The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-19
Traffic Has a Desperate Time With the Driving Storm
 of Arctic Snow
MANY ACCIDENTS OCCUR
 BUT NONE ARE SERIOUS
It Is Believed That Snow Will Be Foot Deep Before 1t Quits Falling. Wind Blows at the Rate of
 Fifty Miles an Hour.

Chicago, February 1S.-The most violent storm that has visited Chicago In many years commenced today at o'clock in the morning and tonight is raging with increasing violence and there is no pros pect of a lessening of its force before morning. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon. several inches of snow had fallen and it was still coming down heavily. The wind at frequent intervals blew with a velocity of 50 miles an hour and it hurled the snow through the streets in such blind ing clouds that it was impossible to see for a greater distance than a half square and often the range of vision would be limited to few feet.
 A great number of accidents of a minor character were caused by collisions between wagons and street cars. Up to 6 o'clock tonight, no serious catastrophes had been reported. When the streets were slickest, the wind was blowing so heavily and the snow was falling in such blinding sheets, that it was posi- lively dangerous to attempt to cross Michigan avenue at It's intersection with
  street. These crossings are used by thousands of people every night.
 It was found necessary to station large number of policemen at these cor ners to assist women, and often it was more than an officer could do to pilot woman across without assistance.
 The street car companies and the ele- vated roads fared well throughout the day, but the heavy increase of snow that came in the late afternoon, made desper- ate work for them. Every available man and all the snow blows were constantly at work in Keeping the tracks clear. In The distant suburbs, the trolly lines were operated with difficulty because of the constant increasing drifts, and locomo- tion became constantly more difficult. It was estimated at the weather bureau that the fall of snow would amount to one foot or more by morning.
 The Illinois Central railroad experienced great difficulty during the evening mov- ing it's great suburban trains. In some instances the trains remained stalled for hours while the tracks were shoveled clear. The Illinois Central, Chicago and Northwestern and Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroads reported incoming trains three to seven hours late.
 The storm center during the evening was over Springfield, Ill., and was mov- ing with a probability that it would pass over Chicago early tomorrow morning The snowfall was general in Eastern Iowa and Nebraska, northern Missouri, central and northern Illinois and Indiana, and in Wisconsin and Michigan. Omaha, Ne braska, reported the heaviest fall in 20 years-nearly IA inches-entailng much delay and suffering to live stock en route to eastern markets.
 Several trains are said to be more than l5 hours overdue.
 One of the most tragic occurrences in connection with the storm was the wrecking in the harbor at Waukegan of the fishing boat Anspach, in which two men lost their lives and six others had narrow escapes from death. The boat left the harbor early in the day to visit nets set 10 miles out in Lake Michigan. Caught in the storm on the return trip, the vessel battled with the elements until it regained the harbor at o'clock in the evening, only to be blown against protection wall and crushed.
 Captain Oliver Rubier, with five men composing the crew, were thrown upon an ice pack. Four of the men suc- ceeded in clinging to the ice and were rescued. Two slid into the water and were drowned.
 At Hammond, Ind, two men blinded by the storm, were run down by train and fatally injured In the vicinity, woman overcome by exhaustion, was found dying in the snow.
 The government forecaster announced late tonight that there was little re- lief in sight, more snow being in pros- pect with falling temperature.