New-York tribune., 1902-02-23
PATH OF THE ICE STORM WTDEI
TROLLEY, LIGHT, TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WIRES
DOWN CITY AND sUBURBS
ICE CARRIES DOWN WIRES.
NEWJERSEY ISOLATED - TRAIN AMI
TROLLEY SERVICE INTERRUPTED

TROLLEY SERVICE INTERRUPTED.
Elizabeth, N j. Feb 22 CspeciaD-One of the
worst storms that ever struck Elizabeth was
mat OF Friday night and to-day 1t COM
Pieteiy paralyzed business and crippled all tele-
graph and telephone wires and the fire alarm
service and demOralized things generally The
streets in the lower part of the CITY are blocked
with fallen telegraph and telephone poles and
wires and limbs of trees, and are also prac-
ucally rivers Of slush. The water is almost
knee deep. Scores of families in the southern
part Of the city are imprisoned in their homes
by the food which has been increased by the
unusually high tide communication can be had
with them only by rowboats
The Western Union Telegraph Company to-
night has only one wire in service. that being
to New-York while the Postal company has
been put out Of business since 10 o'clock this
morning. All the Western Unions 100 wires to
Philadelphia are down. Out Of LOO telephones
the New-York and New-Jersey Company have
only 200 In operation tonight. while the Eliza
neth Telephone Company has none. Nearly all
the telegraph poles along the line of the Jersey
Central Railroad between Elizabeth and Eliza
bethport. are down. The fallen poles and tangled
wires held up trains this morning
At 10 o'clock twenty eastbound trains were
stalled along the Jersey Central tracks in this
city Train traffic during the night over the
Newark Bay bridge was suspended. All the
trolley Hnes IN Elizabeth except the main line
Of the North Jersey between Elizabeth and
Eizabethport have been put out Of operation.
Barns were unroofed and outhouses blown down.
Princeton. y. J, Feb. 22 CspeciaD.-The elms
of Princeton were stripped of their beauty and
almost destroyed by last nights storm.
1t on the campus Nassau-st and Bayard
Lane. that the storm wreaked its special fury.
The surrounding country escaped in great part.
On the campus the two great buttOnwoOd trees
planted in front OF the deans home more than
one hundred and twenty-five years ago had
many OF their branches torn from them. But
they have borne up better under the enormous
weight Of ice which formed inch thick over
them. combined with the force OF the gale, than
did the elms OF ages ranging from a hundred
years down 20 fifty
In Bayard Lane in front Of ex-Presdent
Cleveland's house the debris was so strewn
about this morning that a force OF men we're re-
quired TO haul away the debris before the street
could be used for traffic. Opposite Mr.. Cleve-
lands home is Avalon, the home Of DR.. Henry
van Dyke, Many of his trees suffered, but the
elm, which is one Of the largest in the United
States. and which four men cannot reach
around, stood up surprisingly we'll under the
weight Of ice on its branches.
All day Curator Thompson has had large
force Of men clearing the campus, and Il Is
hoped 10 have II passabe by tonight. Professor
Bracket said to-day that he thought the trees
would live and in time regain much Of their
former beauty.
Paterson. n J. Feb - (speciaD.-The storm
cause of the crippled condition caused by the
fire. Traffic is practically at a standstiH. Troll
ley cars We're running at irregular intervals
the principal lines in the afternoon. but none in
the morning. Tonight a large part OF the city
is in darkness because Of the fallen wires. Half
Of the telephone wires are out of service About
twenty horses have been killed by stepping on
live wires which were concealed in the sIush.
Branches OF trees litter every street. These
were borne down by the weight OF the ice which
formed on them in the night.
Trenton. y. J., Feb. 22.-This city has suffered
greatly from yesterdays storm The streets are
full Of fallen wires and branches OF trees that
we're carried down by the weight Of the ice on
them. The local trolley service was compelled
TO suspend early last evening, and about
O'Clock there many broken electric light
wires dangling in the air that It was thought
necessary 10 smut OF the power at the electric
light plant. Outside communication, both by
telegraph and telephone. was cut off about Is
o'clock last evening
The Postoffice narrowly escaped being burned
heavy electric light wire fell last evening
and broke - gas pipe. The escaping gas caught
fire and the blaze extended to the woodwork
bucket brigade kept the fire subdued until the
gas supply was cut Of.
The storm disaranged the whole trolley and
electric light service in Newark yesterday and
made numerous breaks in the telegraph and
fire alarm systems. The water damned IN
the streets by the snow. and in some streets II
nearly two feet deep Two-thirds of the
city was plunged in darkness Friday night by
broken or disconnected electric light wires
Trolley cars were stalled in all parts of the citv
and the suburbs and in some OF them the pas
sengers had to stay until daylight
The telephone service in Jersey City was use
less because of the fallen wires. The Western
Union and Postal Telegraph companies reported
that their lines were badly crippled, and all
messages were received subject 10 deIav n
was said that the service had not been in such
bad shape since the blizzard of 1888. The rail-
way companies were seriously embarrassed, and
the operation Of trains was interrupted. The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company had COM
municatiOn between its Jersey City terminal
and points beyond Railway, and that was OBJ
tained by rounda bout telephone and telegraph
connection The force Of linemen and operators
was reinforced by men from this city. and in
direct communication with Philadelphia was
esta bShed late in the afternoon. The local
trains were close to schedule time. but the
express trains were hour late. as
the engineers had been instructed TO exercise
PHILADELPHIA CUT OFF