Evening star., 1922-01-28
Railway Service
Almost Halted
by Fall.
FIGHT
WAY TO WORK
Jollity Marks Hard
ships-Mail Trains
Halt.

Gripped in the heaviest snowstorm
since the blizzard of February. 1899.
with a snowfall of practically two
feet in twenty-four hours breaking
all past records, Washington today
finds it's every activity slowed down,
and the city largely cut off from COM
munication with the outside world. so
far as transportation Is concerned.
After a morning spent in struggling
through knee-deep drifts of snow on
the way to work, Washington looked
out today upon continued steady
fall of snow, with an official forecast
from the weather bureau to the effect
that the snow would continue for the
remainder of the day and probably all
night. f.
officials at Union station reported
that train service was slowly being
resumed, following the arrival OF pas
senger trains from New York four
and five hours late. At an early hour
today the terminal officials requested
City Postmaster Chance to send over
no more mail. as there were no more
trains to take it out.
Forced to Walk.
binding snow which began at 4:20 pm.
yesterday afternoon, had great difficult
ty early today in getting In operation.
and thousands of persons in govern
ment departments and other business
were forced to walk to work, marching
along the car tracks.
Several persons were hurt during the
course of the storm, while abandoned
automobiles were to be seen at numer-
Gus places throughout the city. AS the
storm continued today without abate-
ment plans were made by officials and
others to meet the situation.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone Company, at an early hour, re-
ported that the number of calls had
Increased by 250 per cent over normal,
especially in the northern part of the
city. Telephone girls were brought to
work on company trucks. and full
force was maintained.
Officials at the weather bureau said
today that they could not call the
present great snowstorm blizzard.
since the temperature OF rs degrees
above zero at o'clock this morning
was not low enough, and there was no
great wind sufficient to- justify the
term blizzard"
Weather Bureau Delayed.
Even at the weather bureau the
storm slowed up activities, it being
several hours before the bureau
could begin to take official sound
ings' as to the depth Of snow. Official
measurements there revealed a
depth of about 10 inches at IL o'clock,
with other measures running as high
as twenty-four inches. but these
latter were in spots where snow might
have fallen off buildings.
More than thirty-fOur inches of
snow fell February IA and Is. 1899.
but the record for snowfall in
twenty-four hours here In the past
was IL inches, made during the same
storm is practically doubling that
record in twenty-four hours.
At Union station the greatest trouble
being experienced was with the slip
switches, which would flll with snow
and have to be burned out. The big
am. today. had not been heard from
late today.
Telegraph companies reported that
they were experiencing little trouble
with their wires, but could not tell
when something might go wrong, due to
be of light character.
Hurry Call for shovelers.
A hurry call was sent out for snow
shovelers today by the Washington
terminal officials. the snow piling up
to an alarming extent in the yards.
For the first time in the history of
the Washington city post Office, spe-
cial delivery boys today abandoned
their bicycles, and made their trips
afoot, emulating the letter carriers.
who made but two deliveries today
in the residence section, and three
in the business sections.
Two carriers. who were on leave.
noting the storm, voluntarily reported
for duty at o'clock this morning,
to help out in the storm situation.
"WeIl get the mail out" declared
Postmaster Chance.
Many accidents were averted by
automobiles, one particularly bad
spot being on 18th street between E
and F streets, where police were
lists and pedestrians of the danger.
Walk i'm Tracks.
After a night of steady snowfall,
Washington awoke to find itself al
most "snowed under" Drifts made
the snow knee-deep in places, and
those first out had literally to plow
their way to the car lines. where snow
'plows had managed to clean tracks.
Everybody seemed in jolly mood
ployes, and the people struggled to
work in cars and afoot. The snow
fall of January 80. 1918. when thir.
teen inches was measured, early faded
into insignificance.
Maj. Bowie. official local forecaster
at the weather bureau. announced
continued snow for this afternoon
and night.
The bureau reported today that the
storm was still central over the Vir-
ginia capes. The present storm came
from Florida, being caused by the
condensation of moisture brought in
from the ocean. the forecaster said.
The storm. which covers a large
section of the east, according to frag-
mentary reports available. did not
come unheralded. since snow had been
falling for the past two days in the
atlantic states south, breaking rec
ords in Virginia as early as midnight.
The weather bureau yesterday pre-
dicted heavy snow through the east
and northern portion Of the south.
As the snow continued to fall to-
day. government workers began to
worry as to how they would get home
tonight, and early requisitions began