New-York tribune., 1899-02-14
THE STORM.

y ,s sofa 70 say that every inhabitant ol
NcUYork and the region roundabout WHO
&c old enough Ia remember March -, lNNN'
devoted considerable part OF yesterday
70 thinking and talking Of the things WHlch
,oodo thot date illustrouS. We would not h"
understood as putting the TWO storms in the
.or,o claee 70 use word which is much
abused. but IS convenient and has come TO have
q nrettv definite meaning in many minds, there
hos heen only one blizzard in NeW-lo ana
nobody is justified in expecting another. A's
terdav was n holiday by legislative cnac'ncA''
and comparatively few persons were Obliged 10
Ioove home: but nevertheless pedestrians were
numerous in all parts of the city, and puDhc
convcvances had a large patronage, OF which,
on the whole some of them seem to nav" taken
toloraby good care Eleven years ago March
10 was holiday in obedience not 10 human bnt
70 natural law. Banks exchanges courts and
/ ebons were closed because in most cases there
was nobody 10 open them. and nobody for
whom they needed 20 be opened. Surface tra'h"
was completely suspended, even the elevated
lines. with all their advantages, were operated
only ~ long intervals for part Of the day, aud
durlna. the rest Of the week the newspapers
wore filed with the tales Of travellers who lad
been showed in. cut off from succor ha'
frozen and threcquartorS starved on steam
railroads almost within sight Of the metropolis.
/ Yesterdays experiences recall d those partly
because they were so different
And yet it must be admitted that there were
some not altogether pleasing points Of rese'n-
blance. The early outlook yesterday was both
reminiscent and prophetic. The prophecy was
not verified. hut there was nothing lntrnSically
J = &c mot tro ri
why yesterdays imitation fell fer short Of
the original. The temperature was I1uch lower.
and at various times and places tha wind
seemed 70 blow almost as hard. Probably the
main difference was in the quantity and quail
ity Of the snow. There was less o. i, and the
crystals were chiefly Of another form. The air
was full Of spheres not Of javelins. Nevcrthe-
less lovers Of an old-fashioned winter have rca-
son TO be fairly we'll satisfied with mcteoro-
logical performance which, while it made no
pretcnSions to breaking the record Of 1855. Is it
to be compared with the achievements If any
other year. and well worthy Of me oldest in-
habltant's attention.
We have said that the strcetcars performed
their functions with fair degree Of success all
things considered. But assurcdly they did not
/ inspire enthusiasm. The material equipment Of
I
feet 50 long as the transportation facilities of 4
great city are all above ground ard consc-
ouently subject to frequent diSOrga ganiZatiOn and
occasional paralysis at the bidding Of the clc-
mcnts Eleven years ago one OF The .irSt les
sons drawn from the losses and distrrSSes Of
the blizzard was the need for underground
roads 1t might be rash 10 say that we rrc 10
nearer the practical possession Of that require
ment now than we were then. for urgent de
mand must eventually be supplied; hut It is
safe 10 affirm that scarcely another intelligent
community on the face Of the carte would have
left so great n want so long unsatisicd. Folly
alone accounts for the fact that New Workers,
instead Of being able yesterday 10 ride swiftly
and in perfect comfort from one end Of the ely
TO the other, were compelled 70 take their
1 chances in surface cars. whcn al the best were
Tar from satisfactory.
But while alluding 10 the discomforts which
we-clad and wellfed persons suffered ont Of
DOORS. and even in homes which. are ordinarily
warm and cheerful. as illustrating the short
comings Of the machinery Of existence, we urge
onr readers 10 bear in mind other Deficiencies
which are distreSsingly revealed at a rime Ike
this II cannot be doubted that the intense cold,
lasting nearly n week ana aggravated by yes
terday's tempest. has caused great misery,
which is not confined 10 the lnIolcnt and M
provident members Of society. New York is
| benevolently disposed, even 90 the vicious and
II the means Of discovering want and dstrib-
u.ue relief were adequate there would be- liiI"
or 10 extreme suffering for want OF food and
| fuel and clothing. Conditions bena; what they