The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-27
Cancels Engagement to Dine
With Carnegie in N. Y.
The Blizzard Renders Railroad
Schedules Uncertain.
TEN INCHES OF SNOW.
Men Worked All Night to Break
Blockade in Gotham.
Situation i'm Philadelphia the
Worst in Years.

The Christmas blizzard, the severest
storm experienced in the East in 20
years, tied up local traffic this morn
ing in cities from Pennsylvania to
Maine and disarranged train sched-
uIes throughout half a dozen states.
Conditions, however, are rapidly
improving and railroads and munich
palities are today bending every effort
to move intercity and local traffic.
There is reason to believe conditions
will be normal again oy Tuesday
night when another storm is expected
from the West.
A number of persons have met their
death through exposure or accident
five in Philadelphia and a dozen or
more in New York. The final reports
of the fatalities in New England have
not come to hand.
In Philadelphia this morning gen.
eral business was practically at a
standstill. All through trains were
late. only one street car line was run
ming and the city is suffering from
shortage of milk.
Washington did not suffer severely
but communication with Boston is
maintained only with difficulty. The
storm in New England seems to have
been worst in the vicinity of New
Bedford, Providence, Fall River, New
port, Pawtucket and Woonsocket.
In New York City 1000 men are at
work cleaning the streets.
Washington, Dec. 27.-On account
of uncertain traffic conditions, due to
the storm. President Taft has can
celled his engagement to dine tonight
in New York City with Andrew Car
negie and to speak before the Ameri-
can Historical association in Carnegie
hall
Little Inconvenience was felt in
Washington today as a result of the
Christmas storm, beyond the late ar
rival of trains from the north with be-
lated Christmas gifts and mails and
the presence in the city of four and
one-half inches of snow and icy pave
ments
Traffic conditions on the trunk line
railways were such that President
Taft thought it advisable to cancel en-
gagements in New York, which he
lad made for tonight although little
dlftculty was anticipated by railway
officials in the movement of trains
northward- Loday.-In- fact, = Washing
ton escaped the full effect of the
storm. Street railways are running on
schedule time. Hopeful conditions
were held out this morning by the au-
thorities at the weather bureau. who
said that the storm which began on
Christmas eve had passed out TO sea
off the Maine coast and everything
seemed clear in the east.
Another disturbance, however is
coming out of the west and moving
eastward. but this. they say, will re-
suit in only little snow.
Ten Inches of Snow.
New York, Dec. 27-Hard work all
city's streets broke the tie-up caused
by the greatest December storm in
years in this vicinity. Ten inches of
snow fell
Worse Than for Years.
Philadelphia, Pa, Dec. 2T.-Phila-
delphia is still in the grip of the
blizzard which descended upon this
section of the country Christmas dav.
Business is TIED up worse than it has
been in many years and the pros
poets are that it will be several days
before conditions become normal.
Railroad traffic and street car service
IS still in bad shape.
The snowfall was one of the great
est in the history of the weather bu-
reau and, coming almost unheralded
caught railroads. street car companies
and other public service concerns
wholly unprepared to cope with the
situation.
With the exception of the Market
street subway line. there was practi-
caly no street car service in the city
during the morning.
Damage Reaches $5.OOO.OOO.
iSOoNOll. DCC ZA.-Fl I've million dollar
loss is the estimate made of the havoc
wrought In and arc ind Boston by the
blizzard which yesterday swept New
England and drove a record tide over
the coast.
No fatalities have been reported be-
sides the four known to have occurred
yesterday in Chelsea. where a tidal
wave bursting through the dixie along
island End river. flooded homes and
forced $500 persons to flee.
Thlrty-two cities and towns which
were plunged in darkness, owing to the
cutting off of electric light service hone
20 have their lighting facilities restored
by tonight.
The storm was easily the greatest
that New England has experienced in
eleven years. All along the coast phe-
nomenal tides were reported. In many
places sea walls were battered down,
boulevards razed and curbs and houses
along the shore destroyed
In Boston, the tide swept over the
"harVes' across Atlantic a-enue, and
as far inland as the chamber of COM
merce. It is estimated the damage in
this section will reach $500. 600
The worst damage wrought was in
Chelsea and Everett, where. il is be-
lieved it will be several weeks before
the tide gate on the Island End river
can be repaired and the flooded district
reclaimed.
Having escaped through the snow
scantily clad and many of them bare
footed. the residents of the submerged
section of Chelsea had to stand for
hours in the blizzard waiting for wagons
TO take them TO shelter. Hundreds of
the homeless were taken care of in
relief stations established in public
schools and churches.
No further damage resulted from the
tide late last night. The water did not
rise as high as in the forenoon
EIGHTEEN PERISHED.
Six Caught in Snow Drifts i'm New
York
New York Dec. 27.-Eighteen persons
In and near New York persisted in the