Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-02-04
SNOW TIES UP TOWN
Storm RACES in Rock Island Is
Hours With Fall of
10 4-IO Inches.
WIND BLOWS % MILES AN HOUR
Traffic Suffers and PopuIace
Keeps Indoors Crazy George
Braves the Elements.


Snowfall yesterday. ..........1 10 4-1O inches
Duration of storm. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS hours
Highest velocity of wind. rs miles
Range of Experimentation 25 at g.
m. Sunday to lie at a. m. today.
Through the mists OF the snow and
above the shrieks of the wind that few
cared to face yesterday afternoon.
there came to the ears of people resid-
ing along Fifth avenue sound more
shrill cry almost unnatural for hui
man voice, and those who fastened to
remove the vapor from the window
pane long enough to discover the
source of the wall beheld sad spec
tacle. Flooding through the snow
were three creatures. One was human,
Cray" George Coates. the upper
end character, and he was accompanied
by his unfaiIing pair of mules. The
familiar broken-down vehicle, so often
seen with him, had been abandoned,
and walking ahead of his pack mules,
whose saddle bags were, as usual,
laden with, goodness only knows
what, George was trudging along to-
ward the east end ot town. At every
so many feet he would turn and
shout to his animal companions that
were following faithfully after him.
1t was pitiful sight the eccentric in
dividual presented, but he seemed
not to mind the storm as he screamed
in maniacal tones to his inseparable
beasts.
George came into town Saturday,
and as usual, was followed through
the streets by horde of tantalizing
boys. He went out in the country
south of town that night, and yester-
day morning was back again, having
apparently travelled most of the night.
In the afternoon, despite the storm,
he started for home. But he
was not tormented by the youth of
the city, for few, indeed, other than
the sadly demented individual, tarried
on the streets. A binding sheet of
snow shut off the last view of the
strange three as they were heading
for Moline.
The storm was such that it was not
| braved by the average human being
unless prompted by some sense of
duty. There were, of course, those
whose avocations called them forth,
| and many who permitted not the ele-
| ments to deter them from their GUS
tomary attendance at their places of
| worship But there were more who
gave thanks that the storm came on a
| day when they were not by force of cir
| cumstances required to venture out.
Heaviest Since 1898.
Observer j. NJ. Sherier character
lied the blizzard-like visitation as an
old-fashioned snowstorm. 1t was at
tended by extraordinary features,
some of which impressed one that he
was temporarily transported to the
prairies of the Dakotas, and those who
had had the actual experience of a
storm in that section said the one that
blew through Rock Island yesterday
was not far from being the real arti-
Gle.
Snow began falling at z O'Clock in |
the morning and continued incessant- |
ly until IL at night, during which |
period 104 inches of the beautiful
came in contact with the earth. 1t was
of a fine light quality, and famed by a |
northern breeze that reached veloc- |
kity of % miles an hour. made walking |
almost physical impossibility, while |
it was all the street cars could do to |
keep on the move, with the assistance |
of the cyclone sweepers. Under the |
conditions, the street railway forces |
put up an admirable battle against the
storm, and with slight Interruptions |
kept all Mines open through the day |
and night. But for the excellent |
work of the company in opening way |
for general travel as we'll as for its |
own car most people would have ex-
perienced difficulty in getting down |
town at all this morning.
: It was the heaviest snowfall, ac-
cording to Observer Sherier's records,
Rock Island has had since the winter |
of 1898, when II inches was dropped |
at one stretch. The storm of yester-
northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin,, |
northern Indiana, southern Michigan,
northern Ohio and western New York. |
It was still showing this morning at |
Detroit and Buffalo-although there is
some talk of giving the storm the
doublecross at the latter point.
Railroad Trains Delayed.
Trains were kept in operation on
all roads, but not without some diff
Guilty, double-headers being run in
most instances.
The morning Milwaukee passenger
went out behind two engines. 1t is
running 10 minutes behind schedule.
All trains on the Peoria started out
with two engines and arrived slightly
behind the schedule.
Trains on the Northwestern were
an hour late.
The Rock Island is having tough
time of it. in the west. No 8. from
Denver, will not arrive until S'o'clock
this afternoon, - hours late. while
other trains from the west, southwest |
and north are from one to three hours
behind time. On the Illinois division
trains, commencing with the fast mail
this crrinor have all ra1.act ically haea