Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-02
PUBLIC SERVICE IS
GIVEN HARD BLOW
BY WORST STORM
Police Order Power Shut Off for
Fear of Danger in Ex-
posed Wires.

1T was the worst storm in the his
tory of the company" declared an
official of the Public Service Corpora
tion today. THE railways and street
lighting systems were ordered shut
off at various times last night by the
polite of Newark, Paterson, Passaic,
Elizabeth, Trenton, Plainfleld and
Camden
1t was explained that this order
was complied with at once so as to
prevent fatalities and minor acci-
dents.
On E'relinghuysen avenue 1000 feet
of wires were blown down and the
poles carried with them in some in
stances. Twenty-Five poles. carrying
trolley, telephone and telegraph wires
were swept into the street along
Springfield avenue. One pole held
sixty wires.
Deadly Wires Exposed.
The wrecling of poles carrying
electric wires crippled the lighting
and railway services of the Public
Service Corporation. With the deadly
mishap was at once communicated to
the power-house supplying the juice.
As a matter of safety the district
thus affected was cut off from its
supply of power.
On the Turnpike trolley line service
was crippled all night and had not
been restored UP to normal up to 10
o'clock this morning. Twenty-seven
electric sweepers were put to work
in the Essex division of the trolley
system when the trouble began here
about / o'clock yesterday afternoon.
In the Hudson division twenty one
sweepers were used to eleaf the way
and eight sweepers patroled the Pas
sale division. The central and south
ern divisions were not hard hit until
$3.50 O'Clock yesterday afternoon, but
the trouble at Trenton and Camden
was not as serious as in this section
at any time.
Beginning at 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon the reports of breaks all
along the line of the railway and
lighting systems began to pour into
the main office of the Public Service
at Broad and Bank streets. The first
pole felled by the storm spread over
the Springfield avenue tracks west of
South Tenth street.
At 4:45 o'clock the east and west
bound South Orange lines were
blocked above the car house at
Twentieth street. due TO live wires
being strewn over the tracks. Three
poles went down on Springfield ave-
nue. west ol tOTly -lillfu SlISet' iN-
ington, completely tying up service
there in both directions. Another
pole halted traffic nthe Mulberry
street line by spreading the wires
across the tracks at the South street
station of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Another delay on the South Orange
line occurred at 9 o'clock last night,
when a pole blew down at South
Orange avenue and Boylan street.
Trolley lines going through Eliza
beth avenue were blocked at Renner
avenue, where a pole WAS brought
down by the weight of ice and snow
ON the wires.
Shortly after the trouble started
Yesterday afternoon, through service
on the Plank Road line was aban-
doned and did not pick up to normal
in Newark until $50 o'clock last night
Some of the conductors and motor
men who sent in reports of mishaps
included disasters other than trolley
trouble
Three horses killed on Verona ave-
nue. two horses killed on Elizabeth
avenue, two horses killed on F'reling-
huysen avenue was the summary Of
a report made by one inspector.
Persons living in the Vailsburg sec
ton, were forced to walk to Mum
avenue before they could get "a car,
II lucky enough TO ger one une TRIP
downtown took nearly an hour and a
half. Many elected to walk. A steady
stream going east took advantage of
the car tracks.
A trolley car of the South Orange
avenue line was stalled at Brookdale
avenue early last night for more
than four hours. Several practical
philanthropists in that vicinity wad-
ed through the snow to the car with
hot pitchers of coffee for the crew.