New-York tribune., 1909-03-05
STORM BROUGHT GRIEF
HOPES ROUSED By FAIR
And COOLER" DASHED.
Bleak and Empty Gr0ndstn"ds
Along Line of Parods-Nony
Stalled in Trains.
From Tn. Tribun. Bureau J


Washington March 4.--'Fair ard cooler for
inauguration day" said Willis L. Moore And
the head of the Weather Bureau sought his rest
"Wednesday night with the sweet consciousness
of having shed joyful hope IN thousands Of
hearts.
Fair and cooler" read the President-elect
from an encouraging bulletin. and he smiled
broad, contented smile Of faith
Fair and cooler" went the word around hotel
Hobbies where. disconsoIate in damp shoes. stood
anxious multltudes who since last Saturday.
! had been gathering IN the capital 70 witness the
greatest Inauguration spectacle the country had
yet seen All day Wednesday they had roamed
slush coated streets or watched rain and sleet
beat window panes increasingly.
But Cheer up. Jt'll be fair and cooler TO-
morrow" helpfully suggested the purveyor or
warming beverages, as he pushed two more
across the mahogany for the man from Nash
Vile. who sympathizng With chahce
acquaintance from Louisville
And at midnight the street cleaning gangs
went cheerily to work for the morrow would
bring forth bright sunshine. and Pennsylvania
avenue must ne clean and dry for the feet o.
the .r1uItitudes with no suggestion left of the
drear damp that had been.
THE HORRIBLE AWAKENING.
Then came the dawn!
from two hundred thousand throats as two hun
dred thousand window shades few up. But now
there was no tugs of hope in the slogan. Nay.
words followed, hot bitter words that viii not
be quoted in these columns Before them lay
city buried in snow-Washngton in the clutches
Of the worst blizzard in ten years. on which the
al-night toll Of the street cleaners had rot made
so much as small scratch
Fair and cooler It was cooler all right, No
F1-ff, i,-Fa Y,s
singing northwest blast that. as il came whoop
ing along the plaza seemed TO make the very
monument itself shiver and shrink. But fair?
Not that any one observed One glimpse OF the
wet binding swirl of snow dispelled ell the
rosy visions created by the optimistic Mr..
Moore.
In short. IL was the worst piece of inausyra
ton day weather. ever put exhibition in these
United States. And that in the words of the
prophet. is proceeding considerably
It is doubtful II there was ever a larger num-
ber OF more disappointed people gathered to-
gether in one city. Downtown Washington was
deserted during the hours which in previous
inaugural years have struggling thousands
fighting for places of advantage along the side
walks on the route Of tho big parade. The
streets under foot or more Of wet, heavy
snow. and the blizzard was still ct It's height
Streetcar traffic was so uncertain that few per
sons the residential districts cared to venture
forth.
THE CAPITAL SEQUESTERED.
The heavy. clinging snow had played havoc
with telegraph and telephone wires For the
greater part Of the day the city was cut off
from communication with the outside world
Only occasional rneagre messages We're received
or sent by wireless or round about by long dis
tance telephone few wires were finally put
in working condition 10 the South, and cornmu-
nication with New York was established BY nav
of Atlanta TO Louisville and Chicago. Baltimore
forty miles away. could be reached only by wire
less
Incoming trains were stalled in drifts and re-
rnained there all day. with thousands Of would
be Inauguration visitors who had come hundreds
of miles in vain. Many other thousands were
DELAYED in the trolley cars in and about the city,
and did not reach the scene until the ceremonies
we're over. Among these unfortunates were the
midshipnen from Annapolis. who were 10 march
in the parade and were stalled twenty miles
from Washington.
The reviewing stands established along the
line of march were monuments of desolation.
Incidentally, they were sad reminders of thou
sands of dollars lost by spectators who had
hoped through them TO make the inauguration
an affair of much personal profit These stands
had been put in almost continuous line around
the east plaza of the Capitol and along Pennsyl-
vania avenue TO 18th street At the hour when
they should have been packed with gay, cheer
ine throngs. they were deserted wind wracked
water soaked and half buried in snowdrifts. 4
fny, hardy souls determined TO get some returns
from, the money they had invested, brushed
away the snow and crouched before the wind
in these dreary vantage points
DECORATIONS PREY OF STORM
The gorgeous red white and blue and gold
decorations we're stripped TO shreds by the wind
and made soggy by rain. The snow beneath was
blotched with running dye stuff.
Gradually throughout the morning the more