Evening star., 1920-02-05
HARDEST SNOWSTORM
OF PRESENT SEASON
HITS ATLANTIC COAST
Traffic of Metropolis
Blocked and Other
Cities Suffer.
Snow, Hail and Sleet Borne
by Winds-Ocean City,
Md, Severely Damaged.

Md, Severely Damaged.
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, February 5-New York
today started to dig itself out of the
most severe snowstorm of the winter
Snow hail and sleet carried on the
wings of a fifty-mile gale. fell stead
lily during the night and early morn
ing hours. clogging the streets and
sidewalks of the metropolis with grea'
drifts. demoralizing street car trafhc
delaying train service, seriously i'm
peding navigation in the harbor and
causing intense discomfort to pedes-
trians-
Traffic Blocked.
Although squads of motor sweepers
were kept busy all night cleaning
tracks. street cars moved at snail
pace and blockades were the rule. Tens
of thousands of workers on their way
downton forsook the elevated and troll
ley lines and swamped the subways.
The icy condition of the sidewalks.
coupled with the gale. made walking
perilouS. The wind smashed many
plate glass windows in stores along
Broadway.
Ferryboats were delayed in making
their trips owing to the high tides and
the danger of floatiny ice Harbor
craft generally was tied up to moor
ings Nearby seashore resorts re-
ported considerable damage to- docks
and cottages along the shore
Nearly all the incoming trains at
the great railway terminals were far
behind their schedules. Trains from
the west were hours late.
More than 1000 men were pressed
into service by the street cleaning de-
par5ment to clear the streets In an
effort to assist the department the
Downtown League, composed of busi-
Cd memherS to
request their employees to volunteer
for snow-removal work.
storm Moving Northeast.
Reports from Atlantic highlands and
other marine observation points along
the coast early today were that the
storm was the worst in years. The
tide is high and driven by the fifty
mile northeastcrly gale is pounding the
beaches and threatening in many places
10 undermine summer homes.
No marine casualties have been re-
ported, but the condition of the weather
is such that captains of incoming ships
have avoided attempts to enter the har-
Dor and are holding of in deep water
to ride out the gale.
Weather bureau reports indicate that
the storm center was centered this
morning off the Delaware capes and
moving slowly in northeasteriy direc-
ton. B'f
Ht dSodCud, -0aiiffHcE uOtSf Ou
the beach at the foot of S5th street.
Brooklyn. was washed into New York
bay by the surf The police reported
IT a total loss.
The high tide flooded the Eric ter
minal in Jersey City and ferry service
to New York was discontinued. Some
New Jersey trains were two hours
late arriving at Jersey City owing to
snowdrifts.
Three Long Island Sound steamships
were fast i'll the ice today near Execu-
ton Light. off New Rochelle. N Y,
and sound shipping was virtually at a
standstill- The vessels in the ice were
the Maine. which left New York yes
terday afternoon for Bridgeport.
Conn; the New Hampshire. from New
London for New York. and the Pc
quonnock, from New York for New
Bedford
The Colonial Line steamship Con-
cord. bound from Providence to New
York. put back into Providence today
after touching at Newport. No report
ton, which left New York for Provi-
dence last evening.
Other states Hard Hit.
PHILADELPHIA. February D.
Eastern Pennsylvania. southern New
Jersey and Delaware early today were
still in the grip of the northea st
storm which started shortly after
midnight Tuesday. A combination of
sleet. snow and wind that at some
points reached a velocity of ffty-six
miles an hour. made the storm the
severest of the winter. Railroad
traffic was delayed. street car sched-
ules demoralized and shipping on the
Delaware river virtually was at a
St7ndstili. to say nothing of the dis
comfort caused pedestrians by the
cutting wind-driven hail that fell
throughout the night.
The storm in this city started with
rain, which quickly froze. and under
the SIX or more inches of snow and
sleet is a coating of ice. making walk
ing difficult Many persons were hurt
by falling on the treacherous pave
ments.
Atlantic City Flooded.
Jersey seashore resorts were hard
hit. Gales and high tides at Atlantic
City and Cape May inundated streets
and flooded cellars. Heavy damage
was reported at Cape May.
Four schooners and yacht broke
from their moorings at LeweS. Del.
crashed into the iron pier and were
badly damaged. while at Rehoboth
Beach more than 1000 feet of the
were swept away by the tide.
Two deaths. many accidents and i'm
peding of traffic in all directions IS the
record of the most severe snow and
wind storm in this vicinity in several
years. Blinded by the snow, Howard
Clark. a Camden shipbuilder. stepped
in front of an electric car and was
killed. Another man fell. and died
later in hospital.
Atlantic City Boardwalk Wrecked.
The highest storm tide in the history
of Atlantic City wrecked part of the
Chelsea boardwalk and nearly all of
the Ventnor and Margate City board
walks during the night Ocean termi-
nsls of streets were flooded to such an
extent that motor cars were compelled
tc use the Boardwalk
Inlet Section Under Water.
Trolley service at Atlantic City was
suspended during the night. but was
PARTLY resumed today. The inlet sec
ZION of the city is under water. The
wharf of the Yachtsmens Club has been
Destroyed The hotel and pavilion a,
the inlet may collapse. Coast guard
stations are hard pressed because OF
the intensity of the storm, which has
ragged for seventy-two hours. Tele-
phone communication with upper
coast stations has been cut off. Three
harpes have been driven ashore on the
, meadows in Great bay. near Brigantine
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