The Savannah morning news., 1904-11-15
WORST ON WIRES
IN MANY YEARS
NOT SINCE BIG BLIZZARD
HAD THE EFFECTS OF A STORM
DEEN so FAR REACHING.

With Its Telegraph COmDiu niea-
tions-How the Associated Press
Was Put 10 1t TO Render Its News
service-wide section Was Affect
ed by the storm.
New York, Nov. 14.--That the effects
of yesterdays storm were far more
reaching than In any similar disturb
ance since the great blizzard of 1888,
became evident to-day when the disar-
rangement of wire communication con-
tinued almost as complete as at any
time during the height of the storm.
Up to 10 o'clock many points were
completely isolated while whole sec
tions were reached only by most cir
cuitous routes.
To the West the only points having
direct communication with New York
were Philadelphia and Baltimore. The
Associated Press however had sue
ceeded in reaching the West and Incl
| dentally many Eastern points, by
means of a telephone wire between
Baltimore and Chicago. The news re-
port carried over the regular wires
between New York and Baltimore
when it reached the latter city, was
transferred a distance of ten blocks to
the telephone office by cabs. was then
forwarded by telegraph to Chicago
over a long distance telephone wire and
from Chicago was telegraphed back to
Washington and other cities which
could not be reached over the regular
routes.
The New York Circuit.
The same plan was followed in many
other cases. For instance, the Asso-
ciated Press regular New York State
Circuit, a network of wires connecting
all the principal cities Of the state,
was practically out of service for n
time. Newburg to the north marked
the end of the circuit. points beyond
being completely cut off. Finally.
| however, a temporary circuit was set
up by forming a connecting link be-
tween Cleveland and Buffalo. From
| Buffalo, the report was relayed down
| through the state as far as Utica. AT
that point. however, wire paralysis
again was encountered. leaving AM
sterdam, Schenectady, Albany and
Troy completely cut off from the OUT
side world.
|
section of the state to-day came by
train from Albany. Four inches of
wet snow had broken down telephone,
telegraph electric light and fire alarm
wires in Albany and vicinity, and bad
ly hampered street car and train serv-
ice.
While the effect of the storm was not
so severe in New England, some points
| in that section felt the full force of the
gale. Wires were down in all parts Of
Maine. Some points on Cape Cod could
not be reached by wire early in the
day and Pittsfield. in the Berkshires,
was cut off entirely from both New
York and Boston.
Wire service to many points In East
ern Canada. which was swept by the
storm also, was disabled.
Hurt Wall street Business.
Operations in Wall street we're cur
tailed to-day by reason Of yesterdays
| storm. At the opening of the stock
market the stock exchange branch Of
the Western Union Telegraph Company
| had only a few direct wires working.
| These were to Philadelphia on the
south and Hartford and Boston on the
east. Western and southwestern wires
were still down, as were all wires south
| of Baltimore. All messages were ac-
cepted subject 70 delay.
At no time since 1888 has the Wall
| street business Of the telegraph COM
panies been so badly crippled. The
private wires of almost every stock
exchange commission house were out
of commission. One prominent nrm
had communication over It's direct wires
to Philadelphia and similar communi-
cation was had with Boston, though
with some difficulty. On the Cotton
| Exchange, business was virtually at a
standstill. All telegraph wire COM
munication was cut off and across the
quotation board on the trading floor
was written, mo wires"
In the first half hour of the cotton
market less than a half dozen trans
actions were made. At the Produce
Exchange a similar state of affairs was
reported and business there was stag
nant. One packing house reported in
direct communication with Pittsburg
and Chicago, but all other financial
wires were still out of commission.
Army of Lincmcn mt Work.
A small army Of linemen were sent
out directly after daybreak, and II is
expected that all the damage will be
repaired by tomorrow. The local tele-
phone service was not seriously inter-
rupted by the storm, but there was
no communication over the telephones
to such points as Philadelphia, Boston
and Albany.
| TWO |truStleH ana n keeper en-
ployed on Rikers Island, during the
storm. started In a small boat from
the island TO One Hundred and Thir-
ty-eighth street 10 get the night keep
ers After considerable work they
managed TO get out I'm the river,
where the wind seemed to increase and
the three men were unable TO reach
the mainland. the boat being swept
down the river 10 South Brother Is
land where Il was beached.
The whereabouts of the men was
unknown until to-day and II was
feared they had been drowned. as they
had been compelled 10 remain on the
island all night.
Two keepers. who tried 10 go from
Harts island to City Island in a
launch at about the same time. were
compelled TO put on life preservers
and abandon their boat. which was
swept 10 Whitestone, distance OF
about ten miles.