Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-01-31
PECULIAR OCCURANCE.
Lots Of Ice, Trees and Wires Broken
Down and People Injured.

Last Thursday evening a mist
began to fall, and, owing to the
low temperature, ice began to
form on every conceivable object
that was exposed. This process
of the water and cold continued
throughout Thursday night and
nearly all day Friday. Such
quantities Of ice had accumulated
on the trees, telephone and tele-
graph wires that early Friday
morning limbs began to fall from
the trees, which IN many cases adj
ded to the damage by carrying
down with them telephone, tele-
graph and electric light wires,
smashing fences and frightening
horses, and, by Friday night. con-
siderable damage, accidents and
injuries had occurred. A partial
list of those happening follows:
the telephone system with poles
down and broken wires had been
put out of business, ditto the tele-
graph companies and also the
electric light service. This cut
off phone communication throug-
out the city, telegraph communi-
cation with the outside world and
caused the people to grope along
dark. muddy and dangerous
streets, blockadedwith live electric
wires, fallen limbs, with more
falling, and rushing waters, a
mess which is appreciated more
by it's unfrequent visits than
otherwise, with considerable care
and little progress. Hardly a
tree in the city escaped injury of
some kind or another. Broken
limbs covered the ground, and in
many instances the naked trunks
were all that remained. This
state of affairs prevailed through
out the county. Many reports
say the fruit crop will be short
owing to the great damage done to
fruit trees.
The wires were 80 near the
ground at the Main street crossing
of the Western railroad that they
were cut in order to permit
trains to pass. Several poles fell.
being unable to support the
weight upon them, and one large
one near the court house was
broken in four pieces. The tele-
phone people say they will have
to reset so poles.
The street car service was
temporarily suspended.
A negro by the name of Henry
Edwards, slipped on the ice near
the Lutheran church, Saturday
morning, and broke his leg.
Ice falling on a double team of
horses on Council street, Saturday
morning, frightened and caused
them to run away. They threw
the negro in charge out and broke
up the wagon.
James Cowan. colored, was
thrown out of his wagon by a
hanging wire and was knocked
unconscious and cut about the
face.
A lineman for the Postal Tele-
graph Co., John G. Eskridge, was
climbing a pole when his spurs
failed to penetrate the thick ice
which caused him to loose his
hold and gave him a fall of some
IS or 40 feet. He broke his fall
somewhat by makinga jump. He
was bruised some and sustained a
broken knee cap. He was carried
to the hospital.
Henry Wertz, of Chestnut Hill,
slipped on the ice, fell and broke
his arm Saturday morning.
Henry Horney, who was found
on the blind of baggage car Thnrs-
day almost frozen, had a very
close call from death. He had be-
come UNCONSCIOUS and 1t took
some time to thaw him out. He
was jailed for vagrancy.
At Spencer, the conditions were
pretty much the same as here,
except Spencer has a death to
record. Fuller Porter, a colored
employee Of the Southern, was
killed by a shock from a wire
charged with electricity. The
wire had broken and fallen when