Evening star., 1924-03-11
SUDDEN BLIZZARD PLAYS
HAVOC IN WASHINGTON,
THEN ROARS ON NORTH

.s
Continued from First Page)
when il was announced that station
had gone out Of commission and the
Navy was doing its business as best
It could via the Sayville, l.. l., sta
,lon, routing pressing messages there
by wire. The Navy stations at An
napolis and Philadelphia also were
reported out OF commission early to-
day:
The storm played havoc with radio
ssssls sssa sna in washlns'cn The chssa
,'any's station. WCAP. lowered its
Entenna when it sagged to the break
ing point under its weight OF wet
snow. The Radio Corporation Of
America reported its station WRC
"all right" but throughout the city
amateur aeriais were destroyed dur
ing the night and many hours of care
ful work will be necessary before
radio fans may again listcn-in Oh
the nightly programs.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone Company reported long-distance
communication from Washington has
been "effectualiy cut Off" Maryland.
have been as hard hit as the District
and underground cable lines to New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore We're
said to be the only lines over which
service remains unimpaired. These are
subject to such demands that the COM
pany cannot handle the business The
most havoc is reported around Wash
lngton and Baltimore. No serious trou-
bic is expected in Washington proper by
the company unless the storm continues.
Only Three Arc Hurt.
There was an amazing lack of acci-
dents resulting from the storm. Only
three persons were reported injured
as direct result OF the blizzard, and
but one Of these was seriously hurt.
colored. of 1896 Prospect avenue She
was alighting from a street car on
the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge at
e6th street when an automobile op-
Grated by f.. Fletcher of 710 ed
street collided with the car.
The accident occurred during the
heaviest snow fall and the driver re-
ported that his vision was complete
~ blocked. Mrs. Washington was
thrown heavily TO the floor of the
car and was taken to Emergency
Hospital, suffering from severe lacer-
ations and a possible fractured skull.
Fletcher, too. WAS treated for lacer-
ations and later was locked up at
the third precinct station on a charge
OF driving while intoxicated.
Thomas Blankenship of 426 H street
about 1880 ocIoeR lass ssr'0ns Eight. 'n3Se WheS
telephone wire which had fallen
acSoss 9Th street between H and I
streets caught and broke the wind
shield of the car he was driving The
Top or the machine also was damaged,
but Blankenahip escaped with minor
scratches.
Automobiles operated by Benjamin
F. Brown Of 1884 S street and VIII
ct 24th and NJ streets last night
Both machines were badly damaged.
but neither OF the occupants was
hurt: No accidents had been reported
to the police up to noon today. So
streets that both pedestrians and mo-
torists exercised unusua! caution.
with mutually satisfactory results.
People Warned Of Fire.
Failure Of the fire alarm stations.
which occurred largely In suburban
sections, was due to the aerial wires
connecting them direct to headquarters
IN the District building breaking under
the combined pressure of snow and
wind. Realizing the danger OF such
situation. Fire Chief Watson imme-
oiateiy sent ont that residents of the
phone Main 90 in case Of fre, and take
no chance OF sounding an alarm from
a dead box"
The sections in which the flre-alarm
signal apparatus is still crippled are
.iA~cSS'o
Highlands. Bennins and the American
University Park section lying west Of
Wisconsin avenue and north of Muir
dock Mill road Commissioner Oyster in
structed tho pciiS~ to assist firernen in
notifying as many property owners as
possible in the neighborhoods affected.
and Chief Watson requested the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Company
to have its operators be on the alert for
emergency calls from those localities
- e. - - 81 A.
last night, and continued at intervals
throughout the night Fortunately, the
dre alarm Office WAS able to tell imme-
diately when a box went out Of order by
Gated there was trouble on the circuit
Hackers Fsree Busy:
The Potomac Electric Power Com
pany did not escape its share of
storm worries. 1t was estimated by
an official of the company that wires
seppiying IN nsa nsntins and nao heating cur,
been feiled. and that several of the
main high tension wires had broken.
also. A number of poles in rrakoma
Park and Chevy Chase snapped and
repairs all the more difficult
Morris Hacker, superintendent of
street cleaning. had 400 men out early
today clearing away the slush and
snow at street crossings and endeav-
oring to keep cutters open. He ex-
pected most of the snow to be washed
away by intermittent rains If his men
could succeed in keeping the cutters
and sewer entrances clear. Through
out the night. Hacker had snow plows
constantly busy in the most used
thoroughfares.
Hacker declared his regular appro-
priation for snow removal has already
been exhausted and that he must use
money appropriated for cleaning the
streets in order to make crossings
passable for pedestrians. He promised,
however, to keep them as ''navigable"
as possible, despite the drain it might
mean on his treasury.