Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-29
STORM GRIPS WEST
High Winds and Heavy Snow
in Mississippi Valley.
BIG BLIZZARD IN IOWA
Gale Blows Seventy-Four Miles an
Hour in Kansas City.
TELEGRAPH WIRES ARE DOWN
Trains Stalled and Whereabouts Un-
known-Many Points Cut OFF
From Communication.
TELEGRAPH WIRES ARE DOWN

CHICAGO. January "a.-Rain. snow.
sleet and high wind, which reached a
maximum of seventy-fou miles at Kan
sas City. created climatic chaos in the
middle west today.
Trains were delayed and telegraph
wires were Frustrated in every direction.
particularly west of St Louis and north
of Chicago. The barometer in the Office
OF the local weather bureau stood at %
only .25 higher than the lowest ever re-
corded here.
Although the middle west was in the
clutches of a gale which wrought some
property damage in various sections, and.
as in Iowa, took on the guise OF a blz-
zard. no such disaster was reported or
predicted in the present instance.
The most serious damage reported in
early dispatches was at I.amonte Mo.
where the roof of the opera house was
blown against a freight train standing q
block away. iniuring two persons.
Curious Look of Weather Map.
The weather map issued today was in
appearance almost without precedent. The
isobars. indicating points of equal air
pressure wound like IL loT sided spiral over
the middle west, centering at Chicago.
! where the gale expected TO break
later in the day and where the barometer
stood al y. and extending as far west as
Omaha, where the barometer reading was
| $ higher.
West south and north of Omaha tho
,,
every direction and reports were missing.
West of Chicago it was possible for only
| four states and alifornia. Ne
vada. New Mexico and Arizona to get in
their reports. which was accomplished by
using unaffected wires. south along the
Mexican border.
The wind blew seventy miles an hour at
| Springfield Mo-: forty-six at St Louis.
I fifty-eight at Omaha. thirty-six miles at
Des Moines and Detroit and forty-eight at
| Galveston. At the time these reports
were received the velocity in Chicago was
| only eight miles, ..
| The route Of the storm travelling from
! Kansas, where it started yesterday. and
moving toward Lake Michigan. apparent
| ly justified the prediction of gale be-
fore sundown. ACCOMPANIED by snow and
| a sharp fall in temperature.
The demoralized condition of telegraph
wires was attributed generally to slect.
The general offices of the Chicago. Rock
Island and Pacific railroad for many hours
were unable to learn the whereabouts Of
trains stalled or delayed i'm a blizzard in
Iowa.
High Winds and Heavy Snow.
Communication with the most important
points in the northwest was impossible
| for many hours. Scores of telegraph
poles and miles of wire in many sections
We're borne down and rendered useless.
| High winds and a heavy snowfall pat
| the wires almost out of business where
| they were not broken down. Between
Chicago and st. Paul direct communica-
ton ceased for hours. Between Chicago
and Milwaukee poles by the dozen were
reported down
The telegraph service of railroads. in
cludng the Chicago and Northwestern,
Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific. Chi
cago. Milwaukee and st. Paul and The
Burlington lines west of the Mississippi
river was almost hopelessly crippled.
1t was reported that many trains had
been abandoned in northern Iowa Wash
outs were reported numerous in that sec
ton.
Marslalltown Ia reports that central
Iowa is in the grasp of one of the worst
bliZZards in recent years. At Marshall
town there is no electric light service, and
all street cars have been abandoned Tho
fire alarm and telephone systems are de-
moralZed.
Des Moines reported "A blizzard west OF
there. Six inches of snow fell during the
night. and drfted many feet deep into the
cuts, delaying Stallng trains.
Weather Reports Meager.
The usual kilograms to the weather
bureau here were incomplete, owing TO
the curtailment of telegraphic facilities
The Canadian and American northwest
and most o. the country west OF the Mis-
souri, river failed to report. Scattered re-
ports from Dubuque Davenport. Kansas
City. Springfield, Ill, and Peoria showed
rain snow.
In Chicago street cars and elevated
railroad trains moved with caution be-
cause of the dense fog and misty ram
West of Kansas City all wire service
had practically ceased in the early hours
of the day. Between Kansas city ana
Omaha no communication existed Mes
sages between Chicago ana Omaha were
subject To long delays. lnade necessdF! Wy
numerous relays.
The storm had affected all wires M
partially. Repairers and other en-
ployes of the telegraph companies
worked vigorously. but lheHectuaii5,
during the morning
The storm had been confined for the
greater part to western and northern
sections Communication to southern
and eastern points was much less dis
turbed.
The Northwestern and the Burlington
roads while admitting some trouble
due to the weaIh her stated that they
! were having no serious difficulties with
their trains At the Rock Island gen
eral offices. however. the railroad wires
in Iowa were reported LOST ana tho
wherea bouts of several trains unknown
because of the loss of telegraphic coin-
munication
Snowstorm in Michigan.
DETROIT. Mich. January ga So
we're snowstorm. which is general all
over lower Michigan. today. is caus-
ing much trouble to telephone and tel
egraph wires. The snow is heavy, how
ever and not drifting. SO that rail-
roads have suffered little delay.
In Grand Rapids all of the street
ears were entirely tied up during the
morning by the snow. eighteen inches
having fallen. In other cities of the
state also, including Detroit there wAA