Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-11
A WIDE AREA
Sleet Storm Reached From the
Missouri River to the At.
lantic Coast.
Telegraph and Telephone Service
Hampered by Fallen Poles
and Broken Wires.
Heavy Winds Add to the Des.
truction by Hail and
Rain.

Chicago, March 1.-THE storm was
widespread, extending from the Mis-
souri, river to the Atlantic coast. In
Iowa it brought snow fall of from
five to six inches being reported from
various points. Some snow was report
ed from Springfield. ILL.,, but in general
the precipitation was in the shape of
rain.
The total precipitation in Chicago was
| s inches and this was about the heav-
lest fall reported
| a high wind was reported at most of
the lake ports. Detroit having forty
! four miles, about the average. st. Louis
Ireported forty-eight.
1 Hundreds of telephone and telegraph
\ poles. coated with ice and bearing the
weight of wires which had been made
heavy by the rain and freeze which fol-
lowed it, wer to the ground yesterday
morning. The sleet, rain and wind
storm ragged along the Illinois and Wis
consin shores of Lake Michigan and
Chicago suffered along with the smaller
| cities.
Dispatchers of half dozen railroads
found themselves without means of
communication beyond a limited area
making even telegraphic dispatcll;ng of
trains impossible. Telephone operators
LIN Chicago and neighboring towns sat,
silently at their desks awaiting calls
that failed to come. AT the headuuar-
tiers of the Chicago fire department.
which was cut off from many of the
alarm boxes, 1t was realized that parts
of the city We're al the mercy of incen-
diaries and broken electric light wires.
Police operators waited without result
for the reports of absent patrolmen.
nearly every line in the city being out
of service thru broken wires.
In addition to delays and hazardous
operations Of steam railroads. the Chi
cago elevated and surface lines met
With exasperating delays. Home-soing
night workers We're the chief victims of
the more or less protracted delays on
! the various intramural roads.
| Frederick Taske, OF 600 West Fifty
ninth street. picekd up what he sup
posed was dead wire al a foundry in
which he was employed at Fifty-ninth
land Wallace streets. The wire. which
Was alive. doubled Taske on the ground.
lfracturing his skull as he fell among
some iron. He was taken to the E.ngle-
wood Union hospital, where his death is
expected.
Elevated railway lines We're delayed
because of broken connections or the
sleet on the rails Surface street car
lines went out of service on Cottage
Grove avenue. West Chicago avenue
and on the extreme north side Steam
lines almost without exception, were
compelled to depend on their schedules.
because of broken telegraph connec-
tions.
The Chicago Telephone Company was
the heaviest loser by the storm, all of
its suburban lines being put out of SER
lvice
The Western Union and Postal Tele-
graph companies felt the influence of
the storm, miles of their wires going,
down.
The Postal company was compelled.
by fire, to transfer its employees in
the main Office in the stock exchange to
the stock yards office.
Electric light wires went down with
crash. and the northern part of the
city was left in darkness
Boats were blown out into the lake by
the gale, only the opposite dock saving
three from destruction in Calumet
Harbor. in South Chicago. Two boats
belonging TO tho naval reserves were
the foot of Randolph street.
A broken electric light Wire set fire to
the Twelfth street bridge at Clark street
and its destruction was narrowly avoid
ed. broken wire also fired the roof
or 1e five. a V.&,,,
building. giving the firemen sharp
battle
The water poured down In torrents
while the wind swept in from the lake
stirring the water and threatening the
drinking supply to such an extent that
Health Commissioner Reynolds was
compelled to issue warning bulletin.
Up to a late hour last night neither
Milwaukee nor Minneapolis could Ee
reached by long-distance telephone. The
storm is believed to have been most Sc
we're in southern Wisconsin. Along a
stretch of the Milwaukee road in south
crn Wisconsin 500 telegraph poles are
down. Reports from many points In
Indiana and Kentucky also indicate
heavy damage from the storm. 1t was
estimated that there We're not fewer
than 5000 poles in the city thrown down
by the fury of the wind and storm. TEL
egraph service almost as far west as
Omaha was stopped.
Trains entering Chicago were delayed
from ten minutes to an hour. The Bur-
ilington and Milwaukee and st. Paul
companies were the worst sufferers in
that respect. All the roads suffered
damage to their tracks and switch
yards.
AT the life-saving station at the
mouth of the Chicago river it was con-
s.dered the worst gale that has struck
Chicago harbor since 1894 The waters,
dashed into fury. came up TO the life
saving station and flooded the floor for
the first time in twelve years. Most OF
the shipping was protected in winter
quarters. SO that the damage to 1t was
slight.
The passenger steamers Indiana and
City OF Grand Rapids. plying between
here and Milwaukee. were caught
squarely by the gale. After many at
tempts the City OF Grand Rapids man
aged to get inside the harbor at Keno
aha. where she remained until thA storm