RAIN AND THAW FOLLOW ZERO
WEATHER AND BLIZZARDY WINDS
LIKELY TO BE AS BAD TO-
DAY AS YESTERDAY.

LIKELY TO BE AS BAD To-
DAY AS YESTERDAY.
There has been more suffering in this city
on account Of the weather during the last week
than I'm any one other week for many years
Three days and nights Of zero weather were
followed by a blizzard which blocked the streets
with snow. stopped traffic almost completely Tor
two DAYS and made travel on foot extremely
uncomfortable. People who thought they had
endured the worst that could be inflicted in win
ter weather changed their minds last evening
when the entire city seemed TO be afoat in a sea
Of slush A thaw set in yesterday and made
the streets of the city slippery and Shiny. The
beaps Of snow began to melt. and the soft snow
was tracked upon the sidewalks until all were
covered with black layer Of filth. In the al
ternoon the worst fears Of people who had vent
ured away from their homes without rubber
boots were realized Rain set In. AT hrst IL
was mixed with sleet and the sidewalks became
so slippery that people were falling in all dlrec-
tions AS the rain continued and the sho" III
the streets melted more rapidly every street
became a river Of sush. Last evening the peo-
rle who had to go about on foot were onllseu
TO wade ankle deep in slush at the CROSSINGS
There was enough snow in the cutters 10 pre-
vent the water from running freely into the
sewers. and the water gathered in pools az every
street corner.
Rad as we're the conditions in the city last
evening. they may be worse to-day Inc
Weather Bureau predicts more rain Tor to-ody
and a continuation OF the thaw. Such STATE OF
weather would simply increase the amount OF
s,rsb IN the streets and make walking more dis
agreeable Many Of the side streets nave Oeen
oIr,oet impassa bic for wagons on account of the
n
horses will hardly be able to pull wagons
through it.
MCCARTNEY HELPLESS.
In an emergency such as is created py the
weather and the presence Of the large quahu-
ties Of melting snow in the streets the street
Cleaning Department. over which James MI
Cartney presides. seems to be impotent ana
belnIess People who were wading through the
elush at the crossings last evening were asking
each other why the employees OF the department
did not keep the cutters in condluon 10 a'o"
the water to run freely into the culverts AT 'he
corners The same lack Of duty was presen'e"
% .ho ,rhlic only a few weeks ago, and almost
everybody was declaring then that II the men OF
Mr. McCartney's force would prevent the chok-
ing Of the culverts and clear the cutters the eIe
nents would do more to clean the streets than
the snow contractor and his hosts possibly
could do.
RartholOnew Dunn. the snow contractor hau
nearly four thousand carts and wagons engaged
in the task Of hauling snow to the rivers yester-
da, and since his force began the attack upon
tho snowheaps about two hundred thousand
loads Of snow had been removed from the
etrcots with all that amount OF snow re-
,,o,al however there was not a single street OF
the city which was clean yesterday. All that
had been accomplished was the removal OF the
heaviest burden from sections Of a few Of the
cb,of thoroughfares Even In the parts OF
etreats where the contractors men had done the
most work there was snow enough left 10 create
q nuisance The vast quantity Of snow dumped
into the rivers choked up the slips and spaces
along the bulkheads where the snow was thrown
overheard until It became nearly Impossible 70
dunn any more snow at the points designated
by the city.
Some Of the carting Of snow which Mr.. Dunn
will make the city pay for has created fnuch
a,,,,sernent He has hired every old, wind
broken crowrate Of n horse hitched to any TICK
ety. rattIetrap venders wagon offered for the
eervice II has been common sight TO see
such a turnout conveying bushel or 90 OF snow
I'm the direction Of one Of the rivers
\ few Of the theatres had large audiences
last hight but for the most part they were at
tended only by those wealthy persons who had
private gondoas.
When the proposed Tammany AutogondoIa
Company IS in full operation anybody can 20
10 the theatre in any kind Of weather Auto
gondola" means the gondola that people auto
have There were a few little spots about the
theatres-some Of them-vhere one could stand
for a minute or so without going in over ord-
.l,o mar was a
question Of wading or staying away from the
theatres. and. for the most part people pre-
ferred to stay away.
About one inch Of rain fell in the city last
evening. The rivers remained full Of floating
ice Yesterday and the difficulty encountered by
ehipping IN reaching docks was nearly as great
As on earlier days Of the week Large quanti-
ties Of coal and provisions were landed at the
piers however and II the condition OF the streets
had been better much Of the suffering I'm the
city, due to want Of supplies, would have been
removed. In the prevailing conditions little coal
could be delivered at houses in the city. and
the marketmcn, miikmen and grocers had n
hard task 10 deliver supplies TO most OF their
customers.
sTREETCARs NOT REGULAR.
The running Of the streetcars was about as r.
regular yesterday as on Wednesday. At the
Grand Central Station It was reported yester-
day that all trains both arriving and departing,
we're running on schedule time. There were no
obstructions The same thing was said regard
ing the New-YOrk New Haven and Hartford
Railroad and its branches.
An order was received from the Chief Of the
Weather Bureau in Washington. at the local
Weather Bureau at o'clock yesterday after
noon. to display storm signals at Ihe break
water Reedv Island Cape May Atlantic city.
Sandy Hook. New-York. New-Haven, Moniauk
Point Newport Nauagansett section. WOOD
Hole section. Cape Cod section. Boston ana Bos.
ton section. The storm OF the coast or
North Carolina. and was moving in northeast
erlv direction High easteriy winds were accom-
panied by rain snow.
The official weather forecast for to-day IS ram
probably followed by fair weather, with hrlSk
northeast winds diminishing In force.