New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-30
SNOW HAS COST 100000.
FIVE INCHES OYER ICE.
Brilliant Electrical Display on Ele-
rated Road Structures.

Snow; probably clearing early the morning; colder
Snow fell steadily all day yesterday. but by
night there was only about five inches lying in
the streets. II was dry and feathery, and was
scraped without difnculty from the elevated
structures. causing only slight delays in .he
schedule. The electrical display while not
brilliant when the motor rail IS covered with
ice. was enough 10 cause considerable nervous
ness 10 passengers. tcamsters and pedestrians
who passed under the structure. In Manhattan
1t was not found necessary 20 use the metal
scrapers 10 clear the snow from the third rail,
but in Brooklyn the railroad company had them
at work This more than treblec the number %
sparks. At least one accident was reported he
cause Of this shower Of sparks. Near Myrtle
ave and Navy-st Rroohlyn. n wagon filed
with crates Of dishes packed in straw and eX-
celsior passed under the elevated structure just
as a train went over It. The sparks from the
shoes and scrapers fell into the inhamna BILE
stuff and IN a minute tho lead in a blaze.
Before the blaze could he extinguished the load
had been ruined
The sparks are caused hy the arc formed by
the incomplete contact Of the shoe which picks
up the power with the third rail. Whenever
this arc is formed there Is stream Of sparks.
AS these occur generally only when there is
rain or Snow on the rails, there is only slight,
- any. danger 10 the structure from them. They
retain their heat sufficiently sometimes to cause
DANA 20 10 the hat or overcoat Of person pass
ing under the structure.
The streetcars did not fare so well. The
trolley slot was cholod by the snow. and the
cars were further delayed by the long lines
OF carriages and trucks that kept In the tracks
which the ploughs had swept
All the trains corning into the Grand Central
Station were late. suburban trains anywhere
from twenty to forty minutes. Most Of the
delay i'm the tunnel.
The Canadian and Western trains were de-
layed by drifts in the West. and were from one
TO three hours late.
The snow added TO the troubles Of Comms-
sioner Woodbury.. There is from half an inch
to two inches of ice beneath the snow. This
ice is more costly to remove than solid rock.
The rock could be blasted. The use of picks in
removing ice from an asphalt pavement is not
allowed.
1t was trying day for horses. The am
buiances of the Society foc the Prevention OF
Cruelty to Animals were kept on the jump all
day. and their agents killed several horses that
had been badly crippled.
FIRE DEPARTMENT HANDICAPPED
The Fire Department has been crippled TO a
great extent by the severe weather since jan
uary l. Between January ] and January 20
there were 671 fires in Manhattan alone. In
nearly every case the fire companies were from
two 70 ten minutes later than they would have
been under normal conditions in getting 10
fire. At several OF the big fires where third
alarm was sounded. companies from distance
could not get to the fire until it under
control Acting Chief Kruger sent a letter 10
Fire Commissioner Hayes yesterday, calling
these facts to his attention and saying that
many OF the department horses were IN poor
condition owing TO the trying conditions OF the
streets and the large number OF fires they have
responded to.
Eishty-fve horses among the 592 in the de-
partment have been in service from ten 10
seventeen years, and should be replaced as
speedily as possible. Changing the specifications
I'm the contract to raise the standard OF
quality for horses is recommended.
1'ne schedules of nearly all the elevated lines
in Brooklyn much disturbed by the snow.
on the Fifth-ave. line about o'clock there was
q block lasting over an hour. At the same time I
the Ridgewood line was blocked for an hour :
and passengers for East New-YOrk had to take /
the trolley cars This line changed about +
two weeks ago to electricity. and the power ran ;
which was in place long before there was suth-
cient power, IS mitch rusted The snow could (
not be scraped from il completely.
on the Fifth-ave line early in the evening {
several OF the trains consumed thirty-hve min /
utes in getting from Fulton-st- &c the City HAN I
Trsusllv il takes twenty-seven minutes 70 cover /
tho entire length of the line, from Sixty-ffth-st
IN the bridge All the lines suffered more OF less,
Goutsaued On aitn