Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-14
Beginning Yesterday of Real
Winter in Washington.
WIRES BROKEN DOWN
FIRE ALARM SERVICE CRIPPLED
AND STREET CARS DELAYED.
Weather Bureaus Communication With
Outside World Cut OR-1ncidents
of the Visitation.

November 10 will prove a memorable day
rs the beginning of real winter for wash
ington and many other points in this I'M
. mediate section With a driZzling rain,
which began in the early morning hours,
snow by IL O'Clock and a high wind all day
and all last night the storm succeeded IN
doing more damage during its comparative
~ brief career than is ordinarily accom-
plished in a season. Telegraph and tele-
nhone wires are down all over the city. and
In the country railroads are badly embar-
raised and the service of both the electric
and steam lines crippled For many hours
the capital city was entirely cut Off from
all communication with the outside world,
the best that the Associated Press could do
being to get it's ges as far as Balti-
more and send them to Washington by mes
senger on trains.
The weather bureau for the first time in
many years. was cut of and received no
reports of outside conditions until early
this morning. 1t was o'clock before COM
municaton was established between the
bureau and the north. at which hour the re-
ports were to the effect that the storm was
then off the coast of New England and was
raging at sea, after having done great dam
age all along its path The barometer this
morning was very low in New England, but
the storm was rapidly passing to sea and
the land damage was at an end. The wind
in that section was from the north-north-
west and was blowing gale, snow falling
with it, Reports from the west say that
there was no storm out in that section and
those from the south that the anger of the
elements has subsidized. Predictions are that
the weather from now on, at least for day
or two will continue To clear. 1t will
probably be cold enough for ice tonight and
tomorrow, and following this another storm
may be expected at any time. although not
one of the severity of the first one of the
season
Damage to Wire Service.
! Great damage has been done to the wire
Service in the city outside of the property
of the telegraph and telephone companies
The fire alarm service has been seriously
handicapped. wires being down all over
the northwest section of the city and poles
blocking traffic in many places. The
storm originated in Cuba and gathered
force and chilliness as it advanced toward
the north. 1t was known as long ago as
Friday that 1t was coming this way but its
extreme severity was not looked for, es-
pecially the degree of frost that came with
IT, II swept over the coast along the south
ern states and hit Washington with a slap
that made the inhabitants dream of the
great blizzard. In fact, not since that
memorable storm has there been such a
large amount of damage done to the wire
service OF the city. The precipitation of
moisture during the course of the storm in
washington was las inches. an unusually
heavy fall.
Al lAc QdHndBe may De QlreCtly attrlD-
uted to the fact that the snow which fell
In immense fiak1s was very damp and tena-
clously chung to everything II touched. In
snort time after the rain had changed to
snow the wires looked like immense sugar
coated ropes and swayed in the tempest,
with prophetic significance. Becoming la
den beyond their endurance they snapped
or short at the ground and dragged others
10 the same fate. In a short time after
the fall OF the first pole the streets were
strewn with them and wires were every
where dangling menacingly In the paths of
those who were so unfortunate as to be
out in the tempest.
Danger lurked everywhere for MANY of |
the wires were heavily charged with cleo
tricity and In the height OF the storm 1t
was impossible to get them out of the
way. Poles went down on Whitney ave-
nue.. crippling the telephone and fire serv-
dee and cutting communication with the
police stations we'll. Tenleytown
Brightwood and Takoma were for time
completely shut off from the rest of the
city. and 1t will be some lime before the
conditions prior to the storm can be OBJ
tanned. Southeast Washington and Ana
costa were also cut off and Chief Belt or
dered double watches at all fire stations
Men scanned the sky for signs of fires and
the olden days before the institution of
electricity as fire alarm seemed to have
returned.
Night of Anxiety.
During the night the firemen patrolled
the streets ever on the lookout for fires,
anu "'icH IHc one AT the washington ar
senal was discovered 1t was learned for the
first time that the service with that point
had baer broken The alarm came to En-
CINE Company No. by telephone, but the
nearest alarm box 10 the barracks was
some distance away. This, 1t was thought.
would be the case in many instances and
thS fire watch was therefore early estab-
lisned by Chief Belt
In the midst OF the driving storm yester-
DAY afternoon telephone communication
IaAe9 Wheh needed to transmit call for
an alarm OF fire TO the Anacostia fire de-
pa'tment but fortunately citizens had the
blaze under control practically from the
start. Shortly after 2 o'clock the flames
were seen issuing from the upper story of
the frame residence occupied by Mrs
amanda Selby. a grocery store keeper at
3F3 Monroe street. Anacostia. Officer VIII
nam l.. Stewart conveyed word of the fire
70 the police station In Anacnstia and a.