The Jersey City news., 1902-02-17
BURIED IN SNOW
Worst Storm Since the
Memorable Blizzard
in 1888.
TRAFFIC PARALYzED
Jersey City People Have to
Plod Through Drifts to
Their Work.
TROUBLE FOR RAILROADS
Pennsylvania Trains Delay ed
and Erie Branch
Tied Up.

Something very like the great biizzaros
of 1Sss-1Sss visited this vicinity this morn
ing. The snow began to fall about md
night, and has kept at it steadily since
then. All that is wanted to make the
storm another blizzard. according to the
Weather Bureau was the temperature.
AT midnight this was 81 degrees. and tiiu
coming of the storm brought the mercury
down only one point At s O'Clock this
morning the temperature was 80 degrees
In The blizzard of ,ss the mercury was al
most at zero, and in the one of IS it was
SIX degrees below zero. Thirfy-slx more
degrees Of cold added to the snow and
wind OF this morning would have made !
blizzard of this storm. too
s'Otherwlse," said Mr.. Emery, this is
an eighteen-carat blizzard All the other
conditions are here. Up to o'clock this
morning the snow had fallen to depth
of six and one-half inches ON the level
and the wind was blowing about forty
knots 1t came in out Of the southwest
and shifted round to the north, and at
o'clock was blowing almost directly out
of that quarter
sThe storm did not come as surprise
to Us. We reported it on Saturday, CEN
trail over the Gulf States. Since then it
had been moving steadily northeastward.
Increasing as it went Yesterday. when
the temperature began rising, we thought
that the storm might come as rain. We
knew that it was coming, in whatever
firm it came and danger signals were set
yesterday in warning of its approach.
The streets were almost impossible as
the workaday crowds fought their way
to their shops and offices and stores dur
ffg the early hours OF the morning. Here
and there in front of houses and stores
early bird snow shovelers hacked stub
bornly at the drifts with about as much
effect as though they had waded knee
deep into the water at the seasllore and
tried TO shovel out the ocean.
These long thoroughfares on which the
surcsce lines helped to clear way We're
like so many tunnels through the storm.
The cross streets and the avenues on
which no car lines are laid were locked
as tightly as so many gullies between the
AiEs From doorstep to doorstep where
the doors opened on level with the
street. the street was heaped chock full
of snow. and the coating of it p.astered
to the sides of the houses and hanging
in heavy rolls from the caves, together
with that which swirled through the air
with no sign of cessation, seemed to
prophesy complete burial.
The storm took Jersey City people by
surprise. and practically all downtown ar
rived late to business this morning. Those
persons who usually went downtown by
the surface roads were in bad straits.
Surface traction was practically at a
standstill in the early hours, and those
few roads that were running were creep
ing along at a snails pace, and frequent
II getting stalled in long line. Most
people on the hill had long. hard tramp
for it. in the teeth of binding whirl Of
powdery snow, If they were going west;
and with the down fall happing like a
wet cloth about their ears and caking up
on the back if they were going east.
BY 1890 o'clock this morning all the
surface Hines had their snowpioughs out.
But after while the storm started
swooping down with such fury and the
snow was of such wet sticky c,inging
quality that the snow began TO gain in
spite of the fact that every sweeper was
working continuously. From that time
on the blocking up of all lines was merely
a matter Of time so long as the snowfall
continued.
The storm crippled trolley car service
In this city. A few cars were running
at o'clock. but at long intervals. The
Newark plank road and Newark turn
pike lines ceased poreations at o'clock
The last turnpike car to arrive at the
depot at the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry
had one of its motors SO badly damaged
that 1t could not be sent out again Sew
eral trolley cars are stalled between here
and Newark. The lines within the lin
its of the city are partially open, but cars
run only at intervals Of thirty-fiye or
forty minutes. The Bayonne line IS
blocked south OF The GreenviIIe car shed.
Thousands Of persons from the Greenviile,
Bergen and Hudson City sections walked
to the ferries.
Truck drivers bound for the lower part
Of the city charged twenty-five cents a
passenger for carrying business men to
their work. The Pennsylvania Railroad
was partially blocked shortly before s
o'clock. Nearly all the trains due before
O o'ciock were on time. or but few min
utes late. After o'clock they began to
%vttiS Al q = Attte 4tA+Sa eAtHs anu no tFAifS
were able to leave the station. The tron-
BILE was In the railroad yards and in the
deep cut through Bergen Hill.
Snow ploughs were sent over the New
York division as early as o'clock this
morning. and two hours later hundreds OF
men were put to work in the yards here.
and in the cut. Other gangs were sent
from Newark, New Brunswick and Tren-
ton to clear other sections OF the road.
The eastoound track was cleared first,
but the storm gained such headway over