The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-12
IS A RECORD BREAKER
STORM OF WIND AND SLEET DID
VAST DAMAGE IN
CHICAGO
WIRES DOWN EVERYWHERE
AMBULANCE SERVICE KEPT BUSY
ATTENDING TO THE MANY
INJURED
MILWAUKEE, ALSO HARD HIT
City of Beer Practically Isolated
From Teiegraphic COmmunIca-
tiOn I'm Any DirectiOn-BIus-
terry on the Lake.

CHICAGO, March 11-Aside from its
oozy aftermath, which converted the
streets of Chicago into miles Of impas-
sable sloughs, the storm of mingled winds
and sleet which prevailed for hours yes
terday morning wrought incalculaDle
damage TO municipal and private cleo
trtcal enterprises, street and steam rail-
ways, and, in fact, every form of COM
munication entering the city by wire and
rail. Destructive as was the recent snow
storm, its measure of damage cannot be
compared with the icy dOwnpour which
visited Chicago and its suburbs shortly
after midnight yesterday morning.
Telegraph and telephone poles running
the length of entire blocks in the heart
of the city were borne to the ground by
the wind and weight of sleet upon the
heavily laden wires; miles of trolley
wires were pulled from their fastenings;
trees were felled by their Icy burden and
surface and elevated railroad tracks be-
came so thickly coated that trains Of all
description were unable to turn wheel.
The seriousness of the situation was aug
mented by the danger consequent upon
slippery pavements, overtiowing sewers in
all parts of the city and close proximity
of live wires in the streets.
Fred TaSke, of 600 West Fifty-ninth
street, may die as a result of the storm
He picked up live wire that had set fire
to a fence and his hands were reduced to
a crisp. In his agony he fell and his head
struck on a pile or iron. His skull was
fractured and he cannot live.
MANY ACCIDENTS ARE REPORTED.
Accidents were numerous throughout
the day, and the police ambulances were
kept busy caring for pedestrians who had
fallen victims TO the sleet-covered walks
The shipping interests were also badly
crippled for some time after the storm
had ceased, navigation on the lake being
next to impossible owing to the sleet-
covered propellers and overhanging haze.
The street car service was practically
abandoned long before daylight, and it
was not until the damage could be repair
ed to a certain extent that any attempt
was made to operate surface or elevated
trains on anything approaching schedule
time. Passenger and mail trains on all
roads entering and leaving Chicago were
several hours late and In several in
stances the regular train service was
abandoned until telegraphic communica-
tions could be restored.
Miles upon miles Of wire operating the
Chicago Telephone company's system
were broken by the falling of poles the
toll system suffering the greatest dam
age because practically all of the wiring
OF that branch Of the service is over
head 1t will cost many thousands of
dollars to repair this damage and in ad-
dition the patrons of the company are
likely to suffer serious Inconvenience for
several days, while the work of repair
is being carried forward. The damage
inside the city limits is not so severe,
especially within the business district,
where the wires are carried in cables.
Notwithstanding this a great many con-
nections were broken and many circuits
were closed throughout the day.
EFFECTS AT MILWAUKEE.
Rain, snow. sleet and a gale of wind
combined to isolate Milwaukee from the
outside world yesterday. To-day the
isolation is practically complete. Tele-
graphic and telephone communication
even with Chicago, does not exist
The fall of every telegraphic wire by
which railway trains are operated be-
tween Milwaukee and Chicago, as well as
toward the North, has caused whole,
sale decentralization of traffic. A vestige
OF q mail service remains hut the delay
of trains has impaired even that means
OF communication.
This morning Milwaukee might be a
village Of 250 inhabitants for all that she
is able to learn of the dOings in the
rest of the world instead of a city of a
is not one, either, that can be remedied
in a few hours.
THE newspapers and commercial pa
irons of the telegraph will be fortunate
indeed if they are able to get wires in
operation to the rest of the world by
Tuesday morning. The railways do not
expect to get their wires in service again
inside Of two or three days"
covered every portion Of the central
That statement, made last night by
telegraph company officials, sums up the
situation.
WORST OF ITS KIND ON RECORD.
The storm was the worst of it's kind
that has ever been known in Milwaukee.
Railway men of wide experience say
that such a situation has never before
presented itself to them. The telegraph
company's officials are at a loss to pro-
vide their patrons with service. Last
night messages were accepted subject
only to delay. kilograms were mailed
to Chicago with the chance that they
might be sent out by wire from there.
That was the only chance and small
chance. too.
Milwaukee Is not alone in the blockade
Chicago, a near neighbor. is almost as
badly isolated from the rest of the coun-
try as is Milwaukee. The storm has
covered every portion of the central
states, ana not d county IN q caOluS or
go miles from Chicago is thought to have
escaped the violence Of the storm
WIDESPREAD IN AREA.
AS far as reports have been received
here, coming in at last moment before
the wires went down, the storm which
has made Milwaukee like desert island
extends from the west of Iowa to the
east of Illinois. 1t reaches at least as
far as Oshkosh north and as far to the
south as the southern tip Of Illinois.
The storm began to- make itself known
shortly after midnight yesterday morn
ing. From that time on till o clock its
violence continued to increase, the worst
having been experienced. according to
the: records of the weather bureau at
5:05 o'clock this morning At that time
the wind had risen to thirty-eigE. miles
an hour. Rain and sleet fell continuously
from early morning till toward noon, but
after o'clock the wind began to de-
crease in strength.
The coming of a gale Of wind, accom-
panied by rain or snow, was predicted
by the weather bureau officials for Sat
urday, but failed to reach here on sehed-
ule time. 1t made up for the deay in
intensity, however, and will go on record
as the worst that has ever been known.
During the period between mA@night
Saturday and midnight last night there