The Washington herald., 1909-03-06

Baltimore. Nd, March 5.-AIthough
Baltimore tonight IS still cut OF by teie-
graph from the outside world. the city Is
slowly recovering from the great biz
zard
Thousands of men labored necessarily
during Thursday night. and were re-
lieved by other thousands at daybreak
this morning. in a desperate endeavor 20
repair the damage wrought by the
great blizzard.
Damage Very Heavy.
It is estimated that at least zoe miles
Of electric wires lay prostrate within
the limits Of the city as a result Of the
storm More than half thousand poles
were pulled down BY the weight Of the
ice which clung to the wires. This de-
struction was in Baltimore and the I'm
mediate suburbs. II is difficult TO esti-
mata the monetary loss, owing TO the
many things that enter into It, but
$4,000 is not considered an exaggera-
ton; and this does not include the loss
Of receipts 10 the United Railways and
Electric Company. the Consolidated Gas,
-
telephone and telegraph companies, the
electric lines 10 Annapolis and Washing
ton. and the railroads.
Il IS estimated that the corporations
viii have TO expend quarter Of a mil
lion dollars TO re-establish service. and
that they have lost fully that much more
because they we're unable 10 serve the
public.
E.E
Baltimore and Ohio trains are moving.
but not upon schedule time. which in
the absence Of means Of communication
to direct progress, together with the sit
ustion al the Washington terminal.
would be impossible
Trains over the llnes Of the Pensyl-
vania Railroad. 10 and from Baltimore.
are running on fairly good tine. consid-
ering the conditions, but it is impossible
10 operate on anything Ike schedule
time The tracks 70 Baltimore from the
North are IN much better condition than
those between Baltimore and Washing
ton Trains from the North are running
IN some cases only FIVE minutes behind
schedule OF course, there are times
when some trains are an hour late. The
southboUnd service over the Northern
Central Railway is also in fairly good
shape.
Northbound trains from Washington
continue late. In some cases delays Of
two 10 three hours are reported.
The block system wires are down. but
there are still block orders in effect. As
train enters block the conductor
visits the tower, and should the oper-
AZ =
rot proceed. the conductor IS given eau
ton orders and proceeds into the block.
This plan, Of course, requires much more
time than wnen The telsgraphic communi-
cations are in operation between the
blocks, but II is deemed perfectly safe.
To Outside World.
As regards telegraphic and telephone
communication with the outside world.
Baltimore is IN the same predicament as
on yesterday, and every effort is being
made by these companies to re-estabIish
communication Of some sort to points
outside the city.
For from thirty 70 forty miles in all
directions poles and wires were lying in
a mass Of tangled wreckage. Efforts yes
terday BY the Hnenlen were directed
chiefly TO clearing away the wreckage.
Using all means az hand, efforts viii
be made to getting rs-estabiished some
sort OF temporary service as rapidly as
possible Mics Of poles and wires, how
ever, viii have 70 be rebuilt entirely
Gangs Of telegraph and telephone line
men are to-day scattered all over the
storm zone. those outside working to-
weSd Baltimore TO meet the gangs NOV
ing out from that city. Seventeen ganss
OF Western Union hnemen arrived here
last night from other places and left
again this morning for the points as
signed to them.
On the Western Union route between
Baltimore and Havre de Grace, Nd, more
than Leo poles on three separate lines
with total OF 40 wires, are down alto
getheT.
approximately the same conditions ex-
ist between here and Washington on the
four lines running over the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad and the highways
The Postal Telegraph and Gable Com
pany IS in the same condition.
The main routes Of that company
through this city follow the highways.
Their system in the storm area viii vir
tualv have 10 be rebuilt.