The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-14
New Haven Systems
Giant Lines Crippled
By Terrific Storm


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New Haven to feel the way out of
difaculties.
When the announcement was made,
the crowd in the station sent up a
senf-cheers though most of them wore
disconsolate expressions. Travelling
men, Elks here to attend the anniver-
sary dinner, and others were most
grateful for the consideration and
Judgment utilized by the stationmas-
ter In this time when all railroad pre-
cedent was violated by the unexpected
happening.
Never before in the history of the
road, it is said today, have signals
been out Of operation. Old methods
OF dispatching from station to station,
were not even possible, taking con-
ductors back beyond the COS in the
renewal of dispa itching met be
1t was with great diffcaas at an
engineer was found in Brt3 " Esrs
under the new safety flrstss -. 2
could run q passenger train g1eas5s S .
division to New Haven YF1lle III a
gfneers aplsnty were fe7tnd paB IL
Of taking trains to Norwalk. Danbury
and Waterbury, hours alapsed before
the special could proceed to New da-
Een- Although some passengers were
compelled to stand in the baggage and
coach, little grumb1ing was heard.
T1iis train pulled out Somewhere
near noon = according to od1cials
A few through trains from Boston
and s-somewhere along the line" pull
ed through the local station today.
Their occupants might be seen stand
ing up In the PuIlmans. much like
Gagged animals who were cooped in
and wanted to get out, All along the
line they said they had stopped in
cuIyerts and at stations.
How serious the t1e-up at Norwalk
was. none in railroad offlcialdom here
could tell. All they knew was that
the road was blocked in that section
and that engineers had Instructions
to feel their way along and keep
Iookofts posted IN the rear when stops
were made.
part OF guards stationed behind in the
binding snow storms are expected as
1raff1c begins to clear.
All electrical current was taken off
the lines between New York and Bos-
ton at IL O'Clock last night and steam
service was substituted. which is TAX
en- to mean that the Identification of
the New Haven line is practically q
failure IN time OF extreme storm.
what freight congestion will result
from the storm is beyond prophecy
on the part Of railroad officials to-.
day It is known that conditions be-
fore the storm We're acute The pres
emit weather cO4Q1t1OnS Will mean III
tie unloading from bulk tracks here
and tie-up of thousands OF through
and local freight cars at all terminals
OF the road. Factories here will be-
gin to gutter by Thursday, and Friday
and Saturday are expected to be agon-
fixing days as contractors and firms
seek freight that is needed. but not
here.
Although an army OF laborers was
at work along the New Haven lines,
conditions were still badly. democrat
lied all forenoon, the Bay State Linn
fteds due to leave New z ork for Bos-
ton at 10 q. Ln., was anrulled. but It
Vas announced that the 5 .. N. Mer
chmnkss Limited. New z fork to Bos-
tpn would run, Howard Elliott, pres
tdent of the New Haven. issued a.
statement today suhma rizing the
storms effects:
'srhe storm seemed TO be most
severe between New Rochelle and
stamford pr 20 to 25 miles along
the main line of the New Haven
road.'s said Mr.. Elliot. Here
nearly AL the telegraph and te1e-
phone poles wereb 1own down SO
that It il dinncuIt to have any
decentralization between New
York. New Haven and interme-
date points. The heavy trans
mission line for the electric cur
rent and control wires are down
and either burned out or broken
in 1--WE places. Such a failure as
this has never occurr ed before.
Signal wires at many points be
tween New York and New Haven
are gone and signals are out of
service, thus requiring trains to
move very slowly, stopping FREE
qUently so as to avoid any risk of
accident
Between New Haven and Boston
the storm does not seem to have
been quite so heavy and that line
is more nearly in a normal condf-s
ton. The route via, the Pough-
keepsie bridge received more
heavy snow than some other parts
of the territory, being a to 15
inches on level with drifts five
to ten feet deep. With the linn
tied communication between the
rest of the New Haven. territory
II is thought that Springfield and
New Haven conditions are fair
and that the Berkshire division is
In fair shape but under very
heavy snow.
so far as known at the pres
e1lt time all passenger trains
were brought safely into ter
rninals except possibly one train,
which was stalled in the snow
near Winsted Conn. The pas
sengers were we'll cared for.
There were no casualties on
any of the steamer lines Of the
New England Steamship CO."