Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-01-30
l07killed in Washington Theatre Crash
Washington in
Path Worst
Storm Years

l sSAAAoS OAs oeAAts A~oAASA 49,
der from one to more than two feet
Of snow by one Of the most severe
storms in several decades the mid
die Atlantic section OF, the country
spent Sunday in valiant but mostly
vain efforts to resume the activities
suspended Friday night when the
storm swept up from the south.
The storm, described by the
| weather bureau as the worst in %
years. tonight had passed out to sea
and its center was said to be north
northeast of Bermuda.
Washington as the center Of the
| storm area and the center of the
/, storms strength suffered the most
| severely-a toll of nearly 100 lives
| having been taken and more than
100 injured. some of whom may be
added later to the list of dead.
! Even aside from the Knickerbock
/ er theatre disaster the capitol was
hard hit and although the snow
| stopped falling a few hours after
| mid might it was not until long after
day had dawned that the full effect
| was assessed. Daybreak found the
city without any sort of street car
| service, it's streets blocked to inn
| FEASIBILITY with snow, it's suburbs
completely cut off. deliveries of
| bread, milk and other perishable
food stuffs greatly curtailed, and
| many buildings endangered by the
| load of snow. The hours of Sunday
! We're spent in attempts to restore a
! semblance of normal conditions and
| though aided by favorable weather.
| sunshine and thawing temperature
the city tonight was still in the grip
| of the storm.
Other portions of the middle Allan
, tic sections experienced conditions
similar to lesser degree. Maryland
! felt the effect of the storm almost as
| much as the District of Columbia. and
! in Baltimore the snowfall was almost
as heavy as in Washington. SOUTH
| eastern Pennsylvania and the region in
| and about Philadelphia was covered
with a foot and a half Of snow. New
York City and adjacent sections Of that
state also experienced heavy snow
! fall along with eastern Delaware and
| New Jersey.
The coastal region had added to the
factor of snow strong gales which
crippled shipping. The Hampton Roads
district experienced heavy seas along
its waterfronts, q 42-mile gale and
dense mist of snow and slice: which
kept the area within the Virginia
capes closed to marine traffic and
made navigation extremely perilous 10
the few vessels moving.
Reports to the weather bureau to-
night indicated that gales which Were
strong from Cape Cod to Cape Hat
teras during the day would diminish
before the end OF the night as the
storm center passed out over the sea
The forecast was for cloudy and I'M
settled weather over the middle At
lantic region tomorrow and Tuesday
with no severely cold weather.
Two new storms. however. were
rushing toward the east and weather
bureau officials scanned their charts
and reports anxiously TO see if the
two disturbances might add to the
general decentralization. They said
tonight that it was too early to as
certain whether the new storms. one
over Texas and the other over the
Northwest would reach the stricken
region.
All indications in Washington to-
night were that even with the ia
vorable weather forecast it would be
days before normal conditions were
restored. Some improvement, how
ever. was discerniblc tonight. rail-
roads entering the city announcing
the more and more frequent arrival
of trains one trunk line traction COM
pany operating few cars on n single
track on Pennsylvania avenue and
Fourteenth street.
The population of the city. despite
the blocaking snow. suffered little
from a scarcity of foodstuffs. Bread
which was unpurchasable last night
in the residential sections was deliv-
cred to stores throughout most of the
city during the day.
Taking warning from the theatre
catastrophe many apartment house
and Office buildings issued orders
early III the day 1Or the removal or
the snow from the roofs. Many
porches, however, collapsed.
Daybreak was welcomed by the
city firemen and police who describ-
ed the preceding hours as "a night Of
horror" Fires were reported in
nearly a half dozen widely separated
sections last night after practically
all the fire fighting apparatus had
been sent to the scene of the theatre
disaster as precautionary measure.
Rejecting the tie-up OF railroad
transportation hundreds slept last
night in the Union station on cots
sent there by the war department.
Many Of these stranded travellers
were still in the capital tonight and
while some had obtained hotel ac-
commodations others slept as they
did last night. To aid in the trans
mission of mails. Secretary DENLY
early today ordered 500 marines from
Quantico, Va.
"nc!1s,ac ~ T~..I