New Britain herald., 1925-01-30
Berlin and Chestnut Street Lines Blockaded
 Wires Come Down Under Weight of Icy Burden.
Northeaster Offers Me lange of Snow, Sleet and Rain as Midwinter Di- version With New Eng land Setting.

Riding in, on a northeast gale. q storm struck this city with triphanl- mer force last plight. disrupting trol- ley schedules, knocking telephones out of commission and making life as miserable as possible for mortal man.
 Startling with light snowfall about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the weather started to show off with a demonstration of it's versa tillty. From snow. 1t turned to sleet which pelted down like salt out of a giant shaker. This becoming mon otonous, it shifted to rain, which came in deluge late at night with it's half-frozen twin brother, hail.
 At sunup today, or at that hour when the sun was supposed to rise, the world hereabout was swathed in a crystal film of ice. All trees, shrubs and wires were glazed over and for those who enjoy the works of ma ture and are willing to trudga through snow to see them. the pam orama was entrancing.
 Fight to Keep Lines Open.
 The Connecticut company kept its sweepers going all night, and blows were in operation where most need ed. The board of public works start ed several blows to work at o'clock this morning, keeping open the main thoroughfares and fire lines. Snow and siesi drifted in some places so that as early as 10 o'clock last night, narrow passages on the outskirts of the city were deep in drifts and with the sleet, snow and rain freezing as it reached the ground, walking was almost impos- sible.
 This morning found traffic in bad condition. Walking on some side- walks was almost out of the ques- ton and workers in the factories, starting earlier than usual, took to the streets where they could. Jlt- neys gradually got started and slip ped and skidded along, keeping somewhere near schedule by follows ing their own tracks in the streets on subsequent runs.
 Two Trolley Lines Affected.
 Trolleys, which had been slipping behind schedule all night. moved with difficulty. The Meriden. South- ington and Plainville line and the Hartford and Pennington avenue lines were open. The Chestnut street cars ran as far as Chestnut and streets only, while the Berlin cars were tied up completely this morn ing. The Francis street line op- erated with considerable difficulty last night.
 Use Picks On Tracks Snow blows proved to be of little avail today in the work of cleaning tracks so trolleys could get througn and 1t was necessary for Connecticut company officials to hire extra men with picks and shovels to dig the ice out of switches and other places on the tracks. M While cars were running through to the north end of Stanley street a few hundred feet from the end of the line was frozen over and snow blow and a gang of men worked at it all morning to get it open, The | ice was frozen so hard that the snow blow would ride right over 1t and picks and shovels were needed to dig it out.
 The last cars to Meriden and Hartford last night had difficulty making the return trip because the snow and sleet froze up in the tracks before they could get back. Super- intendent William J. Bryan and gangs of men worked all night in an 1 effort to keep the lines open.
 Another gang with picks and shovels worked all day today on Pennington avenue, while a gang with picks, shovels and a plow struggled to get the Berlin Inc open.
 Two wires were down on the Chestnut street line, one on Stanley street and one on Chestnut street. I The Chestnut street wire was re paired about 2 o'clock this morning so as to keep the Hartford cars op- i erating, but until late this after
 noon Stanley street between Chest
 nut and Pleasant streets was with- l t-arfn.- rnr.=9-a
 Car Stalled In Ice
 One car coming in from Hartford
 about 4 o'clock this morning was stalled in the ice at Newington. Su-
 perintendent Bryan sent bus out
 to take of the passengers. He or
 dered out snow blow at the same
 time. The plew arrived first ana
 assisted the car as far as Market street. In the meantime the brs
 driver. returning from Newington turned in at Market street intending to follow up the car. He found the car and picw stopped al Market street and removed the pssseagers,
 Despite the almost superhuman
 efforts required 10 do H. superinr ] rr.-as-a =. -. rr.n