The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-25
WIRES BROKEN BY
WEIGHT 81 III-l| OF 0 ICE ICE
Telegraph Pole Near Third and
Z Main Streets Fell-Railroads
Keeping Lines Open With
Difficulty Con-
ditions Else
where.

Covered By several inches OF snow
that turned first to slush and then
froze stin under the Wintry night air
Richmond spent one of the most dreary
and disagreeablc Sundays In the his
tory of the city. A freezing rain dur
Ing the afternoon sthrea tened serious
damage to trees and wires from slect
but the precipitation ceased entirely
about dark and by midnight il full
moon was In the Sky again. and the
clouds were breaking.
The SNOW began about 4 A. NJ and
fell on frozen ground. In fine sitting
powder. which rapidly covered every :
thing. The precipitation continued
without Interinisslon until about NJ
O'clock in the afternoon. when more
than three inches was recorded. The
quality of the downpour then began
gradually to change first to sleet and
then to cold. fine rain, whicl, made
the afternoon as dismal as any the
city has eyer known BY dusk the
rain was again freezing to trees, on
Wiressand In Car grooves. andSthe night
that followed was a rough one, only a
few yenturing out to the evening SER
vices and the streets being nearly de-
serted by 10 o'clock
Street Cars DELAYED.
Where the snow was cleaned ice
formed. making a slippery and dangerous
salkway. The coating on the wires
caused much delay in the street-railway
service. and nearly every car made a
greenish flame of light where the cur
rent passed from the Recovered wires
to the equally ce-cakcd trolley wheel.
The company had its big sweepers out
during the day keeping tile tracks open,
and men We're Stationed at the crossings
and curves. Superintendent Buchanan.
of the Passenger and Fpwer Com
pany, reported last night that all the
lines We're in operation. and that the
worst of the storm seemed to have
| ipastea So; ~ sfs - IS Sss
a pole carrying light wires gave. way
under the weight OF the Ice near Third
and Main Street, and made the pas
sage of Third Street appear rather dan
gerous.
The wires. however. held. The
wagons were summoned out for small
breakases last night, but officials of
tile electric company said that no Sc
rious trouble had been reported
The telephone service was also
somewhat damaged by the storm, a
number OF phones being put out of
commission. especially in the suburbs.
Repair gangs Will be. sent out early.
to-day. It is thought that for so se-
we're a storm the damage has been
CQElpaFa llve!ys ilSHl.s
The telegraph companies had good
connections to the North last night,
bot those south OF Richmond were Sc
yerely injured. connections being cut
off from considerable section of
Eastern North Carolina.
The railroads entering Richmond re-
ported that their lines were being kept
open with some difficulty. The Chesa-
pcakc and Ohio had all Its passenger
trains on time, or nearly so, late last
right, but the roads North and South
have been considerably delayed. The
storm seems to have hit Southside
Virginia with more force than IN
Northern sections. as much delay. was
occasioned south of the city.
About the missions We're the usual
men were in the halls of the Methodist
institution, and the full capacity Of
the mems dormitories was tested last
night
All the charitable organizations Of
the city repeat their call on the pub
lie for old clothes. as a steady demand
for warm clothing comes with every
such spell of weather.
Superintendent Davis of the cty's
charities, was making arrangements
last night for delivering small loads
Of wood to-day to large number Of
poor people, A large amount of private
charity of this kind is done through
the various fuel dealers. one Of them
having distributed a carload OF coal on
the orucr Of a large customer. to a
number of poor families last week.
The calls for assistance will increase
as the winter lengthens, and the or
Eanized charities arc asking the as
sistance Of the publicAin meeting the
| situation.