Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-02-07
WORST Blizzard YEARS
Chicago Tied Up by Tremendous
Snow, Sleet, Rain and
Windstorm.
WIRES DOWN AND TRAINS DELAYED.
The Storm Is Reported to Be General
from the Great Lakes West to tho
Rocky untains-Blizzard RACES
ut Milwaukee and Throughout
Wisconsin.

Wisconsin.
Chicago, Feb. 5.-Chicago was in tho
grip of the worst blizzard in years
Tuesday and Wednesday, wires being
down in every direction as result OF
the record bre aking fall of snow and
sleet during the past "a hours. All
telegraph wires, with the exception
of the Chicago &, Milwaukee Tele-
graph company's copper wire to Mil
waukee, were down, as were the long
distance telephone wires. Chicago for
hours Wednesday morning was cut
off from the news of the. outside world.
The board of trade showed the effect
of the stoppage of outside quotations
in the dullness of it's own trade.
Snow has fallen, not only in Chi
cago, but generally from the great
lakes to the Rocky mountains, almost
continuously since Tuesday morning.
Nearly foot of snow fell Tuesday,
and at night rain and sleet, accom-
panied by a gale of wind against
which it was almost impossible for
pedestrians to make progress, COM
pleted the storm. This continued for
hours and at the opening of bust
ness Wednesday interests which de-
pend on telegraphic communication
discovered that communication was to
be had only with Milwaukee and in
termediate points on the Chicago &
Milwaukee's wire.
Street car traffic was greatly i'm
peded, as the snow in it's moist condi-
ton had packed tightly. Incoming
trains generally were reported late.
During the forenoon Wednesday
snow in huge flakes, driven by a stiH
west wind, continued to fall. hamper
ing the work of the repair crews senA
out in every direction by the telegraph
companies. The temperature, how
ever. was only slightly below tho
freezing point, but drop was pre-
dicted.
Long distance telephone connection
was established to St. Paul shortly
after noon, and little European and
southern news was received from the
east by way of the Canadian Pacific
telegraph lines: news from the west
being sent east and south by the cir
cuitous route. Meanwhile the direct
wires from the east had been rees-
tablished as far west as Hammond,
Ind. and a large force of repairmen
was at work trying to bridge the gap
between that point and Chicago.
Entire East Cut Off.
At 1890 the long distance telephone
company succeeded in getting connec-
tion with Omaha. from which point
far western and northern points could
be reached by telegraph. The tele-
graph companies were making heroic
efforts to establish New York con-
nection. but up to II o'clock not line
of news had been received from the
east.
The first direct news from New
York finally succeeded in getting
through over a Western Union wire
a little after one o'clock, but the en-
tire west was still cut off from Chi
cago except by long distance tele-
phone to Omaha.
Milwaukee Hard Hit.
Milwaukee, Feb. 5.-The blizzard
which started Tuesday throughout
Wisconsin still continues Snow plows
were kept at work on the street rail-
way lines in this city all night, but
in spite of this much difficulty is ex-
perienced on some of the lines to con-
tinue operation because of drifting
snow. The storm is the worst of the
season. Railway trains are running
very irregularly. Telephone and tele-
graph wires are Frustrated in all di-
rections.
Drifts High In the Country.
St. Paul, MIMI, Feb. 5.-A Black
River Falls wis., special to the Dis
patch says: One of the fiercest blis-
yards for years has been sweeping
over this section the entire night and
snow drifts are mountain high on all
roads. Business is practically sus-
pended and early trains are detained
for two or four hours.
All Trame Tied Up.
Black River Falls, Wis. Feb. the
blizzard has tied up all traffic in this
part of Wisconsin.
Intensely Cold In Kansas.
Topeka, Kan, Feb. 5.-The cold
wave reached its worst state at 10: 80
Wednesday morning, with the thef-
mometer at four above. The Santa
Fe report most of their trains on time.
The. Rock Island is more seriously de-
layed. The Rock Island-Colorado
trains at present are reported several
hours late. Little snow fell in this
section.
A Delu6e In Tennessee.
Chattanooga, Tenn, Feb. 5.-Ths
storm reached climax Tuesday night
when the rain fell in torrents for five
hours and the wind reached almost
cyclonic velocity. The streets were
flooded, signs blown down, trees up
rooted and telephone and telegraph
wires badly demoralized. The Ten