The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-26
SNOW TOO MUCHFORELEYATED
PACKED BESIDE AND OVER THE
THIRD RAIL.
Just After . Collision That Blocked the
Sixth Avenue Track IT Rector street
Trains Late At the Grand Central
Depot and stalled on the viaduct

Sixth Avenue Track NJ Rector street
Trains Late At the Grand Central
Depot and stalled on the viaduct.
The elevated railroads had hard time
with the Christmas snowstorm. On the
Sixth avenue line the troubles began be-
fore the storm. A collision between a
pay car and car loaded with lamps on
a switch at Rector street not only started
a fire but blocked the tracks. just az
this complication was Strengthened out
and the first trains began crowding up
the avenue. the snowstorm began. The
snow was wet and fell in big flakes into
the board runway along the third rail and
filled it almost at once. Then the shoes
Of the motors on the cars came along and
packed the snow down into a compact
layer on top of the rail. Then, usually.
the train stopped.
BY s clock, when trains were supposed
to begin running on the regular day sched-
ule. pretty much everything was tied up
all along the lines all over the town. On
Third avenue there was an hour between
S and 8 when, so far as could he learned,
not wheel turned, and the ticket sellers
came down to the stairs of the stations
duO pcopiC hV 'AAth NV
nue. trains were not so completely tied
up, but trains were two hours or more in
running the length of the road until pretty
late in the morning. The working force
Of the elevated roads was very thankful
that the day was a holiday with only a
small fraction Of the usual traffic
BY noon the snow had stopped and the
third rail channel had been cleared and
trains were making excellent time at
regular intervals. A number of steam
trains we're kept going in between the
motor cars, and they apparently helped
greatly in keeping traffic running
smoothly.
The steam railroads running into the
city were disturbed by the thick. sticky
quality Of the snow, which did not give
way easily to the sweepers and ploughs.
The early trains coming down over the
New Haven and Hudson River roads
lost their schedules. and at o'clock there
were four trains at a time stalled on the
viaduct above the tunnel. waiting for
York Central people said that this was
no more than was to he expected when
the trains once began TO come In irregu-
larlv.
There is a great fear Of tunnel accident
like that Of year ago the minute the regu,,
lar sequence Of trains entering the tunnel
Is disturbed consequently any irreg,llarity,
such az was caused by yesterdays storm,
disposee everybody to be as far on the
safe side as possible. and trains are let
through the tunnel much less frequently
than when there is no emergency for getting
them through.
The surface cars Of the Metropolitan
syst EN- seemed to face the storm with the
least difficulty. The big sweepers we're
out Of the barns almost a. soon as the first
fake Of snow struck the ground, and the
tracks were at no time in such condition
that the cars could not keep to their
schedules.
The Southwestern limited which was due
at o'clock last night got in at 9.40. The
Boston express due at S:4S o'clock was half
an hour late. The local trains and the
Empire State Express got in on time.