Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-27
Rain and Slcet of Monday After
noon Followed by Snow
and Wind
TRAFFIC lNTERFERED WITH
All Trains Into the City Average From
Two to Three Hours Late-street
Cars Have Hard Time to Keep Going
All Wires Affected, Many Being
Down-TeIephone Lines Also Suffer
Snow Drifting Badly.

years, which began TO assume Tue Pio
portions of a blizzard shortly after it
began, is raging in central Iowa TO-
day, and this city is completely IN lts
grasp. The blizzard is one of the gen.
uine old fashioned variety and THIS ar
ternoon there is no prospect of ces-
sation. If the snowfall continues thru
the night there Is every prospect that
traffic will be at standstill. Even
this morning 1t was seriously interfer-
ed with, and all trains into the city aV-
eraged from two to three hours late.
The snow began to fall shortly alter
midnight, and by o'clock the ollzzafa
was on in earnest. A high north Wlhu
began drifting the snow as fast as II
fell, and one could barely see ten feet
in front of him. Walking was difficult,
as the rain and sleet that fell Monday
afternoon had formed an icy coating
which when snow covered made IL di1-
flcult for both horses and pedestrians
to move about with any degree of GER
tainty
Trains Are Delayed.
Railroad traffic on Vail of the lines
has suffered, and this morning all of the
passenger trains were late. Tonight
the conditions promise to be even
worse than they were last night and
this morning. All of the night trains
and those of this morning were delay
ed an hour or more, with one excep-
ton, the train from the north on the
Central, which arrived here twenty
minutes late. It's crew reported the
snow drifting badly on the north END
of the line. Up to 10 o'clock the only
other train which had reached town
was the first section of No. 3, west
bound on the Northeastern. 1t arrived
about $3.50 o'clock, but In trying to
start, got stalled on the depot plat
form, and was thirty-five minutes IN
getting started. The big engine could
not move the seven cars until a freight
engine from the yards had been Sc
cured to help 1t.
Snow Pillow Ordered Out.
Hurry up orders were received by
the Central to equip as soon as posi-
BILE one of the big freight engines with
a snow pillow, and send it out over the
north end. 1t will probably be late
this afternoon or early in the evening
before it will be started Crews OF
freight trains, which reached this city,
say it is the worst day in years for
railroading. In the country so blind
ing Is the falling and drifting snow
that signals are visible but g short
distance, and extra precautions to
prevent accidents are being made.
Telegraph Wires Suffer.
The telegraph wires suffered mater
tally from the sleet of Tuesday after
noon. The snow did not help matters
any, as much Of 1t chung ito the wires.
making them very heavy, and breaking
them in places. The Postal Telegraph
Company had but one wire working.
and that was between this city and
Des Moines. The company operates
twenty-six wires between Des MONIES
and Chicago, and all were out of SER
vice until 10 o'clock this morning, when
service was re- established on two. The
western Union suffered most Tuesday
afternoon, but by the, morning had
things in pretty fair shape. Today COM
munication was established, and
Chicago was reached with difficulty.
Among the railroads the Iowa Cen
trail was the only one that did not ex-
perience any great Inconvenience.
North points were accessible, as were
also those as far south as Oskaloosa,
but south and east Of that city the
wires were damaged, and many Of them
down. The Northwestern, between
Marshalltown and Boone, had no trou-
BILE, but east of here the wires were In
bad shape. The Chicago Great West
ern had the worst trouble with its
wires, many Of which were tangled,
crossed and broken. The Marshalltown
station could not even reach Waterloo
this morning, and last night the dis
,atcher's office at Des Moines had no
wire west at all.
Telephone Wires Crossed.
Telephones crosses were also num-
oro,,. todav the Marshall Telephone