The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-23
And the Storm Is Sweeping
Entire West.
The Mist of Sunday Morning
Turned to Rain.
THEN THE StEET CAME
Now . Fierce North Wind Is
Driving the Snow.
Troubles of the Railroads and
the Wire Companies.

Kansas is experiencing the worse
snow storm of the winter and it has
taken on a blizzard form. Wires
are down in many sections Of the
state and traffic is seriously handi-
capped. The railroads have all avail
able snow plows in use in an attempt
to keep the deep cuts clear. and there
are many wire men at work with a
view to restoring normal service.
The snow is general over the entire
state and is being driven by a fierce
north wind travelling Mt a speed vary
ing between twenty and thirty miles
an hour. The railroads reported this
varies from three to Ave inches and
that there were no signs of a letup in
the storm.
Mist to Sleet to Snow.
The disturbance was caused by an
area of low pressure central over Colo
RADIO Sunday. 1t first took the form of
a heavy mist that began falling at To-
mist turned to sleet at $50 O'Clock. and
by O'Clock at night it was snow that
was falling. The sleet measured two
tenths OF an inch, and the entire depth
Of snow and sleet up to o'clock this
morning was 80 inches. which when
This brought the precipitation for the
month thus far to L38 inches-exactly
normal for the month Of February.
Troubles Of Telegraph Companies.
The Western Union Telegraph COM
pany reported at O'Clock this morning
that they still were maintaining serv-
Ice between the large commercial CEN
ters, but that many wires were out of
commission. Tho Postal too, il expert :
enctng serious difficulty The Santa Fe
states that one hundred poles are down
between Topeka and 0saee City. but
kI4e1A q
In place by late today All railroad
trains entering Topeka IRE late today.
Few freight trains are running.
Street Cars Stin Runulnx.
The city railway company has not
been able to rum their cars on sched-
ule. time. The three lntary snow plowf
we're working all niEhk and today the
five horse plows are being operated
The tracks are slippery and the cars
are being operated under difficulties
A large force of men is at work in an
attempt to keep the tracks clear.
The minimum temperature today
was degrees above zero at and 8
o'clock.
Will Be Over BY Night.
The forecast indicates that the
storm will be over by night. It reads:
Fair tonight and Tuesday; not 80
cold" Sunny Flora, the local OBJ
server. made this comment: 1.-The
snow will be over tonight and warmer
weather will follow close on its heels. u
The Bell Telephone company re-
ported this morning that it's toll serv-
| ice Was almost completely democrat
| lied. The only lines in working order
were those to Wakarusa and Perry
1t was stated that fifty poles were
down west of Topeka Wires are
down in many sections OF the state.
Shippers Forecast Says Zero.
| The shippers' forecast indicates
that the mercury will be down to zero
at Topeka by Tuesday morning. The
warmer weather is not expected tc
reached here before Tuesday after
noon.
| The shippers forecast reads: PRO
tect thirty-six hour shipments north
and west against temperature of from
five to ten degrees below zero; east
and south zero to five below
Heaviest FAn of Sleet Since 1911.
| According to the records at the To-
cal weather bureau the sleet storm
Sunday was the heaviest since Decem-
ber 26, 1911, when the same depth Ol
| sleet fell-two-tenths of an inch.
! sunny Flora. the weather observ.
| er, said: Two-tenths of an inch o.
sleet makes q pile of trouble. Sleet /!
simply frozen water. 1t is the drops
of water that accompany the s1eet tina
make the trouble. They freeze on the
wires, and the weight of the ice breaks
them down.
Likely to BE Last Zero Spell.
The chances are that there will b,
! no more zero weather at Topeka aftel
the present storm has moved east
ward. 1t is getting along towards tn
time of year when zero weather sci
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