The Washington times., 1909-03-05
NEW YORK IN GRIP
Of RAGING STORM
Wires Down and Connection
Cut Of-Great Dam
age Done.

NEW YORK, March with every
means of transportation crippled and in
many instances of absolutely no service.
With telegraph wires in all directions
down, and with suffering on every hand,
New York and vicinity is today just be
ginning &c emerge from the dangers and
Inconvenience Of the most disastrous
blizzard since that of IS
The relentless snowstorm which de-
seconded Wednesday night and held the
middle Atlantic seaboard completely in
its grip all yesterday has affected every
business and private interest and every
individual IN the metropolis The tele-
phone and telegraph companies were
completely at its mercy and are Just be
ginning now TO straighten out the mass
of fallen and useless wires. The ferries
between New York and Jersey City, Ho-
boken. and Weehawken can make but
thc most irregular trips over the ChOppy
river and a haIf-frozen army Of people
has struggled for two days to get back
and forth
HarboI traffic is blocked and while the
storm ragged three lives were lost
through the sinking Of a barge. Tugs
and small boats early yesterday were
driven in to shore by the high winds
North river is Jumbled mass of float
ing ice and turbulent water and was
frozen over during the height Of the
storm.
NO Inaugural News.
The blizzard could not have come at
a more unfavorable time. With Wash
iuEton as the center Of the nation yes
terday, so far as news interest was
'5nceUned, it was practically impossible
o. get over any wire the slightest in
formation as 10 the inaugural and the
weeping changes that were necessi-
tated in the days proceedings. At 4
late hour last night three badly Grip
Lied wires were at last gotten in partial
working order, and communication be
wen the Capital and this city was
possible. One wire worked with Wash
ir.gton direct, one by way Of Atlanta.
I'D the third by way of Charlottesville,
There was not a train from Washing
- that reached New York yesterday
Until o'clock IN the afternoon, more
than ten hours late. The PENNSYLVANIA
express and the Atlantic Coast Line eX-
press, due at noon, arrived early in the
Idght. Others badly late are struggling
Ia this morning
Traffic conditions UP State were equal
w as bad Albany was isolated, and all
trains from the North Crept in with
their miserable passengers hours after
they were due. The region south of
Philadelphia might as well not have
heen on the map during the greater part
OF the day.
The gale descended upon the city with
All the fury and suddenness of an ocean
hurricane Smaller craft were tossed
about upon StOrm-tossed waters Of the
h7TbOr as though they had been of
paper. Six Baltimore and Ohio baTgeS
sank before they could be towed ashore
and a. number Of tugs suffered heavy
damages before they reached the an
cIUrage.
Trolley Lines Flooded
On Long Island the tide which &C
compauied the early morning atmo-
spheric demonstration was the highest
IN five years, flooding two railroads
trestles and hating the operations of
. number OF trolley lines Tugs were
held IN readiness during the day and
night TO aid any craft in distress, and
th'- ty-two wreckers or the Mercy
which stranded several weeks ago and
began to 90 to pieces early n the storm
were rescued.
According 10 the weather bureau.
however, New York did not see the full
force Of the storm, which had its center
in the territory about Baltimore and
Washington, and extended all the way
from this city 10 Norfolk
The entire snow cleaning department
p at WoIk toCdEs ana some SeuDIdnCC
81 natural street conditions. mainly m
the downtown districts, has been Sc
cured.
In addition 10 the damage done the
buineSs interests, there has been great
suffering among the ciIE's poor The
charitable Institutions ana homes. and
the bread lines have been unequal TO the
demands made upon them 10y hungry
and half-frozen unf0r-ulates. Condi-
tons in the tenement section are heart
rending. The Suddeness Of the bIiZ-
yards onslaught and its severity found
many of the poor totally unYreDareo
and the toll Of death. cIrectIy and iudi-
rectly traceable to the storms biting
fury, will be large.