New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-27
STORM AND TIDE
HIT NEW ENGLAND
HIGH W4TER C4CSES
THREE DEATHS.
Railroads Crippled and Shore
Property Damaged = 500
Homeless at Chelsea.

Boston. Dec 2b--fzrirn Wit-I0f SN~E~
into New England to-day on the wings
OF a northeast storm with such rsrr1frc
force as TO cause great damage. much
inconvenience. not a little suffering ana
a few deaths.
The gale drove a tide into Massachu-
setts Bay which nearly eqUailed that OF
the famous storm of 1851, the vet snow
prostrated vvires-telephone. telegraph
electric light and trolley-thrOughour rhs
southeastern section railroad trains
were stalled. and three persons lost their
lives in Chelsea by the sudden rise OF the
tide
The storm was sighted on the weather.
chart on Friday far down in the Nissis-
sippi Valley. It gathered strength on its
way I'D the coast. but did not prove q.
menace until late last night when is
was central somewhere or the south
eastern coast OF New England From
midnight until late to-day its destrue-
tive powers were unusually exrenstV9
and severe. With it's centre sOmewhera
on Nantucket. il drew down by a wide
spiral into a continually deepening cen
TIRE. a northeast gale which swept over
the greater portion OF New England and
was accompanied by a heavy fall OF
snow
The high tide. however. was the feat
ure OF the storm Coming on a full noon
the gale rolled a wave along the coast
which in some places reached a helgnr
OF more than IA feet above low water
mark. and has only been exceeded sc-
cording TO local records. by that Whlch
swept the coast at the tine that Minot's
Light was destroyed in April, 1eo1- In
this city the tide went across Atlanric
avenue on the water front. and. filing
hundreds Of cellars, caused an estimated
damage OF over S1.O0O.OO0.
TAKEN FROM HOMES IN BOATS
In many places along the coast persons
were taken from their homes IN boats.
hundreds OF summer cottages we're IN
Cernined, bulkheads were destroyed and
persons living some distance from the
coast found themselves looking over the
open ocean.
The prostra ton OF the wire service.
especially in Southeastern New England
was more extensive than for many years
The telephone and telegraph companies
had few wires through TO New York
BY way of Northern circuits. and COM
nl1nication with the North and EaSt,
where the snow was dry. was in fairly
good shape to-day. But PrOvidenc9
chung 10 the outside world BY only a
single wire. while communication toward
FaH River. Newport and New Bedford
and Cape Cod by ordinary lines ceased
N Brocklon The wireless. however
established communication with Cape
Cod. and there was much relief when
word was received from the peninsUla.
that it's long. sandy beach had not been
marked by a wreck
RAILROADS BADLY BLOCKED
II IS many years since the railroads
and street railway companies have been
so badly blocked The wet snow proved
less Of a handicap than the fallen wires
and telegraph poles for the steam. rail
roads but The street railways could
make little progress in clearing their
lines Of the heavy drift The delay on
the railroads was worse 10 the North ana
South than 20 the West Between Provi-
deuce and New London fallen wires and
poles aeld trains for many hours. while
easLbcund trains over the Boston &
Maine for Maine and New Brunswic<
points were badly delayed
Fallen wires for radius OF twenty o-
thirty miles around Boston and through
out Southeastern Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island made IL necessary 70 cut
out completely electric Lighting plants IN
those communities that were served bv
the overhead system Large cities.
such as Cambridge. Somervile, Lvr-.
Brockton. Providence, Fan River and
New Bedford. were in darkness. sxcspr
for the light Afforded by the cuu moon
behind heavy banks OF clouds.
II viii probably be many days bsr,-,
the full extent OF the storm is known OF
the damages repaired
EIGHT MISSING AT CHELSEA
Two thousand five hundred peopIs
were driven from their homes. th-s.
persons were drowned. with eight -
ported missing. and property damaE,
TO the amount % hundreds OF thousands
OF dollars was caused by the tidal aooI
which swept the west end OF Chelsea ar
10 o'clock this morning
Carrying With a rush the ole diks
which for sixty-five years has confinsf
the island end river. the immense wave
surged without warning through shs
thickly populated section n the West
End, covering 10 a depth OF from four %
twelve feet an area half a mile SQUARE
Panic-srricken. hundreds OF peopis
leaped from windows and doors OF their
houses. half clad, into the icy water and
We're dragged TO safety by policemen
who launched a fiotiIIa OF rowboats II,
release the imprisoned families and nick
up the victims
In the flooded zone are several stables
and TWO milkmen LOST sixty cows
drowned in their stalls. before they
could be liberated
Several horses in other stables. net ths
same tate,
Mr.. and Mrs. Cornelius Harkins- by-
ing in Locust street. were drowned IL,
their beds Harkins occupied the base
menr tenement OF one OF the houses
In Sd street. Chelsea. an infanr was
drowned The baby apparently was
abandoned by its parents in their has.,
20 escape the Oncoming waters.
Barely recovering from the IRE which
wiped out the major portion OF this city
little over year ago. this second dts
asrer has been a severe blow 90 Chelsea