The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-04-04
Telegraph Wires Out of Com
mission and Telephone Ser
vice Crippled
Three Suburbs
In Darkness
Barton Heights, Highland Park
and Ginter Park Current Cut
OFF as Precautionary Meas.
ure-Warmer Today

The worst storm that has svcr
sripped Richmond In April stncn
the memory of the present gem
Grafton and one of the worst tianA
has ever been experienced In any
month I'm any years, struck Rich
mond during the enrly morntn0
hours of Saturday and held tho
town In thrs,ldom until late In the
afternoon.
The youngest observing citaznn
was astonished and the oldest In
hamtant was struck dumb. Tho
average man WAS content to ASK:
Have yon over seen anything like
it?' and tlae said oldest inhabff-
ant, for ontse. had no story to tell
of tho winter of 1870.
The streets were almost i'm
passabie: telephones werc out OF
order. street cars and jitnoys
operated with difficulty. and the
telegraph wires were down, shut
ting the city OF from communities
ton with the outslds world a.
completely ms Berlin h TODAY
more So, for there is no wireless
station here that Ia available FOR
the purpose of bringing noWB-
Trains were behind time,
Accidents were many, among which
are to be recorded the death of thros
men from fallen wires.
Early in the day tho vtrginia Hal
way and Power Company thought n
wise 70 give notice that II might ~
necessary before night to cut on tho
current, owing to the Canger to life az
falling wires. brought down by TIM
load of snow However the storm,
abated toward night, and such az
treme measures were found not to b.
necessary. except in Barton Heights.
Ginter Park and Highland Park.
Some or tho wires carry up to 2.60p
volts, and pedestrians or horses en-
tangled in them would met almost
certain death.
kilograms 10 other parts of tho state
were held w. The virginian news ser.
vice 10 all parts OK the world was
stopped f<completely and during the
early part or the night and for hours
not word came over the telegraph
wires Efforts 10 get into communica.
tlon with New York by telephone. that
some news of The outside world. and
especially OF the war in Europe, might
be given its readers, were fruitiesA
II cannot give YOU New York. but
can connect you with Petersburg was
the response OF the operator to insister,t
requests that long distance calls 20
New York be answered.
The Western Union and Postal Teler
graph Companies gave some degree or
service 70 rush kilograms to other
cities by mailing them on trains xoinr
10 Washington and having them put
on the wires at that point, but even
in these cases deliverauces could be
made FOR the most part only TO those
nv da
Loss and Inconvenience.
Business men were Inconvenience
and even suffered loss: pleasure seek
ers had the holiday OF Easter made
almost worthless, women with nov
Easter suits and hats were plunged
into despair The unprecedented storm
or yesterday broke the business man's
engagements. disappointed milady's
vanity, broke up excursions and dis
appointed seekers after amusementa
There isn't good word that can be
said for Il, except thar IL gave every
body something IN talk about The
tongues of the most taciturn were
and even the most garraIoue
were made bearabie Everybody had
10 talk about and the con-
yersation. though lacking in variety.
was general
Worse than postponement of pIeas-
loss resulted from the storm. Theirs
were tragedies. Three men lost their
lives and many minor accidents were
reported. The three deaths occurred
on Nine Mile Road In Henrtco Coun-
". Their horses were also killed and
two other animals were added to
the casualty list when sam and
Dan" equine members of the Fire
Department stepped bn live wires
near CRANKY and Cary Streets early
ystrday morning.
Richmond Siine on.
Communication with the outside
world was Interrupted by the destruc-
don Of wires and Of telephone and
telegraph poles. All over this SOC
tion Of the country the storm ragged
and damages to telephone and tele-
graph wires Was large.
Nearly S5a poles of the Chesapeake
& Potomac Telephone Company went
down in this vicinity and many others
in other parts OF the South Atlantic
section suffered. Most of the trouble
with the telegraph wires was near
Ashland where ten poles OF the Weate
ern Nnion. and fifteen of the Postal
TELEGRAPH and Gable Company. which
supplies the Virginian with news. went
down.
Wires fell elsewhere In this viciniky
and in orffST parts OF the country -
ssi@ts asa eNsss-asa ITO stop taaer EAce1Xrs
ing or sending Of messages complatelr
for many hours. Telephone WITS
are down In most of the suburbs 81
tccntinued on second pagSsl isas