Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27
Tidal Wave Does Million
Dollars Damage TO
BOStOn'S Piers
BLIZZARD IS TERRIFIC
Several Are Drowned and Much
Damage Is Done at New
Haven and New
York City
ASSOCIATED Pressl

N storm today swept INTO new
~ England with terrific energy.
The gale drove a tide into Massa-
chusetts bay which nearly equaled
that of the famous storm of 1851.
The wet snow prostrated telegraph,
telephone, electric light and trolley
wires and railroad trains were stalled.
Three persons lost their lives in Ever
EFT and Chelsea by the sudden rise of
the tide.
From midnight until late today the
storms destructive powers were un-
usually extensive and severe. The
gale swept over the greater portion
of New England and was accompanied
by a heavy fall of snow.
Coming on a full moon, the gale
rolled a wave along the coast which
in some places reached a height of
more than fourteen feet above low
water mark.
In this city the tide went across At
lantic avenue on the water front and
caused an estimated damage of more
than $1,000,000.
In Everett. Cornelius Harl1in and his
wife We're caught in their beds and
overwhelmed by the flood. An infant
was drowned in Chelsea under similar
conditions. Persons living some dis
tance from the coast found themselves
looking over the open ocean.
Few Wires Open
Telephone and telegraph companies
had a few Wires through to New York
by way Of northern circuits. Prov
idence clung to the outside world by
only a single wire.
The streets of large cities. such as
Cambridge, Somerville, Lynn, Brock
ton, Providence, Fall River and New
Bedford. were in darkness. except for
light afforded by the full MOON
A swirl of snow, driven by a forty
mile wind. swept over Connecticut last
night and today, bringing conditions
which are likened to the famous storm
of 1888.
1t has been many winters since
snowstorm has completely placed an
embargo upon the ordinary means of
communication, as it has at New Ha-
ven and along the Atlantic coast.
New York and its environs practi-
cally were stormbound all today for
the first time this winter. The west
wing of railroad service was almost
entirely cut off in every direction.
streets were blocked with snow, and
shipping, even within the protection of
che harbor, suffered much damage.
Storm in New York
The snowfall, which began before
noon in New York yesterday, continued
steadily nearly all night, with inter
mittent ffurries throughout the greater
part Of today.
This was followed by a cold wave,
which froze the damp snow to wires,
switches and roadways.
Nearly ten inches of snow fell in New
faxa fI1.RNV 4
shovelers and six thousand trucks were
called out.
Trains from the south and west bore
the worst of the delay, service in these
directions practically being shut off
all day The two eighteen-hour Chi
cago trains were delayed to an almost
record breaking limit. the Pennsyl-
vania, due in New York at 1854 a. m,
having failed to arrive at O'Clock To-
night, and the New York Centraps
Chicago flyer being seven hours late.
A small tidal wave swept into the
harbor and dashed over the Battery
sea wall and flooded many cellars.
Two vessels were driven ashore In
the night near the quarantine station
on Staten Island-the schooner Lizzie
e. Dennison and scow. They were
pulled off, but suffered much damage.
Death from Storm
Three deaths in New York city were
due to the severity of the storm. The
victims were men who had passed the
night vainly seeking shelter and fo ID,
finally succumbing to exposure. One,
Joseph Hart, 65 years old, died in
rev at a Catholic church. More than
fifty persons were injured by falls.
The Atlantic battleship fleet, at an
chor in the Hudson, i5 picturesquely
coated with ice and snow.
A snow fall of sixteen inches. which
drifted in many places ten feet or
more, completely tied up for hours
today all steam and trolley traffic In
philadelphia and vicinity.
The storm began yesterday, and Mt
an early hour today the street rail-
ways in Philadelphia abandoned traffic.
Cars were abandoned by their crews
in all sections Of the city, and passen-
gers were compelled to remain in the
cars until daybreak.
Driven from Homes
Hundreds of persons were driven
from their homes by a flood resulting
from the breaking of dam gate at
place known as "the dykes in Chelsea,
lust over the Everett line.
Tonight the homeless were cared for
by municipal authorities in city build
ings and churches,
At Lynn the tide made a cles
across tl,n narrow isthmus
rects Aailspt With the