The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-15
EMERGING FROM DRIFTS.
New England Now Pretty Well
ShOvelled Out.
RAILROADS GENERALLY ARE IN
ORDER AGAIN.

Many PIaces--soathern New Eng
land Railroads Caught without APP
psratus TO Cope with Big Drifts.
New York, February 14.-With clear
skies and warmer weather New York
slowly started to dig itself out OF the
snow this morning. The great blizzard
Of 1899 had gone ~ quickly as 10 came.
There was not . cloud In the sky, but
under foot lay I55 inches Of snow on the
level with drifts ten feet high In many
places.
Meanwhile the great snow storm has
blow itself out to sea. putting In Its last
vicious strokes in Novs Scotia IL left
the entire country between Maine and
Florida buried in snow for 1000 miles
inland. Virginia felt the least Its fury
with two inches Of snow on the level.
and New England experienced most of
Its vigor, with ls inches, New York
being good second.
The snow fall fell short By six inches of
reaching the record made by the great
blizzard of 1883. Then the snow fall
WA. a fraction over 20 inches. Barring
that mighty storm, this blizzard Is the
worst in 20 years. according to the REQ
ords. In this oity the Thermometer rose
smartly today.
I The railroad running into the Grand
Central station did not make much pro-
eress today In restoring order from the
cbno. into which the blizzard has
plunged them, but their officials hope to
esya6lish some kind Of a train service
tomorrow.
| The first through out Of town mall 10
lr,ach the most Office since Monday morn.
hing arrived IT 4 80 o'clock this afternoon.
| IL was the through mail from Boston
which should have reached this city at
Ii. SO O'Clock on Monday evening.
| All the mails for the East were dis
patched on time during the afternoon.
Mails f,r the South and west were
sent ont tonight. The street car service
| In this city was almost as badly crippleu
az 1t was during and after the blizzard
Of 1883. Practically all the lines In the
city with the exception OF cables stopped
| Monday and Monday night.
The passage of the steam navigation IN
tho lower and upper bays opened up
again this morning. The big ships came
| INTO mort with q rush and every one OF
them had tales of stress and storm and
| ice and snow and suffering 90 tell
RAILROADS WEREN'T READY.
Boston, February flowing to the
fact that New England and especially
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have
been comparatively exempt from heavy
snow falls curing the past fifteen or
twenty years, the railroads in those states
have not found 1t necessary to equip
, themselves with modern snow moving
machinery so that.th great storms Of last
Noyembe and yesterday found them
much unprepared.
| Blookades have therefore been quite
frequent, and not q single railroad COM
pany found itsslf able to cope with
eiphtesn inches of snow on the level nd
much less with six foot drifts.
| Notwithstanding this, all four OF the
great New England companies, tho New
Haven; the Boston s. Albany; the Boston
and Maine and the Fitohburg, spent the
day IN a brave effort toward shaking
themselves clear of the Tremendous masses
of snow which yesterday blocked all
traffic, and by night good progress had
been made and on o number Of the short
lines the trains were running fairly we'll
on tine
The Maine railroads being used to
heavy snowfslls, found. nothing out Of the
ordinary winter weather In the storm.
sCHOONERS ASHORE.
| Gloucester, February l4.-Sohoonsrs
Ellen NJ. Gleason and Elsie NJ. Smith
| still remain ashore ~ Rocky Neck. Three
tugs pulled on the Gleason this afternoon,
but they were unable to pull her on.
L tntU tn
night, 1t being the first railroad com
munication from the outside world since
T. 80 O'Clock yesterday morning. The train
| left Boston at O.45 yesterday morning
and was due to arrive here at lab. Upon
arrival here the train was eighteen hours
late. The train became stalled at Mag
nolia yesterday afternoon about three
O'Clock and the forty passengers were
ged to live on short rations until their
| arrival In Gloucester. Two snow plows
we're completely wrecked this afternoon
while attempting to get through the snow
In deep cut about two hundred yards
west of Gloucester depot.
SKOwHEGAN BLOCKADED.
| Skowhsgan, February 1.-THE blizzard
here last night WAS the most terrific for
many years. The wind blew hurricane
and the country roads are completely
blocked. Stages have not arrived today,
and both lines of electric cars are stalled.
No msil has been received from the West
since last night The Maine Central
trains are from three to five hours late.
NAIL CARRIERS CAUGHT IN STORM
Ellsworth, February l4.-ChArles Gray,
| a mail carrier between the mainland and
Deer island, and Freeman Howard. were
caught In an open boat in the Ice in
Eggsmoggin reach yesterday and when
they arrived here today Howard had his
feet badly frost bitten. 1t Is probable he
would have frozen to death had not Gray
cut open the mail bag and wrapped news
papers around him.
At the point where the men attempted
to cross, the reach is only mile wide
| They left Sargentville yesterday after
noon In the midst of the storm and were
caught soon after In the ice, and were all
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