New-York tribune., 1918-01-05
Deprived of Heat, Waite,
and Power, Factories
Abandon Struggle
Production Of Army
Clothing Is Curtailed
10000 Forced Out in Gar
ment Trade Alone, Settle
ment Workers Estimate

gu upon tHe Guy uuIliiS tstt i'sot "cSN
by tho cold. Deprived successivery Of
heat, OF water and finally Of power,
hundreds of industrial establishments,
principally those in the loft buildings,
abandoned the struggle, and turned Off
their operatives to Join in enforced
who have not seen q pay envelope or
time check since tho mercury took
its initial plunge below the zero mark.
Production Of urgently needed win
ter clothing for tho army and war
equipment OF various sorts was cur
tailed by the factory he-un, since the
plants Of numerous government con-
tractors and sub-contractors were
among those forced to close down.
In the clothing trade alone, Settle
mont workers in close touch with con-
ditions said yesterday, at least twenty
thousand men, women and girls had
been deprived Of work by the cold.
Adding those in other affected branches
Of industry 1t was estimated yester-
day that the arctic weather Of the last
seven days had rendered 100000 work
ers idle.
Charity Societies Swampcd
The effect Of the partial industrial
shutdown became Immediately appar-
charity organizations. The Society for
Improving the Condition Of the
Poor arranged for the establishment
today Of a number Of oil distributing
stations. One thousand hot meals were
given last night by the Hebrew Shelter
ing and Immigrant Aid Society, whose
quarters at 22o East Broadway were
throngcd all day yesterday and all last
night. Three hundred babies gathered
from unwarmed tenemcnts were cared
FOR at the Hebrew Day Nursery, 30
Montgomery Street.
There were three deaths during the
day from the cold. One Of the victims
was Mary Weinberg, four days old, who
was born in u tenement at Ill Norfolk
Street, where there had been no neat
for two weeks. The mother was so scri-
ously i'll that sha could not be moved,
and q charity organization forwarded
small supply of coal to heat her room
last night
Complete Paralysis Threatened
Increasing unemployment was only
ena angle OF q situation which derived
no benefit yesterday from gradually
improvinr meteorological conditions,
and gave little promise for to-day,
when. if the. Weather Bureau forecast
is verified, the city will enjoy the COM
narrative warmth Of 2o degrees above
zero, with perhaps the minor discom-
fort Of a snowfall.
purveyors Of heat and power de-
clared that yesterday in reality was
the worst day Of the week, and that,
unless the weather moderated material l.
" and Waterways that have been
blocked for the first time within Nom
cry wero cleared OF icc, the partial
paralysis which has prevailed Tor sew
eral days throughout the city would
become complete.
Thirty-odd public schools We're closed
either part time or all day yesterday
owing to lack of fuel or the bursting
OF water and steam connections.
Food Supplies Frozen
The city's food supply also came
within the area of the weather's blight.
ing influence. Tho uncxampled difficult
ties imposed by the cold upon the rail
roads so reduced receipts that many
dealers predicted increasing strain
upon family pocketbools.
Three branch Offices of the govern
nent fuel administration were estab
lshed yesterday in Social Settlement
houses in Harlem. Greenwich Village
and Yorkville. Officials attached te
these reported that dealers had over
less coal available than on previous
days.
Church organizations supplied coffee
I, IL To Nj
sands of men and women and children
lined up at coal yards. The Rev. DR.
Theodore Savage, of Christ Church. ar
annex of the Brick Presbyterian
Church in Fifth Avenue, with a mum
her of associates, spent most of the
day in the line at Thlrtyiourth Stree
and Ninth Avenue.
Women Donate Coal
Mrs. Willard Straight, chairman o4
u newly organized fuel committee OF
the Mayors Committee OF Women o1
National Defence, started yesterday 6
canvass of tho cutrc mem bership fo'
donations OF coal from their own eel
lars, to be sold TO those in need of coal
Mrs. Straight started the movement b.
ordering four tons to be taken iron
her own cellar and sold to the pcopl.
in her neighborhood.
The committee will also make al
effort to get private homes to opel
their kitchens fer q few hours day
where fue'lcss people may go to cool
a meal and will ask settlement houses
churches, clubs, hotels ard stores tc
invite sufferers III during the day ts
get thawel out
Queens Borough had 10 fuel las
righ. to provide hoa. for four hundred
men and women confined in the iai
IN Long Island City. Borough officials
said that unless coal were received to
day it would be impossible to open TIL,
courthouse Monday for the januar.
term.
Downtown Situation Critical
G.. A. Gillian, manager Of the New
York Steam Company, which supple
heat and power for thousand build
irgs in the financial district and abou
a thousand apartments and residences
uptown, declared that yesterday, al
though warme. than preceding days O
the week, had produced a situation
more critical than any daring the win
ter. Ice in Newtown Greek, he said
lad baked all efforts to lighter OUT O.
the company's storage yard the Goa
necessary to replenish the bunkeYs a
the four generating plants, which las
night had fuel only sufficient TO las
until tonight.