Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-01
Blizzard Holds Augusta In
Its Grasp Saturday.
|nterferes With Business and
Makes Travel Very Difficult.
Electrics Have Hard Time..-Some
Lines Are Blocked.

To all lntentS and purposes the biz
card which was doing things in some
sections Of the West Friday extended
one Of its wings over Maine and buried
| at least the southern section of the
| State under about a foot of snow. The
STERN struck Augusta at 4.30 O'Clock
| in the morning and rapidly Increased
| in intensity until by O'Clock it be-
| came well developed blizzard. III
| this way it continued until about noon
when .hcre were indications of the
storm breaking, but this proved to b,
| only lull, for after the noon hour ii
came on again and showed as hard as
ever, the wind helping out and adding
| to the drifts that had been started i'll
| the morning. The snow continued to
| fall during the evening and into tho
| night. and not until yesterday morning
| was it followed by clearing weather
| The amount Of snow that fell must
| have been more than foot. but rh
| fall wa, difficult to measure OIL accoun'
| OF its drifting.
The efforts of the storm We're noticed
early on the railway lines. both steam
| and electric, but principally upon thi
| latter. The early morning cars on tho
| different lines of the Lewiston. Angus
tia & Watervile Street Railway d:t
| fairly well, but as with the exception
of the main line between this city an(
Gardiner the routes in places ru!
across fields and along exposed high
| ways where the winds and snow hole
carnival. it did not take long to rende:
these places we'll nigh impossible.
| The Winthrop line went out of com
mission during the forenoon and wa:
followed in the early afternoon by tn
| Togus line, and at 8 O'Clock in tn,
afternoon service was declared off ol
the WatervilleLewiston line. The main
| line was kept open. the cars running
between this city and Gardiner as Offer
as thev could make the trip. Severa
cars on the other lines were stalled ant
| late in the afternoon pIOWs We're sch
| to the rescue and the castaWay:; Wer
| rescued.
| Crews were kept at work on the MAR
| line nearly all night, so that it was
| kept open. and early yesterday morn
| ing operations We're resumed on th
other lines. Cars were running be
tween this city and Weber pond il
Vassaiboro. and at 10 O'Clock the frs
car went through from Augusta t
Lewiston. The Togus line was ais
opened up in the morning, but no car
got through to Winthrop until evenin:
A novelty in the line of road breal<ins
in this section was furnished by hi;
rotary snowplow which, wus sent owe
from Lewiston and which attracte
much attention. The pillow came to grie
out on the Winthrop line and had
20 fn 10 h1 for i,,S
The effects OF the storm on the Main.
Central was chiefly noticeable in TIL
trains from the west as those from
the east were practically on time 70
the day. The first train from the ives
to be much off the schedule was No. II
the afternoon express from Boston,
being an hour and Il half late, while
No. 10, which follows it. was still later
'fhe evening train for Watervllle, No
%, was about 40 minutes off. Pillow.
were kept running during the daytime
and the delays to the trains We're duo
to trouble west of Portland. The rllra
free delivery carriers also had q har,
time. some of them being unable te
cover their routes.
Locally the storm practically brough
business to q StandStill as but few
people were out save those VINO were
obliged to be. There was but littl
trade along the street during the day
and in the evening the dry goods store:
closed at s o'clock and the majorii.
of the others soon followed suit.
All Iay yesterday the teams wer,
busy hauling snow from Water street
both the city and the railroad com
pany having them at work and the da>
was equally lively in the Maine Contra
yard. where the shifter and several fla
cars manned by big crew was en-
ged in hauling snow out on the bri1St
and dumping it into The river.