New-York tribune., 1915-12-15
CITY, PUT DOWN
BY STORM BLOW,
REGAINING FEET
Milk Companies Make
Half of Deliveries
Trains Creeping In.
$4,000 SHOVELLERS
NEEDED; 4,590 ON JOB
Adamson Issues Fire Warning
Water Main Bursts In Bronx,
Drowning Livestock.


Winters first punch, landed on New
York Monday night, made the city take
the full count Of ten. For that number
of hours and more yesterday, after the
blizzard first paralyzed street traffic,
railway communication. milk supply
and wire communication, the city re-
mained practically hors de combat in
these respects.
II was late in the afternoon before
the most human side of the problem
the babies milk supply-began TO be
solved to any sppreciable extent By
nightfall the milkmen announced that
they had done all they could, and
would have TO leave the rest for the
morrow. One Of the larger dealers ad-
mitted that only 90 per cent Of the
trade had been served, while others
estimated tLeir service at various per-
centages up to 90. To-day's deliveries
will be made up largely of yesterdays
delayed supplies.
All agreed that the greatest trouble
had been in getting the higher grades
of m TX which go to the babies. Drivers
Of all compani,s were instructed TO
take care, so far as they could, Of the
Youngsters. invalids and benevolent in
stitutions. Not more than 10 per cent
of Grade A milk all told was deliv-
cred. It was estimated that 1t would
take two days for the milk service
IN get back TO normal, due in large
measure to the inability Of farmers to
get their product TO the railroad col
lection stations over the snowbound
country roads.
Snow Shovellers Needed.
These being acute street cleaning
times, there probably was no question
asked yesterday more frequently in Of
fetal circles than how Commissioner
Fetherston was getting away with hIs
iob. II one sought the answer to that
ouestion in the Commissioners own
ofice the answer Of his secretary was
that the Job was complete, so far az
opeping up the main arteries Of travel
was concerned, and many miles OF
lesser streets as well.
No claim was made that the snow had
been loaded anG hauled TO the snow
dumps. but the Commissioners new
scheme of using the city snow gangs
only to pile the snow in the cutters, so
that vehicles could 90 through, while
the snow removal contractors have only
to load and haul il as expeditiously as
possible, was given credit for bringing
nrompt relief to traffic. The old scheme
was to load the snow directly from
where 1t lay, without clearing passage
ways first
The Commissioner, however, was far
from satisfied with hi lot He was be-
moaning the fact that, whereas he
needed $4,000 men in his emergency
force, divided into three shifts of
Ia. 900. he had been able TO muster only
a shift OF 1880 men in Manhattan,
Brooklyn and The Bronx. They knocked
off work last night at 10 o'clock, due TO
exhaustion. Work would have ceased
entirely with this had not the removal
contractors, with their available 80
carts and 500 men. been under orders
to continue hauling to :he dumps all
night the snow city emergency men had
piled up.
Another cause for anguish TO the
Commissioner was the fact that twenty
of the forty snow pioughs by which this
piling was being done were out of bust
ness. The ploughs are hauled by pri-
vate motor trucks. and only half the
required number could be kept in hire.
Motive power had been provided for
| forty Of the seventy the department
owns. Fifty were forced 10 lie idle yes
/ terday.