Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-01-29
Telegraph Wires
Coated With Ice
Snap in Two
COMMUNICATION STOPPED
And Denver and Inter.moun.
tain Country are Cut Off
From all Other Parts

Denver, Jan ga heavy sleet
storm, extending along the Missouri
River for a distance of nearly 100
miles, has practically cut off not on
| ~ Denver but, the whole inter-mountain
and Pacific coast country from the
outside world. Since eleven o'clock
last night. when the last telegraph
wire east, went down, wire commune
cation with the east has been at a
standstill. The storm started in the
eastern portions of Kansas and Ne
braska last night with a thick fog.
Later this turned to rain, then, as a
cold wave and strong wind swept
across the Kansas and Nebraska prai-
rios the telegraph wires became badly
coated with ice, swapping one by one,
under the heavy burden.
Efforts to get through a route eth
er to the north or to the south fail
ed. Neither the Western Union nor
the Postal telegraph companies had
any information regarding the extent
of the storm.
Cumbres is Blocked.
Denver, Jan. 29.-Southwestern CO..
orado is in the throes of one of the
worst snowstorms it has experienced
this year and as result traffic on the
railroads has been temporarily sus-
pended at certain points. The Den
YER ~ Rio Grande, which for several
days had IFS Silverton line blocked,
in getting it open this morn
ing. The snow began falling steadily,
however. on the line near Alamosa
and on Cumbres mountain. The snow
Is drifting and the road is blocked
over the mountain. The snowplows
have been sent there and one of the
big rotaries will begin boring it's way
through as soon as the snow stops
falling. No passenger trains were
caught and preparations have been
made to open the line as soon as it
stops showing.
Houses Unroofed-Storm Worst In
Years.
st. Joseph, No. Jan. 29.-The worst
storm in this locality for many years
ragged during the last eighteen hours.
1t started with warm rain. the mer-
curry being at almost summer heat,
and then it turned to sleet and snow
with freezing temperature. The
wind attained great velocity, and dur
ing the night many houses were un-
rooted and plate glass windows were
destroyed Telegraph and telephone
lines are down in all directions.
Trains Delayed.
All trains coming from Denver are
delayed A passenger train from
Leadvile is reported stuck in the
snow in Platte Canon and the Gunni-
son branch of the Colorado and South
ern is tied up at the Alpine tunnel.
On the south park division of this
road the storm is said to be the worst
in ten years.
Old Boreas Adds to Suffering.
The blizzard which was heightened
by sixty-mle wind, ragged through
out Nebraska western Iowa and
southern South Dakota all night and
toward morning increased in fury
Hardly a single line of communica-
tiOn was open in any direction and ia
this city the public service corpora
tions were almost demoralized. From
a temperature of So degrees at
o'clock Thursday evening, the ther-
fell almost to zero at mid
night, greatly increasing the serious
ness Of the storm. Snow fell all night
and during the early hours Of the day
and was whirled by strong wind in
clouds which completely filled the air.
DemoIishes Hotel and Buildings.
st. Joseph, Mo-, Jan. 29.-That the
cyclone demolished the fremont hotel
and several buildings at Macon. Mo-,
Is the report brought heer this morn
ing by travelling man. Efforts to
confirm the rumor are yet unavailing.