New-York tribune., 1902-02-22

Policemen sought shelter in dOorways and the
doors.
Telegraph wires were generally Frustrated in
Jersey City by the accumulated ice and seet.
In several cases the broken wires emitted al
most continuous flames of electricity. and
they dangled in the street were a menace to
life dozen policemen were kept busy warn
ing pedestrians away until the wires were cut at
the post by linemen. The telephone. electric
light and fire alarm wires were also broken. and
chief Murphy sent out a general order to the
police to blow their whistles in case of fire. and
at once inform the fremen at the nearest en-
gine house.
The trolley service late in the evening became
practically useless.
The electric lights were practically all out
through the city. and at 10 o'clock there was
not a circuit of lamps burning.
few minutes after o'clock high power
wire fell in Communipaw and woodward aVes.
across the backs of team of horses drawing
a Well Fargo Express wagon Both horses
were killed. Jacob Heating, the driver. was so
badly shocked by the current running up the
wet reins that his hands were blistered.
All trains in and out of Jersey City were be
hind time. The departing trains were delayed
by the ferryboats. which consumed twice and
thrice the usual time in crossing the river
through the storm and ice.
At Newark the streets were ankle deep in
slush. The sidewalks were little better the gut
ters being clogEed with snow and the culverts
refusing to do duty. The water overttowed into
cellars
Cars ran with difficulty The telephone and
telegraph wires were reported next door to
paralysis
the extraordinary size of the snow fakes in
the morning. The sIeet began at o'clock. but
soon the snow crystals as they fell seemed TO
grow larger and larger for a period OF half an
hour The fakes at times were so big that they
looked like snowballs in miniature, and excited
general comment It was pretty and unusual
sight while il lasted but the beautiful snow
later provided New-Yorkers with about thor
oughly disagreeabIe a day they have ever
experienced.
HUGE SNOWFLAKES FALL.
F. H. Emery. the local forecast official. told
q Tribune reporter that the snowfakes yester-
day morning were the largest he had ever seen.
He had some Of them measured. and they were
one and one-eghth inches in diameter,
traordinary size. These heavy flakes
tced particularly between S:25 and 9:O3 a.
Asked how he accounted for their size, Mr.
Emery said they through atmosphere
that not moving enough to break up the
flakes. The atmosphere very warm and
moist. and the big fakes were due to the small
ones passing through a warm current OF air.
which caused them to cling together, while a
colder current solidiied them.
An inch and half Of snow fell. The rest was
sleet, the latter changing to rain about o'clock.
The tempers ture was 26 degrees at a. m, and
kept about the freezing point IN the afternoon.
Mr. Emery said that yesterdays storm was
the for which there had been issued
ings the day before. It had advanced in the
afternoon TO the South Atlantic Coast, being
central on the coast Of South Carolina, and had
caused rain in the Gulf and South Atlantic
States. snow and seet in the Middle Atlantic
States and snow, rain and sleet in the Tennessee
and Ohio valleys. The storm was moving north
ward
Street Cleaning Commissioner Woodbury. and
his assistants put in a busy day The storm
not considered Of great account in their street
cleaning operations, although it caused consid
cradle unexpected trouble in making the city
presentable. Snow Inspector Clarke said that
the drygoods district had been well attended TO
from o'clock Thursday evening till a. m.
yesterday, and the work in the financial district
on the East Side. below CanaI-st. was being
continued. large force was put at work last
night in the drygoods district, from Canal-st.
west Of Broadway, to the Battery. Particular
attention given to the streets between
Canal and Chambers SITS, to give relief to the
merchants in that neighborhood. To-day the
department will also work in the vicinity Of
Water-st., below the bridge
TO CLEAR PARADE ROUTE.
Inspector Clarke said the parade route would
again be made clear this morning for the recep-
ton Of Prince Henry. There were in all about
twenty blocks to be cleaned preparatory TO the
reception. and they included blocks about the
Metropolitan Club. near the Metropolitan Opera
House and in the vicinity of the Irving Place
Theatre. II the rain did not freeze last night
the department would, of course, be aided in
the work.
Mr. Clarke added that 30 COS loads Of snow
were removed in Manhattan on Thursday In
Brooklyn q, ,42S loads were moved, and in The
Bronx 65s5 loads. The railroad authorities
cleared their tracks and streets of 1l,5SO loads
making total Of 97,428 loads.
Of he cit the
bination of snow, slush, mud, seet, torn-up
streets rain wind. tempest, fallen electric wires.
bitterly tearing blasts. knee-deep pools and
Niagaralike crossings has never been equalled
in the last twenty years. Some say that the
blizzard Of 1888 was only a circumstance com
pared with last nights storm for discomfort
Telephone telegraph and electric wires were
down in all parts of the city. and in many
places streetcar traffic was held UP by wires.
some of them live ones, dropping in front Of
the cars. Under the Brooklyn Bridge many
wires fell from the structure to the street
and in addition to many other troubles the
South-st cars had lively time with them
South-st was a river. For blocks and blocks
the streetcar rails were not only out Of sight
under the water. but in some cases the water
came over the platforms of the car while the
horses struggled on almost belly deep in the
food. 49,, ~, 11,Dcr
The poIicemen stationed at the bridge at the
Dro,ba+tan end say that never in their expert
arca has there been such jam of people at
the trolley loops as there was last night The
ferrvboats had to almost suspend traffic early
in the afternoon owing to the jam Of ice IN the
slips. placing upon the bridge the need OF
carving thousands over 70 Brooklyn who ordi-
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