Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-31
POLES AND WIRES co DOWN
Council Bluffs Experiences Much
Damage from the Storm.
TELEPHONES OUT OF ORDER
E~nierRency Crews work All Day, hut
Are Handicapped by Weather.
school Closes for the
Day.

The damage done by the storm in Council
Bluffs was considerable in the aggregate.
although there we're no very big individual
losses. As is generally the case on such
occasions the telegraph and telephone com
panies suffered the greatest damage. Plate
glass and other windows were blown in,
billboards were blown down in every section
of the city, chimneys we're toppled over,
outbuildings overturned, telephone and cleo
trio light wires put out OF commission, cases
Of this class OF damage being reported from
ali over the city.
Failing trees in almost every instance
were responsible for the damage to the cleo
trio light. telephone and telegraph wires.
Both the Nebraska and Independent tele-
phone companies had several gangs of line
men at work yesterday repairing the dam
age, but matters will not be thoroughly
Strengthened out till today and possibly not
until Sunday. Both companies had several
lines placed out of commission, but the
Nebraska company probably suffered the
greatest damage. A big tree on Washing
ton avenue was blown down and in falling
it broke sixty copper wires of the long
distance service.
Schools Are Dismissed.
The storm was still raging when it came
tiIle StsltEud9 HHOEHlnB lOI lIt CHlluTSu "
go to school and but few braved the ele-
ments and ventured forth. Less than a
third Of the pupils were to be found at any
Of the buildings and it was deemed best to
dismiss the classes for the day. orders to
this effect we're sent to all of the buildings
by superintendent Beveridge, who also
made the announcement that those pupils
who had been kept from school by the storm
would not be accounted absent. The teach
ers generally made a valiant effort to
reach their schools, although some Of them
failed in the attempt, being unable to make
Roadway on the slippery walks against the
fierce wind.
Telephone Managers Talk.
While both telephone companies suffered
considerable damage by the heavy wind,
the service was not nearly as-hadly demon
allied as might have been expected. Be-
fore daybreak both companies had emerg-
ency crews of linemen at work, and these
men were reinforced during the day by the
regular repair gangs. Manager Fair of the
Nebraska company said that about 200 cases
of local trouble were reported at headquar-
ters. The worst trouble was that caused by
the breaking OF the long-distAnce wires on
Washington avenue. as this break shut off
all communication over the company's wires
! DtlWCtn lnlE city III ClOuA lily INtu Sdh
and Des Moines. During the day this serv-
Ice was partially reopened by laying a rub
Der covered emergency cable along the
ground on Washington avenue.
Manage Laubach OF the Independent
company reported about 100 local phones
out of commission as a result of the heavy
Wind. BY noon, however, the service of the
Independent company was in pretty good
shape again. Neither company had any
poles blown down in the city, but reports
from the rural districts were not nearly 50
satisfactory. Everywhere in the country
poles were blown down and the service in
} the rural districts was practically at a
standstil. The linemen sent into the coun-
n try to make repairs experienced a bad time
: One gang encountered a number of snow.
I drifts and before getting two miles out OF
Z the city were several times obliged to dig
n their wagon out OF the drifts.
K Both companies kept a force OF relief
girls at work all night and yesterday morn.
, ing had to send carriages for all of their
I day operators.
i Scattering reports from throughout the
country showed that the storm had done
a much damage. Although 1t is likely that
the report was considerably exaggerated, Il
: was stated that hardly a windmill had beer
left standing or intact in PottawattamiG
county. Owing TO the telephone service in
, the country districts being out OF commits.
sion. It was impossible yesterday to secure
an accurate account OF the damage done
in the country around Council Bluffs.
Many windows Broken.
Custodian Humphrey had considerable
n difficulty in heating the county court house
yesterday owing to the fact that severa.
OF the large windows had been blown In
at- A.. -t-IA NJ. zRff.-. " --AaA
r windows were blown in we're those OF tn,
clerk OF the district court, the county at
d torney and superintendent OF schools
: County Superintendent Jackson had an ex
animation OF candidates for teachers Ger
t~ificates in progress and Yesterdays ses
y sion had to be held in one of the eour
J; rooms in consequence Of the damage to hi
l. office.
7 A number Of plate glass windows wer,
i broken during the height of the storm
. Among the places suffering damage OF thi
! character were Frank Morgan's drug stor
at the corner Of Broadway and Eight
street. The store of the Metcalf compan,
on Pearl street, The Boyd Liquor hous
on South Main street. the Orvis meat mar
ket on Broadway, the store OF the Ne
/, braska Cycle company, on Broadway; tn
millinery store Of Mrs. w. A. Mynster o.
Broadway where a number of fine hat
In the show window were PRACTICAL,
ruined.
Councilman John Olson was routed ou
Of bed at 2 o'clock I'm the morning by
policeman who had discovered that IN
front doors Of the councilman's grocer
store on Broadway had been blown In
II The door Of Gilnski's fruit commissiol
store on Broadway were also blown in.
Throughout the city a number Of electri
signs were blown down and otherwise dam
aged. A number had TO be guYed wit