The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-12-07
TROUBLE If rain
TURNS TO A SLEET
Continued From First Page.


conditions, for extremely low barome-
ter conditions remain along the Jersey
coast, the lowest this morning being at
Atlantic City, where much damage has
been done in the last twenty-four hours
because of the high winds.
Officials of transportation companies
and telegraph companies here were
concerned about possible changes in
the weather conditions that may come
tonight, fearing that heavy sleet
storm would cripple all lines. While
no actual trouble occurred here last
night and to-day as result of the
storm, the city was practically isolat-
ed because of wire trouble on the
principal trunk routes leading out of
this city.
Both the Western Union and Postal
Telegraph companies had trouble on the
lines East and South and in the vicin-
ity of Philadelphia. Whole sections of
lines, poles and wires were knocked
down by the sleet and heavy winds.
The New York division of the Penn
sylvania Railroad was crippled to some
extent and wire trouble was expert
enced between Paoli and Philadelphia
on the Philadelphia division of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. The Downing
town and Lancaster branch was Grip
Piled because of wire trouble. Through
trains, however, were running into this
city on time this morning.
Harrisburg was the last city of size
and Importance enough to have a local
office of the Weather Bureau in the
eastern part of the country to suffer at
all from the storm. Twelve hours after
heavy rains and destructive winds were
reported from Atlantic City and sleet
in Pittsburgh, this city almost mid
way between those two points, began to
feel the storm.
Precipitation Began Saturday
Sleet and rain began here Saturday
night and the rain continued almost
without cessation all through yester-
day, last night and to-day. The pre-
cipitation was not heavy, however, un-
til this morning. At noon to-day the
total precipitation for the storm in
Harrisburg had been 1.44 inches, three
fourths of which fell between 8 o'clock
this morning and noon to-day.
The rainfall until O'Clock this
morning was heavier in Harrisburg
than in any of the Susquehanna river
stations above this city and there is
therefore no indication of an alarming
rise in that stream.
just how long the storm will effect
Harrisburg is matter of conjecture.
Saturday S weather map shows no high
pressure area which could change the
weather conditions materially for a dav
or two and prospects are that incle-
ment weather will last for several davs.
A high pressure of unusual strength,
to the north, kept the southern storm
IN place for several days until it filed
up with unusual strength.
The storm now apparently is stead
lily increasing in its intensity and NOV
ing slowly northward. Storm warnings
were afiutter from Hatteras, N. c., to
Eastport, Maine, advising mariners to
seek safe harbors. No storm signal
was hoisted here, however, and should
the rain not turn to. sleet there will
be no local trouble according to wealth
er officials. That the storm center is
not moving westward is indicated be-
cause no special weather observation
was ordered for Harrisburg at noon to-
day, as is the case when a storm center
OF any proportion is approaching the
city.
News Service Crippled
After some incomplete news reports
this morning, some of which included
dispatches from the European war zone.
the Associated Press at LIS clock re-
ported that all its wires with Harris
burg were down and that there was no
indication how soon communication
with the outside world could be re-
established. 1t was indicated that the
storm was not abating and that it would
continue its destructive passage north
along the coast.
Most of the damage was caused by
sleet and rain in below freezing tenn
peratures. Ice formed on the wires,
which could not support the weight in
the. accompanying high winds. When
the storm broke in Harrisburg there
was sleet mixed with the rain, but
the temperature remained constant and
soon there was nothing but rain which
froze in some Instances during early
Sunday morning There were no high
wind here, however. .....~
The temperature remained Just above
the freezing point all day yesterday and
last night, the mean Temperature for
Sunday being three degrees above the
normal temperature. The lowest was
30 degrees and the highest was Al. The
fact that there was so little variation in
the temperature yesterday leads the
Weather Bureau olnciafs in this city to
believe that there will be little change
tonight, the relative position of the
depression being so little altered.
High Winds on the Coast
The velocity of the gale along the
Atlantic coast last night touched the
high records in some instances. At mid
night the wind was blowing ~ miles
an hour at Block Island, so at Nan
tucket, so at Sandy Hook, 36 at At
lantic City, so at Delaware Brealswater.
36 at Norfolk and 36 at Cape Hat
teras. When the storm became central
off the Virginia Capes to-day, however,
the wind velocity in that vicinity in
creased.
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