The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-02-28
DEEPEST SNOW
Of WINTER STOPS
MANY ACTIVITIES
Was Wet and Clinging And
Did Much Damage to
Wires.
ABOUT ONE FOOT FELL
Railroads Without Tele-
graph Kept Trains Near
ly On Time.

A wet clinging snow falling swiftly
and continuously from midnight until
noon today and showing no signs Of let
UP at that hour had by early forenoon
succeeded in very nearly paralyzing
the electric light and power supply; de.
laying interurban traffic about an hour
on all lines out Of the city; holding pas
2enger trains from 10 to 40 minutes;
g hundreds of trees and incident
tearing down great lengths Of
Transmission wire; weighing down
Telephone wires until service was very
nearly destroyed and causing the
greatest blossoming Of snow shovels
and scoops seen on Main street this
winter.
At noon the SHOW was between ten
and eleven inches deep in open places
with from q to 30 inches on Main
street where snow plows and sidewalk
shovelers had piled it so that vehicular
traffic was almost impossible. Toward
noon the great flakes of white wetness
were giving way to finer flakes which
are expected to turn to rain this even.
ing or tonight.
The lighting service was being con-
tinnalIy INTERRUPTED this morning, fall.
ing trees and overloaded wires caus-
ing the mischief. Considerable incon.
Z venience incident to the non operation
Of elevators was felt, Elevator No. D at
the Watson building being caught once
between floors with passengers and
forced to wait until the current came
on again.
Traction company employees were
set to work early this morning climb.
ing poles and shaking wires, pound.
ing the poles with heavy sledges, and
in other ways trying to relieve the
wires of the great weight they were
forced to carry. For time telephone
communication with the central sta
(. ton at Hutchinson was cut off. Inter
urban cars were having terrible tiRe
to make Roadway but by noon were
operating nicely. City cars operated
,2under difficulties, although the snow
Z plows were IN use constantly.
No. 6S from Pittsburgh on the Balti'
more and Ohio was 25 minutes late this
morning, with the other trains about
10 minutes behind time. All the rail-
roads telegraph wires were down. all
trains being handled with telephones
aylzed and will remain so until the
snow can be cleared away.
On the Monongahela the noon train
from Pittsburgh was ten minutes late
bnt all trains were moving and the tel
egraph wires were all up.
The telephone systems were doing
veil until about ten.thirty when local
trouble began to be reported. Trunk
lines out of the city are all in good
shape. The placing of the majority OF
the wires under ground last fall prob
ably prevented serious tie up today.
Great destruction of trees is being
reported, the weight Of the snow tear
ing out the tops of the trees or else
uprooting them entirely. A big tree
in Coal run ravine was broken down
this morning.
Today's snow is by far the heaviest
of the winter and is more than fell
during the entire month OF February
either this year or last. The tempera
tilre fluctuated from 80 to AZ as op
posed to last years SO to IL.
II the old adage holds good, March
will go out like lamb for no one but
will deny that she is coming is like q
q lion.