New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-27
FIVE DIE IN STORM
Continued from first page.

! a T.
ously Down on Gravesend meadows,
between Coney Island and Timer Park.
three trains were held UP more securely
than ever did fearless bandit, and $50
passengers spent their Christmas night
in a solitude made fearsome by the ele
ments
DEATH IN THE BLAST
Death came in the laden blast,
but the harvest was light. for the tenn
perature was not low. II lowered around
the freezing point, and that was all.
over in Brooklyn, here in Manhattan
and in the other boroughs there were
accidents due TO falls on the cleared
pavements after the storm, but the tense
suffering Of other great winter storms
was absent
Surface lines here and elsewhere in
the greater city struggled hard TO give
service, but il was an almost fruitless
effort until well toward evening yester-
day. Cars were stalled and made the
sport OF giant drifts. Railroad yards
were clicked with the snow on Christmas
night when the fall was heaviest Over
in the Lackawanna yards. in Hoboken.
hydro-carbon was poured over the
switches. It burned up" the snow and
prevented an extended blockade. Other
means were used in other yards of the
great lines with more or less good effect.
To the weather man the storm was a
matter of figures. There it was said
that il began at 1927 o'clock on Christ
mas morning and that the last flake fell
at 11.45 o'clock yesterday morning.
The barometer was lowest Of any time
since November 13. 1904. when it regis
tered 2S.70. Yesterday morning at 40
o'clock it registered 2s.79. The fall was
little more than ten inches. measured
by the precipitation. which was Ia
inches Of water
There was once q great storm which
paralyzed traffic for days That was in
1858, on March l.. The snowfall then
was eighteen inches. and the cold was
intense. All storms since that time are
measured by the famous blizzard. This
last storm was moist. The snow had
weight. It chung and bore down and
held fast Every traffic manager had
every snow plough or sweeper at his
command at work from start TO linish.
In spite Of this the Pennsylvania and
other railroads were all but crippled for
hours
TROUBLE WITH MAILS.
For a time it seemed as if the mails
would be seriously delayed All long
distance trains were very late But the
storm could not have chosen q better
time for its raging than the two holidays.
At the Postofice it was said last even
ing that the mails would all be in and
ready for distribution at the usual time
this morning This referred to the mails
from the leading business centres
Those from below Philadelphia may be
late. Extra forces will be put at work
10 aid in preventing delay.
The two greatest trains running in or
out Of this city-those Of the New York
Central and the Pennsylvania, making
Chicago in eighteen hours-were late
The former limped in here three hours
behind time. The Pennsylvania was
more than six hours behind time. At 81
an hour To each passenger for the delay
q stipulation made by the railroads. this
meant about $4,000 returned to those
who travelled on these trains.
EASY FOR THE SUBWAY.
The Interborough, as reported by the
officials. had easy sailing throughout the
storm and after There were slight de
lays. due 10 the blowing out of fuses.
The surface lines were hard hit. From
the time the snow began 10 fall in a
businesslille way until the finish sweep
ers and ploughs were kept moving, but
the work Of the wind was more rapid
In few minutes impossible drifts were
formed and blockades were the result
On Canal street there was a halliday
interval between cars, but elsewhere
there vas more frequent service
In Brooklyn, where the overhead trol-
/ ley IS used, the blockades were more Sc
/ rious- Cars were frequently derailed,
and then they formed the necessary OBJ
stacle for a fine drift, which frequently
curled over the roof. On Staten Island
and in The Bronx there were also more
frequent blockades than in Manhattan.
Automobiles limped along and there was
no breaking Of the speed limit. In the
suburbs stalled automobiles were num-
erous, but the chauffeurs stuck TO their
! machines until aid arrived
Contrary TO expectation the cheap
lodging houses and the municipal lodg-
ing house we're not overcrowded last
night. At the latter only 100 men asked
for free shelter 10 341 the night before
The manager said that the frequenters
had obtained work clearing streets Of
snow and had money TO spend.
BIG BILLS MEN AT WORK.
Horses did not suffer much yesterday.
The trucks We're absent, Of course, and
whatever OF danger 10 the animals there
may be will come to-day. Cab horses
were carefully handled, and the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty 10 Animals
had little 70 DO. Texicabs were mainly
used on the streets that had been cleared
By the Street Cleaning Department and
those where car tracks had been swept
clean Big Bill" Edwards, the Com
missioner, had his men busy before the
storm had ceased, and the principal ave