Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-05
Street Cars Out of Commission for
Time on Many Lines,
TRAINS LATE AT DESTINATIONS
Suburbanites Worst Sufferers from
Snow and Cold.
MANY WALK MILES TO BUSINESS
street Car Company Uses Every
Available Man ON Work of Clean
Ing Tracks, and Makes
Some Progress.

Warmer weather and cessatlon-for
time at least-of snowfall made omahans
think last night that the worst Of the big
storm must be over. The temperature had
risen to by 9 o'clock last evening and
the snow ceased falling for some hours
although 1t seemed possible. that it would
begin again, for there was prediction to
that effect.
A little less than a year ago Omaha suf-
fered the most severe storm of last season
and barring the heavy wind, Tuesday was
repitition Of that storm. Traffic was
paralyzed, street car service came almost
to standstil for hours and trains again
were put way late.
The snow began falling early In the
morning and Immediately the street car
company put out its seven big sweepers
They were OF little avail, however, as the
wind filled the tracks with drifts of snow
within five minutes after the cars passed
1t was no uncommon sight to see two
three and four cars coupled together trying
to buck their way through the heavy
drifts.
People living in the suburbs were the
worst sufferers. as the company was un-
able to get cars to Benson until nearly
noon, and but one car was sent over the
West Leavenworth line. A few cars were
sent to Florence.
Running the Blockade.
1--WE are not very proud Of our service,
but we are doing the best we can and are
hiring every available man to assist in
clearing the tracks," said r. A. Leussler.
assistant general manager OF the Omaha
Council Bluffs Street Railway company.
| IAN the teams of Omaha which are on
the streets are unconsclousy working
against us. 1t is natural for the teams to
| seek the car tracks. where there is less
snow, but the wheels crowd the snow onto
| the tracks and make It almost impossible
for the cars to get through"
The big sweepers RlYe been. equipped
with scoops which crowd the snow away
from the tracks as well as doing the sweep
| ing Salt cars were sent out as the tracks
are in the worst condition this season. The
sugar snow, with a temperature of zero,
makes the track like glass and this was
the cause of so many lines being blocked
by strings of cars. The wheels would not
stick to the tracks when the cars were
bucking the snow
! The Dodge street line was opened about
IL o'clock. The Farnam line was open in
the morning, but between and 10 o'clock
the cars were all stallGi for time, but
| sweepers and salt cars opened the way.
Extra effort was made to keep the South
Omaha and Twenty fourth street lines
| open with some success At one time dur
! ing the forenoon there were sixteen west
| bound cars stalled on Leavenworth street
| between Sixteenth and rwenty-ninth
street.
Workers Tramp to Town.
Many people walked to work, and, In the
two-mie walk to the center or the city
not car passed them. The Harney line
was blocked by cars getting stuck near
Creighton university. putting the line out
Of commission for considerable time
Telegraph and telephone lines were not
! bothered much by the snow and wind and
the snow was of such a character and the
wires so cold that the snow did not stick
to the wires.
The car doing service on the stub line on
Twenty-fourth street from Leavenworth 10
Cass was stalled and abandoned in the
snow just south of Farnam street Christ
Anderson, an old time conductor on the
Farnam line viewed the stranded car and
unused: That reminds me of the time l
drove a stub horse car on that line in 1889
/ was caught in about the same place and
we did not get the track cleared and the
car out for nine days, 1t took all the men
the company could get to keep the main
lines open"
Florence residents employed In Omaha
were four hours late in reporting for work
| Learning that the street car service in The
| early morning was demoralized a large
number flocked to the Northwestern depot
hoping to catch a train for the city. Their
hopes faded away when the station agent
reported the morning train hours behind
time. Undaunted, however the little army
Of workers faced the storm and huofed It
/ TO town