Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-11-16
Braffleb0r0 Local
FIRST STORM A HEAVY ONE
SNOW OF SUNDAY DID HEAVY
DAMAGE TO TREES AND WIRES.
Monday Was a Busy Day for Employees
of Electric Light and Telephone Com
panies Hundreds OF Breaks Caused
by Snow Lights Out Monday Night


The first snow of winter began 10 ar
rive early Sunday morning and the last
of the consignment from the Arctic re-
gions came in at nearly midnight The
temperature lowered around the melting
point all day and the snow was exceed
ingly damp and sticky. Owing TO the
damp and unfrozen ground II took
long time to get the ground thoroughly
covered but after the foundation was
laid depth was added very fast indeed
until midnight, when the storm ceased
with fully nine inches of the beautiful
covering all the country round The
damp snow chung to everything with
which ii came in contact and late in the
afternoon electric light wires unable to
stand the burden added to their own
weight began to snap, Nearly all the
town was in darkness. On High street
hill two poles were dragged down and
the power had to be shut off so ms not To
endanger passersby from the charged
wires which lay on the ground. pole
went down on Birge street in front OF
| Estey's shops and another on Western
avenue. On Elm street two wires be,
came crossed until they We're burned OIL
and fell to the ground, affording a
brilliant pyroteehnieal display until the
mower was turned off. On West street
cross,arm broke, letting the are light
/ fall. Many loops to private houses were
/ broken off and repairs had to be made
| before the lights could be turned on
again.
Sunday night power stopped coming
4 from the plant in West Dummerston.
/ 1t was thought that the trouble had
been remedied Monday, but no power
would come that evening, and Supt. w.
! II. BRYANT and Leon G. White, manager
of the electric light station ON Arch
street, started out at about q clock IN
/ the evening TO see what the matter was.
/ They went to the plant, following the
wire all the way, but were unable TO
! locate the trouble. The power was then
4 turned on, hoping to locate the break by
/ the flash that would result, The two
men retraced their way along the WIRE,
but were still unable to find anything
the matter. Tuesday morning IT was
| found that the wire had broken at an
! insulation at West River bridge and the
4 ends fallen into the water. The wires
were connected and the lights of the
town were working all right that even
| ing. Monday night many of the lines
/ had to be shut off, as there was not
| enough power at the local station to run
them ali, and as "A result the stores on
/ the West side of Main street were IN
darkness. The lines lighted were those
from which it was thought the most
people would derive benefit,
Telephone wires suffered as well as
electric. The trunk lines were pat out
of commission early in the afternoon
sunday and it was impossible to com
municate with the outside world either
nv telephone or telegraph. Several
wires snapped by the weight of the
snow and others were broken by falling
trees. A repair gang was sent out from
Holvoke Sunday afternoon. They came
! 70 Greenfield by train and then started
out to drive toward this place, looking
for and repairing breaks. They arrived
here Monday morning, but were sent
hack TO Vernon without being allowed
fine for sleep or rest. The line to
Hinsdale was broken in a dozen places.
The local repair gang was kept busy
about Town anu pli NiA' '"'-s
Most of the breaks were near Brattle-
boro. which shows that the storm was
heaviest in this neighborhood. Alto
gether between 400 and 500 breaks were
repaired on this division. About town
lines were broken on Canal street, Pros
meet hill and Western avenue. Inc
lines to Newfane, Williamsville, West
Brattleboro and Marlboro were also
broken down.
The shade trees of the town were
damaged considerably. On the Common
a large limb fell across the trolley wire
and broke it. Passengers on the cars
had to be transferred at the break all
Sunday evening The break was re,
paired after the power was shut of at
night. Several trees on the Retreat
grounds were broken down and others in
the north part of the town. Most of the
trees broken were in that section.
The snow as it fell was ideal for the
small boy with snowballing and man
making. The yard of practically every
house in the town containing a small
how was decorated Monday morning
with the regulation snowman. A com
paratively correct census of the juvenile
population might have been taken by
1.