The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-04
PHFTSBURG SHOWED UNDER AND
STREET CAR TRAVEL IN
TERRUPTED
WIRES ARE DOWN
WET SNOW DISASTROUS TO POLES
AND WIRES ALIKE IN WIDE
TERRITORY
TRAIN. SERVICE Is HAMPERED
Many Railroads in Mountain District
Having Hard WORK to Keep
Their Lines Open for
TrafEic.

PITTSBURG, April S.-Pittsburg was
today the center of a snow storm that
began early in the morning and con-
tinued with great force until, after DO
ing thousands of dollars worth of dam
age, it had rendered practically useless
for time every electric wire In the
city, suspended all street car travel and
in the early hours isolated the city from
the outside world Heavy rain fell be-
fore the storm came and all reports
from up river points tell of rising streams
which may bring about a flood here and
below The losses cannot be fixed to-
night, but conservative estimates place
the amount at between $250,C00 and $780,,
0GO. Telegraph and telephone companies 3
are the heaviest losers by reason of the
fact their lines reach every part of the
storm district Early in the morning,
a heavy, wet, snow began falling. 1t
clung tenaciously to everything it touch
ed, and by o'clock every wire in the
city was coated with snow. The trunk
lines of the central district We're the
first to give away, and most all of the
other troubles that followed are attribut-
ed to the failure of this service. The
poles were heavily laden carrying 100
telephone wires and two cables. Where
ever pole gave way, long stretches OF
poles went with It, falling over into the
street, breaking trolley and electric
wires as though they were threads Inc
city street car service was practically at
a standstill all morning BY d1nt Of
hard work, with large force Of me
street car travel was resumed On the
Fifth avenue line at 1:30 p. M, the other
branches following rapidly until all ex-
cept the Ellsworth avenue line were open
by D. M.
TELEPHONES CRIPPLED.
The telephone company has large
force at work and say they will be in
operation within a day or two Tonight
however at least one half of their tele-
phones are out Of commission. The
Pittsburg and Allegheny telephone com
pany suffered but slightly because their
wires are mostly underground. The
storm passed eastward and all Of the
suburban towns. in that direction suffer-
ed proportionately with the city. Will
kins5urg, Braddock, Homestead, Duques-
ne and McKeesport all report business at
a standstill for portion of the3stay,
caused by the prostration of the wires.
Allegheny escaped with comparatively
little damage, landslide at the head
Of Federal street which brought tons
of earth to the street, covering the car
tracks to a depth of five feet, being the
worst happening
Mount Washington and the other hill
tops suffered severely
All railroad trains from the east are
hours late, having encountered In the
mountains SHOW to the depth of 12 Co IS
inches, which was SO wet and clinging
that snow ploughs could not clear the
tracks. For a time it was feared there
would be a blockade on both the Penn
sylvania and the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
roads, but tonight all trains are getting
through, but not on anything Ike schcd-
uled time. The Western Union and
Postal telegraph companies suffered
heavily, the former not having a wire
of it's regular eastern routes up to a late
hour tonight and the latter having only
two as far east as Johnstown