The times., 1899-02-15
A STORM THAT Will
LIVE IN HISTORY
For a Time 1t Paralyzed the
Business of a Nation.
The Caprice of Nature Makes Desc
late Several States.
The Effects Of the blizzard Felt in
Every Part of the
Capital city.


IN the history of the Atlantic Coast States
has passed over and where the howling,
ath-dealing blizzard ragged is now peace,
debris and helplessness.
The storm viii always be remembered
in that its terrible force and bitterness
paralyzed almost a nation and made use
less all the devices of centuries of inven-
tion and progress cut off transportation
between monster city and monster city,
and brought the famine fear TO wea thy,
powerful communities. located within a
days journey of millions and millions of
bushels of grain and food and fuel.
The rushing. hustling, busy, careless ct
izenry of a dozen States was suddenly
nurled back from the life of business of
travel and of pleasure 10 residence and
hotel. Here ii found that it were folly to
attempt TO brave the fury OF the blizzard
and so remained indoors and chafad fruit
lessly against delay.
And the citizenry found that that ne
cessity-wateT-mi not be had, be- ause
the pipes were frozen. And when night
fell it was found that gas was not TO be
had because of the severe weather. And
when the place grew cold the citzanry
found that coal might not be had save in
small quantities at d high rate, because
coal was scarce and there was danger Of
a famine. And the comforts of the break
fast table were not to be had because of
the storm; milk, eggs, butter, vegetables,
all were fancy luXuries because of the
storm.
Every body Walked.
And the citizenry of the twentieth CEN
IL the cities, as did its grardfathers, be-
cause of the storm. And Dame Fashion
was cast aside and men garbed themselves
in great muffiers and quaint shawls and
rolls of carpet, because of the storm.
Steam, electricityLall We're powerless
and for space the elements reigned su-
preme and alone as did they centuries ago.
IL was as though the great cities of today
had been suddenly set in the frozen DESC
lation of some faraway, unknown, frozen
steppe.
And now when the storm has passed
over in its own good time the citizenry
has space to look and wonder at the might
of the storm and the helplessness of human
power and civilization against it, This
one caprice of nature has made desolate
the whole country and the nation is snow
bound and frost gripped from Canada TO
Florida, and from the Rockies to the At
lantic Coast.
This storm has caused millions of dol
lars OF damage to property. Many hun
dreds of lives are supposed to have been
lost during the storm. II is estimated
mat nearly 5000 people were more or
less frozen The railroads of the
Eastern portion of the country were COM
pletely tied up for many hours, causing an
incalculable loss to travellers and the cor
porations. Hundreds of tons of freight
were destroyed. The food and fuel sup
plies of number OF cities were cut off
for days and great suffering was caused.
nusiness nj a StaDdstiII
Business was brought TO standstin in
many cities and the people compelled to
pay exorbitant prices for food. fuel and
clothing.
II viii be weeks before the East and
South have recovered from the storm. and
its disastrous results will be felt for a
year in many places. The entire fruit
crop OF the South has been ruined and the
loss of the orange crop viii alone aggre-
gate millions Of dollars. Ten such storms
as this one would cost the country more
imam the entire war with Spain, and the
loss of life would probably be as large.
New York, Philadelphia. Baltimore.
Washington, Boston. Richmond. Savannah,
Atlanta, New Orleans, Jacksonville. Port
land. Plttsburg, and other cities were par-
aiyzed by the storm ard buried in high
snoWdrifts- The cities Of the South were
completely knocked out by below zero tenn
peratures.
The Storm Has Passed
But the storm has passed on and is now
away up in Nova Scotia and will soon be
howling over Labrador en- route to the
North Pole.
Today the Capital resembles whitened
Sepuicher. The streets are piled high with
picturesque miniature hills of snow. The
sidewalks are Jagged zigzag PATHWAYS
through battered mounds OF frozen slush.
Everywhere are signs of recent helpless
ness, and where the solid power of electric
cars Is wont 10 reign is now but fiat space
over which great gangs Of men dig 10 re-
store tracks and slots
photograph Of Pennsylvania Avenue
or Street taken today would cause much
comment and laughter if displayed next
July- All is snow. P.ling rounding. hank
ing Jagged snow. Not u car is in sight
anywhere, and great crowds of peopIe use
me street for walking purposes. The
buildings are piled high with suow-and
snow is everything-more snow than has
ever been piled upon the unwilling Dis
trict in all time recorded.
To Resume Business.
This was but the battlefield after one
strife. During the assault all was retreat.
now all is advance. An army OF nearly a
thousand laborers are driving the snow
from the streets, opening up rapid transit
and clearing the way for resume of busi-
ness.
Even now the effects Of the storm are
felt all over the city. Coal is stin very
scarce, the meat supply is practically out
and hardly q provision store in the city
contains enough goods 20 supply ten or
ders Today the street cars will resume
operations and within a few days freight
trains will bring in supplies of food and
fuel and the storm viii be d thing of the
past
The departments. the machinery of gov
ernment which has been practically stop
ped for two days viii be started up with
usual speed today and everything will go
on smoothly az Of yore. The snow bar
ricades will be torn down and the mails
VIII resume their disturbed regularity and
the present ruin Of the great storm will
be tossed aside and The new fresh paint
of balnly weather viii restore good ma
ture and beauty to the city.
Today the sun Is scheduled 10 shine
sweetiy, and if So. the snow will run off
into cutters. Traffic and business will be
resumed and the city viii become Olsen
tangled slowly and mayhap with the ad-
vent OF floods. But the great storm of
February - and I3 1883. has done its
worst, broken It's back and that of Wash
fngton, and has passed on.
In Outlying Districts.
The storm has played terrible havoc in
the outlyfng uoTfions Of the DIs,ric, In