The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-04
BLIZZARD SWEEPS
 EASTERN STATES AND
 ALL WIRES ARE DOWN
Wet and Sticky Snow With High Winds From New
 York South. Only Meagre Bulletins Re- ceived From Washing
 ton.


 Trains Carrying Visitors to
 Capital Stalled All Along
 the Route ashington
 Entirely Cut Off and Re
 ports Are that Entire In
 augural Program Has
 Been Spoiled.
 New York, March 4-william How ard Taft is experiencing in the first day of his term of office as President of the United States what the super stitious may consider an evil omen. The city of Washington was this morn ing held in the grasp of a bowling blizzard which bid fair to disrupt the ohlce of the new President. North. south. east and west of the city all wires are down. Linemen working like Iro1ans are doing everything possible to restore communication but up to 10 o'clock but one meagre message had been pushed through this storm and cave over battering. Swaying wire which held only until part of the bulle- tin had been edeciDhered at a station on the West Virginia hills. But the message spoke volumes for what was going on in the capitol city. This showed conclusively that "The best laid of plans can go aglee," when un- controllable elements interfere. The message said:
 Washington. March 4.-Raging bliz- gard. parade probably curtailed and Taft inaugurated in the Senate cham Der instead of the east front of the Capitol
 This meant simply that the greatest demonstration in the history of the United States had hlan rJrfhIosSlu checked. The storm upset all of the forecasts of the Federal Weather Bureau which had declared that the city would have fair weather with temperature just right for marching. The storm started yesterday. At first it was rain. But as night came on it | switched to sleet and finally to soft | clinging snow that stuck with the ten- acity of glue Early in the evening it | was plain that trouble was to be ex- pected and the telegraph companies or dered all of their working force to | stand ready for work
 The first trouble came from the old | wires which are still in use leading | from this city southward. Gangs of | repairmen were sent out but they re- ported that the storm was so severe | that they could not do much and even before thes reports were at hand. the big copper wires began to go. Finally. | gone. and the capitol was cut off as | if it were located at the North Pole. At 70 o'clock the furtheSt point south that could be reached from this city was Wilmington.
 In some of the special trains stalled. l it was declared there were the Seventh New York regivent. and Company E, | which were to be the personal escorts of Governor Hughes and a regiment of New York state companies. The com oanieS could give no information as to where these trains were. It all de- bends on the restoration of the wires ,IN<,- ,,o11 r-a11 IS wires, which were cast down is not 1nown. It is barely possible that all If the trains that were stalled in the ;now during the night are approaching heir destination all right. Although he wires are down the trainmen can move their trains by using flags and .aution.
 Washington must present a decided y deSolate scene to-day. The last word from there was that the wind which blew almost a gale during the : .arly hours of last night. had ripped I many of the decorations from stand and he rain had run the cOlorS together | n all outside decoration and the bunt- ng had been transformed into mass if dirty rags.
 Here in New York a grim touch of lumor was made out of one of the | ateSt dispatches. It stated that Pro- l essor Willis s. Moore. head of the weather bureau service, had personally MT. Taft assuring him that
  f sunshine and the thermometer hov- ring about the 40 mark. The above bulletin. which was the rst day and only word received direct rom the cut off city. came over a haky Western Union telegraph wire rom Ed. L. Keene. manager of the Washington Bureau of the United 'ress to the Cincinnati manager of the Association- The wire over which it ,as received failed before the bulletin ould be completed. The United Press dvices were the only authoritative in l of what was transpiring in Washington received any where up to [
 fate hour to-day. The storm here is unprecedented. !eet and snow having prevailed all a ight and at this hour it is showing e ard while the wind is driving the t now in drifts at every corner. O Everything is almost at a standstill. r he streets are full of ice. snow and b ush and are practically impossible. r The United Press office here was be- g eged by inquiries from every source a s to what was transpiring in Wash b ureau here which had vainly tried to E at some word from headauarters first = card from the United Press that the ty was blizzard stricken. Then the F Baltimore and Ohio and her railroad companies operating to asked for and received the formation that the city was still orm swept with little prospect of inn ediate clearing conditions.
 Pittsburg. March 4.-"Furdog Hell sl uth Rogating Dedona." is the des- W .jption of weather in Washington is W led by local forecaster, Pennywitt O lis morning. The first word of the e pher indicates a barometer of 9.30 ir ches and temperature of 2S de- b. .ees The second shows there was a pt of 2.5O inches of snow and al in during the last "A hours "Rogat- g'' tells that it is showing with a te gh wind. ''Dedona" shows the wind in ,locity to have been "A miles an hour. in
 o Oswald Bengle, 1893 Stratford ave tt Ie, one of the night shift at the To- ot