The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-03
$4,000 PUT IN
NEEDY POCKETS
BY SNOWFALL
FetherstOn Gives Street
Cleaning Jobs to 1000
Emergency Men.
MA\l CHA"ITY ACTS
NOTED IN STREETS

The les layer Of sleet and snow that
was spread over New York to depth
of II inches yesterday caused traffic
congestion and led mp surface cars In
some Of the outlying districts in way
that q blizzard could hardly have made
worse. Trolley wires snapped under tho
weight OF ice elevated and surface cars
were blocked FOR hours and passenge
were marooned
But most Of this trouble was in
South Brooklyn. The Bronx and Queens
In the inner sections Of the city the
trouble was chiefly congestion. due to
the slippery going for horses.
The most ser Gus congestion on the
transit lines was in the morning rush
hours. when the number Of cars opcr-
atng over both the Brooklyn and Man
haitian bridges was much below the
normal
One death from exposure to the
storm was reported from Long Island
City where Oscar Robinson, 60. OF li2
Third street, died after being taken to
his home Thirteen persons i'm Man
haitian and three in Brooklyn were in
ured by falls on the icy sidewalks and
there were several bad cases OF FROST
bite.
To Commissioner of Street Cleaning
Fetherston the storm was merely an
aggravation. He had been wishing for
a real storm that would enable him to
test thoroughly this new system of snow
removal. and although he turned out
IS 600 emergency men and 5000 Others
from his department he did it mainly 70
relieve traffic and to guard against the
possibility Of a heavier fall OF snow
piling up on top of the seet.
Advised by Mayor.
Commissioner Fetherston WAS undo /,
cded yesterday morning whether to
turn out his emergency shift. ordinarily
two inches is the depth at which the
emergency men 20 To work and at three
inches the contractors are called IN
But after considering what real storm .
on top Of the sleet would do and sew
eral talks with Mayor Mitchell over the |
telephone he ordered out Il 900 emer-
gency men AT IL O'Clock. They got
work with the regular force about .
u. NJ.
Merely incidental 20 the resolve T.
put these men to work was the realizt.
ton OF what II would do to help tho
unemployed situation. Eight hours
work for $1,000 men At 80 cents an
hour. 80 cents II they perform an "
their assigned task. means lot to them
now, and II was in the minds of both
the Commissioner and the Mayor, al
though Commissioner Fe'herston denied
ne had any Intention of mixing charity
and business. But almost $50 00O found
iis way into the pockets Of men wh)
needed H.
INTO sewers. the first trial this year OF
what Commissioner Fethers;on hopes
VIII solve the problem OF snow removal
IN the event of a big storm, ana deNot-
ing particular attention to crosswalks.
cutters and car stops. where the day
hefore persons waded over their shoe
tops In slush. With them were l,2O0
arr and many snow ploughs. some of
hen or the automobile type.
The gangs were the surest indication
hat has been visible on a large scale
this year OF the widespread want. There
we're men Of so and boys OF Is working
side by side scarcely any had over
coats, and the shoes OF some gaped and
often showed that there were no socks
under them. Lame men and others so
evidently weak that IL seemed impossible
they could swing their shovels we're a
common sight
There were many little acts OF charity
on the part OF the more fortunate
passersby, when an old man or one
plainly suffering from cold was seen.
Broken Wires Close Lines.
During the day the elevated and sur
ace lines Of Brooklyn ran fairly well
Most OF the surface cars were a few
minutes behind their schedule due to
teams on tho tracks. But during the
night cars were infrequent and were
often stopped by wire trouble. The
Culver and West End surface lines
stopped altogether during the night
one train got through on the Culver
line yesterday morning. but it was soon
tied up again.
Broken wires closed the West End
Inc from Sevcuty-fourth street To Coney
island. The Brighton Beach line was also
lied up AT intervals From Sheepehead
Bay TO Coney Island no trains ran all
lay yesterday, because of broken wires
shuttle service was operated between
Sheepshead Bay and Kings Highway.
Twenty-Five men and women were
lnarooned on stalled Culver line train
AT Avenue from 10 80 Monday night
10 o'clock Yesterday morning, and
would have stayed there longer II
man mad not hunted up telephone and
sent word to the Parkvlle police sta
tion.