The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-02-19
Fleet of German Cruisers Would
Not Have Damaged New
York Worse Than Snow
STREETS STILL BLOCKED
Commissioner MacStay Esti-
mates Will Take Five Weeks
to Clear Away Ice.
BY JAMES HENLE,

New York, Feb. 1S.-If some fast
German battle cruisers had succeeded
in slipping past the allied blockade
and had arrived off this port, their
shells would not have done much more
damage to the commerce and indus
/, try of New York than the present sue
cession of snow storms has accom-
plished.
This city is today in effect a be-
leaguered town. and every day that the
siege lasts it is costing New York So
100000, according to the official esti-
mate of the merchants association
Furthermore, Street Cleaning Commits
sioner Macstay predicts it will take
five weeks to remove the snow though
this does not mean that the loss will
continue at the full s5,000,00O rate all
that time
Il is safe to say, however, that the
total loss by this storm to the city will
be well above the si00, 900 mark.
What's Been Done. -
Here are some of the things" the
storms-there We're several of them in
rapid succession-have done to New
York:
Practically stopped all surface cars.
Suspended all deliveries except of
food stuffs, coal and newspapers.
Deranged the schedules of all the
'L" roads.
Tied up most of the suburban rail-
Eroads serving the city.
Stopped the lighterage work on
which the shipping of the port de-
pends.
Big business enterprises depending
on the daily receipt and shipping of
goods are practically at a standstill
and their goods are piling up heavy
storage bills in warehouses;, from
which they cannot be removed because
of the trucking and shipping condi-
tionS.
Workers Arrive Late.
Employees are late in arriving every
day; some of them report only in time
to say good night and start again for
their homes. Many commuters do not
even attempt to reach the city, know
ing from their experiences OF the first
day or two that the trip each way will
take from four to five hours.
Snow is piled up in the streets in
great drifts and the customary gangs
of men at work clearing it away are
missing. Though the city has endeav-
ored to recruit n force of 10000 men to
cope with the snow, the so cents an
hour offered has not been sufficient
~ titiidII iIdIty NOluHLbeTS. III the
meantime big hotels and other estab-
lishments have been paying 81 an hour
and more for men to keep their own
sidewalks free from obstruction.
Trucks to cart away the snow are
costing on the average $40 day, al
most double the rate paid in the win
ter of two years ago SO far no i'm
preston has been made upon the snow
drifts except in the case of Fifth-ave
and one or two other thoroughfares,
to accomplish this traffic had to be
suspended c o p g tely Even army
flame -throwers have been pressed into
service, but their weapons proved
powerless against the snow drifts
which block the streets.
Thaws Help a Bit.
The only favorable aspect of the sit
uation has been that the storms have
brought no extremely cold weather
and several times the temperature has
gone up above freezing point. These
thaws have helped householders to
clear their own sidewalks to a GER
tain extent, and have made il easier
for the city snow-fighters to continue
at their tasks, but the work OF remoy-
ing the snow from the streets has not
at a corresponding rate
Though New Workers are disposed
to grumble at the subway IL has not
cracked under the strain" in the pres
ent instance. The elimination of sur
face cars and the disruption of Il"
traffic have thrown a great burden
upon it, but the additional passengers
have all been carried, though the serv-
ice is slower than usual.
Conditions in New York have been
duplicated to some extent throughout
the east, with the result that railroads
have been forced to lay embargoes to
prevent cars from piling up on lines
east of Chicago