The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-28
Frost King Reigns from New
York to the Rockies and
Touches New Orleans
HEAVY PROPERTY DAMAGE
BUT SMALL LOSS OF LIFE
Snow and sIeet Heavy Through Cen
trail and Northwest and Traffic
Tied Up-Greatest Storm
In Fifteen Years.

Chicago. December 27-One of the most
severe storms of recent years had ragged
throughout the territory lying between
the Rocky mountains and the great lakes
since early this morning, and has caused
much trouble to street car companies,
railroads and telegraph companies.
The latter were the greater sufferers,
for the blizzard which swept through the
west and northwest during the last twen-
ty-four hours was preceded by a heavy
fog, and drizzling rain which made the
wires almost unavoidable. The intense
cold and terrific gale that followed close
upon the fog, coated the wires with ice,
and later IN the day threw poles to the
ground. gripping the companies badly.
Railroad trains were badly delayed all
through the west some OF them being
twentyfour hours late. Street car traf-
fic in all the cities of the west and north
west was practically at stands,.l at
some time during the day.
In its extent the storm was the most
widespread of any during the last If
teen years. Counting the fog as a COM
ponent part of the storm. 1t stretched
clear from the Rocky mountains to New
York, and from Winnipeg to New Or
leans.
The fatalities as reported as due to the
storm were three men killed. They were
Alexander Steiner of Chicago, a team
Eter. killed while unloading coal. coal
chute was blown from its fastenings and
striking him on the head, killed him In
stantly Thomas Walsh or Chicago a
'aborer, struck by a heavy board while
entering new building; Frank cayan-
augh, killed at Muneie. Ind, by a der
lick falling on him.
Storm Subsiding.
At 10 o'clock tonight the storm was re-
ported as subsding at Kansas City and
at other points on a north and south line
from that city, but 1t will be several
days before normal conditions are re-
stored throughout the entire section. In
Chicago and east of here the storm was
still raging with great violence and ex-
Pected to continue so all night. the CEN
ter of the storm apparently being be-
tween Chicago and Cleveland. Report
from Kansas City early in the day was
that the storm extended from the mid
Gle of Kansas as far south as Indian Ter
ritory and was accompanied throughout
its entire extent with high winds and
snow, which on the level would be about
one foot IN dept. In nearly all the cities
Of Nebraska, Kansas and western Mis-
souri, street car traffic was at a stand
still by noon. The telegraph wires were
down In all directions, and it was with
extreme difficulty that communication
with the west and northwest was kept
up. All trains through that part of the
country were hopelessly behind their
schedule. The storm had reached eastern
Missouri by noon and the temperature in
St. Louis went down 20 degrees in two
hours, while the wind blowing at 40 miles
an hour, piled the snow up in the streets
in great drifts.
At Omaha and DesMoines conditions
similar to those in Kansas City were
ported. All throughout western Iowa the
fury of the storm ragged. All trains In
this section were reported from one to
three hours late.
In the northwest the storm was even
more furious than throughout the Mis-
souri, and territories. In st. Paul the snow
commenced to fall early last night and
grew heavier all through the night, while
the wind increased until it was blowing
at so miles an hour. The heavy snow
and the gale worked havoc with trains.
and some of the passenger trains from the
Il
twenty-four hours over due. The storm
reached westward from St. Paul until it
covered almost the entire northwest and
from the Dakotas eastern Montana,
Wyoming, northern Michigan and Wis
consin the story was the same from all
points. The wires We're down in all direc-
tions, the snow was falling in dense
volume. and driven by a high northwest
gale was filling the streets and railroad
cuts.
Better In the South.
In the south, conditions We're somewhat
better, the snow in many places being
changed to a heavy rainfall which was
preceded by thunder and lightning and
followed by high winds. Nashville. Louis
vile, New Orleans, Montgomery ard
Memphis all reported exceedingly heavy
rains a rapidly falling thermometer. and
terrific winds.
In the Ohio river valley the first heavy
rain I'm five months commenced falling
early in the day, and continued through
out the night.
The storm was appreciated by the boats
men along the Ohio and its tributaries,
for the stage of water In these streams
has Of late been very low
The storm struck Chicago shortly after
noon and Increased rapidly until ii had
resumed hurricane proportions at $50
o'clock when the wind tore through the
downtown streets at the rate OF sew
enty-two miles an hour. 1t fell away after
that. and by o'clock had dropped to
fftv miles an hour where 1t remained
throughout the night, with occasional
gusts that would howl through the
streets with the force of a cyclone, tear
ing down signs smashing in plate glass
windows and In many sections of the
downtown district hurting pedestrians
from their feet and overturning light de-
livery wagons.
The latest reports from Wisconsin are
that the storm was the most severe
known in that region of the country.
Damage in the city of Madison is al
ready estimated at 100000. In Indiana the
damage done by the storm was especially
heavy in the oil fields. where fully 500
derricks and were blown down and all
operations suspended. The loss on der
ricks alone in the ueighborhood Of