Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-28
WORST STORM OF-YEAR
TIES UP TRAFFIC
[Continued from First Page.I

1t was decidedly SNOW map"
Store Hits Wires
Accurate forecasts of the duration
of the storm could not be made by
Mr.. Domain this morning, owing to
the fact that the storm had held up
all his weather bulletins since Satur.
day night. However, the weather
storm of the winter, and said that it
would probably out last the day.
Streets in the city were almost i'm
passable to-day, owing to the cessa-
ton of industry through the fuel or
der. Workmen, kept in their homes
by the closing of the industries,
consequently did not break the usual
paths through the snow as they
ploughed their way to work, so at a
late hour in the day, practically all
| the sidewalks were covered with
from eight to twelve inches of snow.
School children were subsequently
held up, and numerous schools in the
city did not conduct. sessions this
morning, owing to the absence of
dozens of snowbound teachers, and
hundreds of school children. While
there was no school board ruling to
effect the closing of schools, many of
them were not in session this morn
ing.
Mails Are Delayed
Mails were somewhat tied up
| through the heavy fall of snow this
morning. There We're three deliverie es
in the center of the city in place of
the usual five and two in the outlying
portions. In the center of the city,
mail was delivered at 7.30, noon, and
o'clock. In the outlying portions,
the noon delivery was omitted. These
measures were necessary, as mailmen
could not fight their way through
the heavy covering of snow for the
usual number of deliveries. Post
office authorities announced this
morning that the mails arrived in
the city better than expected, with
the exception of the mail from the
West, which had not arrived at 8
o'clock.
Trolley Cars Helpless
Street car officials and employees,
under Felix M. Davis, superintend-
ent of transportation, made desper-
ate efforts from an early hour this
morning to keep ahead of the storm.
Three sweepers and a plow were
working over time since an unusu-
ally early hour to keep the tracks
open. Accumulations of snow on
the sides of the tracks are such that
the sweepers and plow must work
power to throw the snow off the
tracks. The rails, and the space be-
tween the rails, have become so
clogged with snow and ice that
transportation facilities are liable to
undergo the worst tie-up of the win
ter.
Frank B. Musser, president Nof the
Harrisburg Railways Company, said
at 9 o'clock this morning that if
the storm continued for another
hour he could not answer for what
would happen to the railway sched-
ules. All the men that could be
pressed into service were at work
with the sweepers, plows and SHOW
els, trying to remove the accumula-
tion of snow as fast as it fell. Mr..
Musser said that if the sweepers did
not give out, thus holding up the
work while they were removed and
replaced, the company stood "a
chance Of keeping ahead of the
storm. Motormen and conductors
whose cars were put out of busi-
ness by the storm, were pressed into
service by the company officials
when they appeared for work to aid
in removing the snow from the
tracks.
Some Lines Closed
The closing order helped the
street car company immensely in
taking care of its patrons this morn
ing. The laborers for the Steelton
plants were well taken care of this
morning, Mr.. Musser said, and the
Steelton line was running near to
schedule at 9 o'clock. A sWeeper
was kept at work on the Steelton
line all morning
City lines were kept on schedule
until 8 o'clock, when they were start
ed from the Square every quarter
hour Capital street was not opened
up this morning. A sweeper was at
work on the Market street hill, try
ing to keep the line open to Reser-
voir Park. Schedules in the city were
forgotten, and patrons waited forty
five minutes. and then could take
their Choice of cars as q train of
three or four approached. Sweepers
were at work in the city. all morn
ing, and officials this morning de-
clared their intention of keeping the
city lines open, and then turning
their attention to the outlying lines.
Linglestown was reported out of
touch with Harrisburg at o'clock,
and had not made connections at
nine. A car was stalled somewhere
between there and Harrisburg. Mid
dletown had not been heard from
for an hour at 8 o'clock, Oberlin was
open only as far as Enhaut, which
officials were not sure about this
morning and a. sweeper was sent
to the rescue. Cars were running
fairly well on Riverside, it was re-
ported.
In Storms Center
Owing to the fact that stores and
all places of business were closed by
the fuel order this morning, the
downtown sidewalks remained coV-
cred longer than usual. For this
reason, pedestrians who found 1t
necessary to be on the streets, found
the storm to have made sidewalk
conditions the worst in the winter.
Harrisburg is in the center of the
storm, Mr.. Domain said, which ac-
counts for its severity. There was
little snow in Pittsburgh, only a trace
in New York, and but three inches in
Philadelphia, while in the Virginias
and Carolinas the prediction was
mostly rain. Because of the absence
of reports. Mr.. Demain could make
no predictions for what follows tie
storm, but said 1t was his opinion
that it would be followed by cold,
cloudy weather for at least day.
Three Cars Tied Up
Two small touring cars that tried
to get through the drifts by running
on the tracks of the Valley Railways
Company, broke down and tied up
the line to Mechanicsburg for hours.
Six cars buckled together worked
for half an hour to push a way clear
on the State street line in the city.
Railroad schedules were impos-
sible. All lines were almost complete
lv ma ralized Officials xUara ca1Iad 0,,t