New-York tribune., 1920-02-05
Worst Storm of Winter
Ties Up Traffic for
Hours on Surface, H.
Subway; Trains Late
Useless on
Ice-Coated Streets
400 Men and $50 PIows
Fight Vainlv in Wind
and Sleet to Clear Wav

New York City was first sheathed in
ice and then buried in snow Yesterday
by the heaviest storm of the winter.
Four hundred men were at work last
night trying to clear the streets. ac-
cording to Street Cleaning Commits
sioner Arnold B. MacStay.
That was the entire force nut to
work to fight against one of the worst
storms that has enveloped the city
this year. The handful of men on
Grated for the most part the 100 snow
piows and strove to keep the main
arteries Of traffic open.
Trucks Useless on Ice
Commissioner MacStay said that he
had pressed into service 800 trucks to
aid in the work of snow removal. but
that the streets were too slippery for
them to be used.
The storm that was still rushing
through the city late last night de-
scended upon it early yesterday morn
ing. 1t began as rain. which made
sloppy streets and sidewalks even more
slushy, but after a half hour changed
to hail. drop in the temperature
encased the entire city in ice, and by
dawn this CLASSY surface was buried
beneath covering of snow
Driven in from the sea by a forty
mile gale, snow continued to fall in
binding clouds all day long BY nine
o'clock last night, the Weather Bureau
said that three inches had fallen To
day, it was predicted, the weather will
be clearing and colder.
All day long, surface and elevated
lines operated under difficulties. but
the worst tie-ups occurred early in the
morning. Conditions we're most serious
in Queens. For some time during the
rush hour yesterday morning, the
greensboro Bridge was barred to troll
ley traffic
No trains ran over the Brighton
Beach division from $3.50 until a. m
The Canarsie and Fulton Street ele-
waited lines were also delayed.
The Hudson Tubes service was
blocked during the rush hour Con-
gestion in the Jersey City stations of
the system became SO heavy that police
reserves were called out to handle the
crowds.
hunOredS walk
Staten Islands rapid transit system
was almost paralyzed by the storm
last night. Not trolley car was able
to run, and the 10000 commuters from
Manhattan were forced to wait for a
rare municipal bus, rarer steam
train or else walk home.
Municipal ferries were running from
twenty minutes to a half hour behind
schedule. Trains Of the Staten Island
steam railway were able throughout
the day to operate on twenty-mnutc
headway. Last night the snow was 30
deep that trains were run at only at
ninety minute intervals. The munici-
pal bus lines were disrupted. Few
busses ran, and these were over
whelmed with passengers.
The full moon and the high wind
piled up high tide along the south
shore of the island last night. 1t was
feared that many Of the bungalow
colonies would be swept away before
morning.
In Manhattan, after nghtfall, the
storm began to thwart the efforts of
the street railway companies to keep
their lines clear. First the First Ave
nue. and then the Second Avenue sur
face lines we're showed under The
Third Avenue made attempts to con-
tinue service, but these were far from
effective.
Sixth and Eighth Avenue surface
lines were blocked for more than an
hour last evening, but later resumed
service. A short circuit that occurred
in front of the Postoffice Building, on
Park Row, crippled the Fourth and
Madison Avenue line for some time
The Broadway surface line was kept
open, but cars only crept along. The
West from one to six hours.
Tubes Are Thronged
At II o'clock last night surface car
traffic across greensboro Bridge was
tied up again, and it was nearly an
hour before the cars resumed. At about
the same time the Lexington Avenue
surface line withdrew its cars and al
lowed the snow that it had been fight
ing all day to drift unhindered over its
tracks.
The tie-up of most of the surface
lines in Manhattan resulted in abnor-
NAL crowds f1ocking to subway and
elevated stations, chiefly the former
All evening long both East and West
side tubes were packed as though still
in the midst of the rush hour.
The telephone service wherever wires
are carried overhead was almost COM
pletely broken down by the storm. Ice
clung to the wires and gradually in
creased until the copper strands
snapped.
Stolen Truck Is Found: