Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-02-18
STORM SWEEPS EAST
New Ysrk and Philadelphia the 0sltsra Of
Blizzard visluo'.
SNOWFALL IN PLACES IS NINE INCHES
Wind Blew, At Terrific Velocity Of Sixty
Niles an Hour.
WORST STORM IN .TEEN YEARS
Railroads Are Helpless anST IS Cen
orally is at standstilG n
NO REPORTS OF sLRlOUs CASUAL.
Few York city f. scene of Bitterest
weather, hut All seacoast
Towns Are snow
bound.


NEW YORK, Feb. 17.--New York City has
borne the brunt Of the hercest snowstorm
that has struck this section OF the coun-
fry since the great blizzard of 1888. Be-
ginning soon after midnight the storm in
creased rapidly until by daybreak the whole
city was completely showed under. The
rising force OF the gale piled the snow in
great drifts that for Q time almost sus-
pended trafio except In the main thor
ougbfares, where the car tracks were only
kept open by the constant use Of snow
ploughs and sweepers.
Communication between Manhattan and
Brooklyn was subject to long delay. The
ferryboat with dificulty made trips across
the ice-choked rivers and the work Of tug
boats. lighters aud shipping generally was
almost at q standstill.
So heavy was the snowfall that the load
ing OF vessels was stopped. it being i'm
possible to keep the matches open. Two
steamers. which arrived Surins the night,
struggled as far as Quarantine. where
they came to anchor. Several steamers
are supposed TO be of Sandy Hook wait
ing for the storm to abate before attempt
lng to enter the port.
Crisis ts Reached.
Tonight the local weather bureau re-
ports that the worst Of the snowfall, which
began to abate in the afternoon, is prob
ably over The fall up to o'clock this
afternoon was Q .O3 inches. This afternoon
hurricane warnings were hoisted at Sandy
Hook and New York and many vessels are
detained in port.
There was considerable delay in the ar
rivals Of the mail. The Chicago mail, due
at 4:30 a. m. did not get in until 7:2b a.
m. The local deliveries OF mail were ham
pered by the dIfhculty Of driving the wagons
through the snow-encumbered streets. All
outgoing mails were closed from thirty
minutes to an hour before the usual time.
Mails on the New York Central were from
two to three hours late and all mail serv-
lee between here and points on Long Island
was practically suspended. The trains on
all the lines terminating In Jersey City
vere hours behind time during the morn.
ing. but toward evening the schedules were
more nearly matrtained On the New York
Central through trains were being moved
nearly on time by taking on many local
Grains.
streets Blocked with snow.
The congestion of trafic on the Man
haitian street car lines was severe during
the morning. On Broadway wheel tramc
Vas confined to the narrow lanes between
N~N~~'
and cars crawled at a snaifs pace. From
other thoroughfares truck trafhc disap-
peared almost entirely.
In the shopping district the blockade was
no complete that several OF the great de-
partment stores closed at 4 o'clock. Foui
Thousand men were set to work to clear tn'
streets OF Manhattan early In the atter'
noon. OF these half were engaged In open
ing cross walks, while 1000 men and SO'
trucks were employed to work all nien
clearing the main streets. On the eleVate'
lines there was considerable delay In tn
early hours. but by the evening rush nour
all trains were running on time.
The Brooklyn bridge was kept clear o
SNOW from the time the storm began, bu
both the elevated and trolley cars wer'
crowded to their utmost capacity, thougl
thousands of Brooklynites preferred tn
uertlous passage Of the ferries to partici
pating In the crush on the bridge.
brooklyn Also Affected.
throughout Brooklyn the blockade wa
.ven more general than in Manhattan an
little progress was made by the stree
cleaning department beyond opehing cross
walks on the crossing streets.
Coney Island, Fort Hamilton and Canarsi
were completely cut OF from all communi
cation over the Brighton Beach road
which a half dozen trains were stalled .
one time. During the day not over 80 pc
cent OF the cars OF the Brooklyn Rapi
Transit system we're In operation and tncu
sands were compelled TO make their wa
on foot to the ferries. Staten Isiandei
suffered more than the residents OF an
OF the boroughs OF Greater New York.
The boats were all much behind tim
and no effort was madO TO keep schedu
time, the main trouble being due to II
great masses OF ice packed in the slips |
st. George. The island itself was CON
paetely showed under and the movement
trolIeys or trains was brought TO a hal
Even sleighs were unable to make the
way through the great drifts.
DoraiIed Train stops Trano.
In the afternoon a few trains got throul
ON the North Shore by using the big freig
engines OF the Baltimore a Ohio road. d
rallied trains stopped ell trafnc on q
South Shore lines.
Conditions were In every respect wor
than in the blizzard Of 1855. Telegraph al
telephone service In New York experienc
little interruption, for while the snow W
heavy, there was no sleet to break I
wires. The Wind blew at a velocity
sixty miles an hour. During the day on
a few minor accidents TO pedestrians Z
suited from the storm,
The feet OF warships lying on quaraAti
TO await the arrival Of Prince Henry "
for hours cut on by floating ice from
shore Forty marines who put on for
vessels in boats were forced to return
the navy yard.
seacoast Towns Are struck.
AdvIees received tonight from points
New Jersey show that the great bliEEa
has been felt from Bergen county to Ca
May and from Atlantic City to Camden. 7
latest advices are that during the event
the storm abated considerably. The brs
OF the gale. which approached the dim'
sioAs OF a hurricane, was felt by the 81
coast towns. but the interior cities q
towns did not escape.
Travel by road was almost impOssll