The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-29
Blizzard From South Grips the
City and Entire State With
Icy Hand.
CARS STOP; SCHOOLS CLOSE
Looked Like Repetition Of the
Scenes Of 1899-More Pre-
dictcd for To-day.

| u. Il . I + y ID {
"A binding driving snowstorm swept up
from the South yesterday and enveloped
Richmond from end to end In "a winding
sheet Of white that glints like starry
pail from every spot within the vision.
Until far into the night, with leaden
skies and unremitting downpour, the biz
zard ragged and Richmond lay supine and
helpless within It's grasp. Wintry blasts
howled through mist OF flying snow;
miles OF street were covered from curl
to curb: every housetop wore g night-cap p
| of white. For q long time there seemed
to be no erd to 1t.
Before there was a discernable rift N
the cloud descending upon the earth, six
Iinches or more had drifted down. The
public highways became uninhabitaple able !.
Struggling street cars icrept along inc
tracks for few hours and then weak
| ly4 stopped; traffic ceased and the toWn
slept because 1t could move no more.
| From the sums and the far-off places
! the wall Of the gasping poor and shelter shelter
| less arose in its piteous cry tor5 he4p.
| SLIGHT Abatement at Midnight.
~ midnight the storm had somewhat
3
then started again. and stopped a second
| time. At i A.. NJ. it was coming down
,,p,, In II, q fine sift much unlike the ran
| during the afternoon. Reports from the
state at large at that TINA showed the
blizzard to have swept over the entire
region; at these places also 1t was sun
| showing with the exception OF Clltton
, Forge where, after reaching seven
inches, it stopped. Trains were running
on slow schedules, but there was practi-
cally no interference to thu raliroad
traffic. Along the route OF the Chesa--
| peakc and Ohio it was showing heaVl1y'.
with an average depth Of seven $incnes. lca
1.-THE record showed Gladstone. With ten
inches; Buchanan. seven inches; Staun-
ton. seven inches; Charlottesrille, seven
! Inches and Clifton Forge, seven INCHES.
| From washington to Rocky Mount, on
| the Atlantic Coast Line, practically the
same conditions prevailed. The average
| depth of the snowfall In this direction
was six inches, and It was still coming.
! In Richmond at 3 a. NJ. It was impos-
| siblo to tell how tho tide would turn.
Snow had fallen very lightly for some
time during the hours preceding, but the
sky was still threatening, and a renewed
downpour was possible at any moment.
| The estimated depth OF the snow at that
l
looks OF things caused many to fear an
other blizzard like that OF five years
ago. The Superintendent Of public schools
| announced that there would be no ses-
sion to-day. Reports 'of some damage to
wires began to come in. The Postal de-
clared everything to he running al
right: the Western Union had lost every
| thing between here and Norfolk. Il
Like Three Years Ago.
| Three years ago to-day Richmond was
locked fast in snow and Ice and seet.
and the bitterness OF winter chilled tho
| life of the city. -~4Il further. back-in
| 1s99-nearly seventeen inches Of snow fel!
| In three days and the beginning was likn
| Yesterday. and the end may be the same.
| The atmospheric conditions arc startling
ly alike. Placed side by side. the weather
man OF February II, 1899, when the fl. st
| flakes Of tho long remembered blizzard
| appeared, and the weather map OF jan
,lary IS. 1901, are practically Identical.
| Whether the record now will be what It
was then, only to-day and tomorrow can
tell. The beginning is certainly auspicious
for repetition OF the scenes Of five
years ago,
Began in the Morning.
About ii o clock yesterday a, few flakes
| began to descend from sky that had
gradually grown cloudy and overcast, The
temperature was harsl, and at. pest the the
I 4