New-York tribune., 1910-01-05
BLIZZARD COMING
WESTERN STORM DUE
HERE TONIGHT.
Snozo To-day, but Rain To
moro7o-Drop of 24 De
grees IN 22 Hours.

"Cheer up." said the weather man last
night and many were the hopeful CLEANS
that lighted up the countenances OF New
York's chapped chaps. THE worst Is
vet to come" he added, and the lights
failed.
1t is snowballs for Father knicker-
booker again. The West is sending
blizzard along, according, to the official
forecasters, that will make yesterday
hone biting blast seem like the claws or
a playful kitten. The storm was central
last night over Missouri, with exceeding
lv heavy SHOWS in the upper Mississippi
Valley and snow and Shighs winds over
the lake region and Ohio Valley IL IL
maintains schedule time it will reach
here this evening. having increased in
intensity, the Washington bureau pre-
diets.
Nobody but nightworkers and owls
knew that early yesterday morning the
mercury was shrinking and cringtng un-
der the rough caresses of a northwestern
gale Those who were awakened by the
desperate rafting of their windows and
creaking of signs in the streets might
have guessed it, but even they were un-
prepared for igloo atmosphere when the
alarm clock went off.
TEMPERATURE DROPS.
In eleven hours following midnight on
Monday the temperature dropped % de-
grees, or = degrees an hour. 1t was
degrees higher at a. m. yesterday than
at 9 a. m, and 1 degree lower at noon
than at 9 o'clock A bright sun shining
in a sky without blemish had no effect
at all, apparently, on the downward
progress After noon the drop from 10
degrees above zero was more gradual.
At 10 o'clock last night the thermometer
registered degrees a drop of 24 de-
grees in twenty-five hours.
But with the snow to-day rising tenn
perature is promised and tomorrow, to
add to the mess, it may rain. That will
please big Bill Edwards. who is firm
friend of all snow removing agencies,
but the taxpayer would rather stand the
expense o artificial snow removal than
skate and swim in slush.
Traffic began to suffer yesterday, due
to the. cooling effect of the gale and to
Western connections. At the Grand
Central Station bulletins showed that
Western trains were arriving hours late
because of the blizzard raging west of
the Mississippi, and that trains over the
New Haven road from the North were
anywhere from forty minutes to an hour
behind schedule.
The Lake Shore Limited on the Cen
trail took the BOBBY prize. being six hours
and thirty minutes late. The same con-
ditiCns prevailed on all the other roads
coming into the city, even the local
trains from th5 suburbs being delayed
by the inability OF the nrene1, to keep
the engines properly stocked. But much
more of the kind is expected to-day.
WARSHIPS ICEBOUND.
Navigation on the east shore of the
North River for the steamers of the
warships was absolutely stopped yester-
day afternoon by the field ice that had
formed for fully five hundred feet from
the shore. The foes had been driven
across the river by the high northwest
erly wind and none of the ships boats
attempted to run the ice blockade to
make "a landing at the 9Sth street or the
S0th street float.
AS a result of the blockade not an
officer man was able to return to his
ship last night. After waiting in vain
for hours on the piers in the cold, squads
of sailors from the flagship Connecticut.
the Missouri. the Vermont, the Wiscon-
sin and the Minnesota went on board the
old firigate G mite State. formerly the
New Hampshire. the headquarters OF the
1st Naval Battalion. Naval Militia. lying
at the 91th street pier. where good care
was taken of them by orders of Lieuten-
ant c. l.. Poor. who was on duty last
night.
There are still several hundred men
missing from the various ships All
leaves granted for the holidays expire
to-day, and it is expected that the ma
jcrity of the sailors will return to their
respective ships before sailing time.
For nearly an hour In the morning the
Continued On fourth PAGE.