The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1903-05-01
Blizzard LAST OF APRIL
Unprecedented Storm for This
Season Raging.
WIRES INTO CITY ARE ALL GUT,
Vegetation viii Suffer Very Much.
Fruit Trees Damaged 10 Some Ex'
tent--Just How Badly is Not Known.
Latest Snow in Many Years.
[From Wednesdays pally.l

tFrom Wednesdays Daily.l
In literal accordance with the flags
that were run up on THE NEWS office
yesterday morning, when the predio'
tions said rain or snow, and colder, tho
weather man slapped Norfolk IN the
face with bunch of sleet and ice and
W which has rivalled the famous ice
Ha, of several Thanksgivings ago
- n has not been equaled in the
sl of the year for many, many
seasb, s,
As u result of the storm telephone and
telegraph wires are down indisclimin.
ateIy, vegetation is enveloped in II
layer of ice quarter of an inch thick
and the few buds that have ventured
out too soon were punished for their
boidness
The temperature began to fall rapidly
yestt rday and along toward evening It
savored ofwinter frigidity. AT 6o'clock
water was freezlng and later in the
slippery. With tho dawning Of today
whitened earth loomed up, clad in
cloak OF crystallized dampness.
Norfolk was cut off almost entirely
from communication with the world
by way of the wires. OF the dozen
lines that run into the Norfolk tele-
phone exchange from other points, only
a single solitary piece Of copper stood
the storm. The line from Norfolk to
Ewing remained together and every
other one was snapped off by the
weight of the ice.
Not a wire running out of the West
ern Union Telegraph office was up this
morning, and there was no possible
communication. Every piece of metal
all that go out along the @. st. p. M.
& O., and the circuits on the North
western railroad were cut completely.
Out in the open country the storm
seems to have done more damage to the
wires than the city, for few lines on
the local exchange were left in talking
order.
Linemen were put out very early on
all the railroads and on the telephone
service SO that the broken wires have
been getting mended through the day
and the city connected up once more.
Trees in some instances along the
avenues have been sadly bent to the
ground but will in all probability re-
sumo their normal positions when
their burdens leave. Lawns are
covered with CLASSY, grassy crust and
the tender blades are easily broken off
by the batting of the icicles that hold
them. Underneath the upper layers,
the streets are in wretchedly muddy
condition.
Farmers and fruit growers in the vi
cinity of Norfolk report that all of the
fruit that was out in any way will be
ruined, but that there may be some
slight hope for that which was retarded.
This will give a possible chance for
cherries and apples, but conditions must
be favorable for this. The melting
must be slow and sharp sun will not
be good.
A snow so late has not been known
in this section for over score of years.
Twenty one years ago, with corn start
ing out of the ground, snow came on
May 10.
The temperature fell to 26 and the
rainfall until o'clock last night
amounted to nearly an inch and one
half. After that it froze and could not
be measured.
At 10 o'clock this morning the snow
began falling again and is now practic-
ally raging blizzard. Business is sus-
pended so far as trade is concerned and
the streets are nearly deserted.
1t is not considered that the storm
did SO serious damage as would
sharp, cold frost and if the sky should
clear by tonight more severe attack
upon budding vegetation may be ex-
pected.
The snow was the result of great
area of cold dropped from Canada, over
the two Dakotas. 1t was showing at
Helena yesterday morning and the
wave was accurately forecasted by the
weather bureau.