New-York tribune., 1905-02-13
ICE CRIPPLES TRAFFIC.
Mann accident Cases, Due to ohp-
peru Streets. at Hospitals.

Rain which began falling early yesterday
afternoon froze as il fell and time seriously
crippled traffic on the elevated railroad hhes'
Persons who had to make their way about III
the streets found the operation not only oliio"ie
but dangerous. as the records testined at al '"e
city hospitals. where many cases Vi i'i'A
bruises and contusions were treated.
From d to 7;3O D. M trains were delayed ana
thrown out OF schedule on all the eieNa'eu iii'e'
on account of fee the third rails ana the CON
seouent blowing out of fuses and other break
downs Late afternoon elevated trains crosseu
the Brooklyn Bridge spasmodically. AT the
Manhattan end Of the bridge the water flowed in
streams over the concrete floor and some OF IL
got into the subway.
Ar the weather bureau last night f. ii.
Emery the district forecaster said the indica-
tions were that to-day would be fair and much
colder, with brisk northwest winds FAIR ana
continued cold weather is promised for to-
morrow Mr. Emery said there had been rain
and snow generally east of the Mississippi River
as far north as Portland Me-. but that In the
Southwest il had been cold, the Thermometer
reaching TO below zero in Northern Texas. Sew
enty-four one-hundredths of an inch of rain fell
Yesterday. according to the Weather Bureau.
The official thermometer registration at 4
o'clock in the afternoon was 80. while at
said the temperature would fall steadily lower.
It was said the telephone companies were hav
ing trouble with their long distance wires, but
no information could be obtained at the offices
of the actual conditions. 1t announced by
the superintendents of the Western Union and
Postal Telegraph companies that their wires
We're in good condition all through the storm.
BY what the trainmen called the freezing
in of the motors on a three-car train on the
Third-ave elevated road at 177th-st. the up
town track was blocked from until 4:45 D. m.
The ice formed so fast the third rail that the
steel brushes could not clear it, and the iron
contact shoes froze fast. Workmen with picks
chopped the ice from the third rail for few
blocks, and then the trains all pushing together
managed to get into motion the one which had
been stalled. Once going, the steel brushes
again became operative and further trouble was
avoided.
Surface water poured In a stream across the
promenade at the Park Row entrance to the
Brooklyn Bridge. 1t streamed down the car
tracks on the roadways gradually growing in
volume until it collected at the loops and poured
across tie tracks and out toward Park Row.
There II formed stream eight or ten feet wide,
varying in depth from one TO four inches.
At the opening TO the subway underneath the
centre staircase to the elevated and bridge trains
workmen placed heavy pieces OF joist, that
the flood detected from entering the sub
way. This entrance is not open to the public
as yet. The water turned from the entrance
streamed across the promenade to the sidewalk
and into the gutter.
Policemen at the bridge entrance were busy
most OF the time helping women and children
out Of the way of the water.
The icy streets delayed the f1remen in reaching
a fire which caused $4,000 damage early in
the evening in the six story building at No 61S
Broadway, occupied by wholesale firms and
hampered them after they got there. Although
only the two top floors and the upper part of
the fourth floor entirely burned out, the
stocks of the firms on the floors below were
completely ruined by vast volumes of water.
Three alarms were sounded.