Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-09
IT'S CLEAR, BUT COLD
CLOUDS GIVE PLACE TO SUNSHINE
AND MERCURY GOES DOWN.
HEAVIEST SLEET IN MANY YEARS.
Telephone, and Other
Electric Wires BADLY Dcrongedi
Trees Broken Down, and the
Street-Car Service Handicapped.

street-Car Service Handicapped.
Though the heavens have cleared, and
the sun shone brightly for some time
yesterday, the discomforts attendant upon
the storm. which has ragged since Monday
weather came also extreme cold, and the
sleet which fell Monday and Tuesday, lies
hard upon the ground and on the trees
and every exposed object beneath the
skies Is covered with a thick coating OF
ice
The sleet is the most severe one ex-
perlenced here in many years, ana great
damage will result II will be day
or two yet before the street-car service
RECEIVERS fully from the serious draw
backs resulting from the ice. and it will
be the work Of many days to get the
fire alarm, telephone. and other electric
wires in good order again. Many Of these
are down poles have fallen, and there
Is general disorder. Such unfavorable
conditions have not existed for years.
Although the street railway companies
ran ears all through Monday and Tuesday
nights IN order 20 keep their lines open,
the service yesterday was very irregular
and unreliable. The cars seemed to move
with greater regularity on the Broad
and Franklin-street lines than on any
others. Cars ran reasonably well through
che middle of the day, while the sun was
shining brightly, but as the temperature
fen i'm the afternoon and the ice became
hard the cars experienced increasing diff
Guilty in moving. People had at times 20
wait half hour or more TO catch car.
Forces Of men were az work last night
with picks removing the ice from the rails
Dropping limbs interfered considerably
with the troileys I'm some places.
GREAT DAMAGE TO TREES.
The trees along the street-car tracks
are not the only ones that have suffered.
for all over the city they are weighted
down with ice, and I'm many instances inn
mense limbs too weak 10 support the
great burden upon them have snapped
and fallen TO the ground. In the Capitol
Square many of the handsOmest trees.
which have for years withstood the force
OF the storms. have succumbed. and limbs
are scattered all over the beautiful park
The trees i'm Monroe Park have also sut-
fered considerably, as is also the case in
Hollywood. In old ST. Johns church
yard limb from one Of the biggest trees
fell across the frame school-hOuse and
did some little damage.
While many of the prettiest shade-trees
in the city have been injured by the
storm. thousands Of them have stood
through II and they presented a beautiful
/ sight yesterday when the sun came from
behind the clouds and shone upon their
ice-coated branches If countless thou
sands Of incandescent lights had suddenly
| sprung into view the sight could not have
| been more brilliant. The scene in the
I Capitol Square was especially picturesque,
! and attracted many visitors. Amateur
/ photographers We're out by the dozen 10
get snap shots of the beautiful views.
THE WIRES DAMAGED.
The overhead wires were all covered
/ with ice, many of them having coating
a half inch thick, and while they pre-
/ scented a beautiful sight, all who gazed
! upon them were impressed with the great
/ danger TO life and property lurking in
| them. Many OF them snapped under the
pressure and hung near the ground,
dangling 10 and fro, suffering at times
as though to warn the unwary Of the
| danger. The falling, breakage, and gene
raj arrangement of these wires has dis
| abled the telephone and telegraph COM
| panies no little, and the fre-alarm sys-
tenn is rendered almost useless. Indeed
so much has the service been impaired
that Chief Puller, of the Fire Depart
ment, yesterday issued the following an
nOuncement:
owing 10 the heavy sleet on the wires,
It will be almost impossible to get an
alarm for fire through the telegraph
system. and l would respectfully ask the
citizens TO be careful, and if a fire is dis
covered TO report to the nearest engine
house Immediately.
''W. c. FULLER, Chief"
THE LINEMEN AT WORK.
Men were at work all day yesterday
| fixing as best they could the broken
wires all over the city. but the work is
| necessarily slow. as not only much time
is consumed in repairing the break, but
before this can be done the trouble has
TO be located, and in some cases line
man has TO trace the trouble from one
end Of the city 10 the other.
The streets have been cleared Of ice as
far as practicable in the business por-
ton Of the city, but on the residential
streets the sidewalks are very slippery
and the way of the pedestrian Is hard
MANY Of the more considerate house
holders have sprinkled ashes in front OF
their residences The city carts were en-
gagged yesterday hauling away the limbs
that had fallen In the streets
THE STORM AREA.
The storm is general in its area, and
the ice king seems TO hold the greater
portion of this republic in his grasp. The
weather here is probably the coolest oI
the winter. but the genius who preside'
over the Weather Bureau says that ms
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