Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-04
SNOW AND WIND Hold REVEL
Storm Extends All Over West and is Of
Unusual Severity.
LOCAL BUSINESS MUCH INTERRUPTED
Drifting snow Prevents or Interferes
with All Outdoor Traffic and
Makes Travel Extremely
DimcuIt.

Not In four years at least has the west
been visited by a storm Of the extent and
severity of the one which swooped down
from the northeast yesterday. Shortly
after midnight Monday at Omaha the wind
began to freshen, and by daylight Tuesday
morning the snow was falling fast and
was being driven furiously by a stiff breeze
so that except for the cold the storm ex-
hibited all the phenomena OF a genuine
blizzard. Reports received by the local
office Of the weather bureau during the
day and up to o'clock last night indicate
that the storm is general. covering the
entire country between the lakes and the
river. North and west of Omaha the snow
was not so deep, but the cold was more
severe. At Valentine the lowest tempera-
ture for Nebraska was recorded, 4 above at
! Z p. m. From the Dakotas and Montana
came the usual range OF from to 10 be-
! low. East Of Omaha the snow was even
deeper than here.
Interferes with Business.
Omaha people had difficulty in getting
| about the city to attend to their business
during the day and very few ventured out
at night. Several social functions booked
I
theaters were left with almost as many
people on the stages as there we're in the
audiences.
All day long the street railway people
/ had something to worry about, for the
steady wind, although not violent, was just
| sufficiently busy to keep the tracks well
covered with snow, no matter how fire.
| quently the big plows swept the mass of
| rather dry flakes aside. Cars did not move
according to schedule on any Of the lines
| and on some of them the service was little
| better than none at all. However, every
line in the city was kept open in a sort
Of an apologize way from early morning
until late at night. The company had about
twenty sweepers at work and It was an
nounced at the power houses last night
that the machines would be kept going over
the lines all night long so that traffic
might be open this morning.
Railroad Traffic Delayed.
There was a general lateness of trains
into Omaha yesterday, but the cold was not
sufficiently intense to make the Variations
from the time cards of a serious nature
Up till noon most of the late trains. were
in within an hour of their schedule.
At Burlington headquarters General Man
ager Holdrege had reports from all four
divisions, the Southern, Western, Wyoming
iand Northern, showing that snow was fall
ing everywhere. 1t was heaviest on the
western division. Superintendent Campbell
reporting from McCook three to eight
inches over the division at O'Clock yes
terday. The other divisions have snow
from two inches TO six.
There has been but little difficulty with
Burlington trains yet, but some is expected
later II the wind continues. All the Bur-
lington trains into the Omaha station yes
terday were on time save one No 49,
the fast mail which was due at s:2s. and
was two hours late. All the others, No.
from Denver. No. from Lincoln, No. 3
from Chicago, were on time. Tardy street
car service caused some fifty omahans to
miss the $40 train to Lincoln, as 1t left
on time.
On the Union Pacific.
At Union Pacific headquarters 1t was
learned that the snow began early in the
west, commencing at 23O at Grand Island,
but at Lincoln and Omaha it did not begin
till o'clock. 1t was reported as three to
four !nches deep over the system, but was
causing no trouble by noon. The mean
temperature over Nebraska, meanwhile, |
was about 16 degrees, and this is the saw
ing feature of the storm.
OhiOh dCluC pdbseHktT Trains were late. |
No. L. due at 1880 yesterday morning, was |
three hours behind. No. s. due at 9:4O, was |
fifty minutes late.
At Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley |
headquarters it was reported showing all !
over the system. but by noon no trains had |
been delayed by the storm.
Chicago & Northwestern trains from the !
east and north were late. No /. the Over !
land Flyer, due at 92O, was twenty minutes /
behind. No. H. due from Sioux City at 10
o'clock, was an hour behind. No. II, due |
from Minneapolis at S:15, was twenty min
utes late. No. 1O1, due from the east at
$50. was an hour behind.
Illinois Central train No. / was an hour
late, being due at sos. No was an
nulled, coming in as a second section of
No. g.
Ro,k Island. Missouri Pacific and Wabash
trains were somewhat delay ed, but the
margins were very narrow.
Conditions Somewhat Worse.
BY nightfall the wind had raised to the
extent that the snow was drifted even more
seriously than during the day, and as the
fall was still quite heavy the railroad situ-
alton was rendered more serious Rock
Island No came in only a little behind
schedule time, but the other lines all had
a different story TO tell. Milwaukee No. s.
due here at HIS, was delayed twenty five
Northwestern No. g. due at 11:SO.
was an hour and a half behind the schedule;
Illinois Central No. 3, due at 1913 was
three hours and a half late; Sioux City G.
Pacific train No. rs was fifty minutes late,
and Union Pacific No 2. due at 7:3O D. m.
was seven hours late getting in Trains
on the Burlington. going both ways, were
als9 far of their scheduled time So far
rs could be learned in Omaha last night.
here is no danger Of blockade on any of
The lines.