Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1928-02-04
IN ICY ONSLAUGHT
WINTER CAPTURES
NATIONAL CAPITAL
Washington Blanketed With
Snow Borne on Wings OF
Furious Blizzard. - Sea-
sons Coolest Weather.
Irish Free State President
Visits Capital. - Various
Small Events of Passing
Interest.

The weather, always the resort
CT small talk, has assumed the
LTcLortions of a National subject
following the blizzard of last Sat.
urday VIII 'ch ceatered in Wash
ington.
Friday night and all day Sat1r.
day the snow fell accompanied by
q high wind. the result being that
the IL inch fall of snow was heap
ed ir,o drifts. Strees car and
automobile travel were impeded
and walking was unpleasant and
almost oat of The question. How
ever, this storm is described in
the words of cur California
friends as every unusual" the last
snowfall comparable with this hav-
ing occurred six years ago when
the weight of s5ow on the roof
caused the collapse OF fhe Knick-
erboobor Theater and the loss OF
some 72 lives. And everywhere
that Wash rngtonians assemble
one hears the recounttng OF the
tragic experiences OF that terrible
disaster.
To one from Las Vegas who has
long been a stranger to such
s.orms. the blizzard was inter
esting, il not pleasant The ef-
forts of automobiles to navigate
the drift filled streets. cars being
stalled everywhere and grinding
away in a vain effort to find trac-
zion; she small armies Of colored
men trying to dig out autos and
clear a way for traffic and che
difficulties which the 60 or 20
thousand government employees
had in getting to and from work
caused a general upsetting of the
usual daily life of the city.
By Monday tho traffic conditions
were MEGA improved All autos
are equipped with chains which
seem never 10 exactly fit and
there Is constant "clank. clank"
in the streets caused by the chains
striking the tenders.
Children were ont with sleds
everywhere and the District Gov
ernment set aside port ,ons of 2S
streets. between certain hours for
the use OF children in coasting.
1t has been announced that skat-
ing will be permitted on the Re
fleeing Basin. located between
the Washington monument and
the Lincoln Memorial, as soon as
the officials find the ice suf-
fciently thick.
II appears that The old fashion
ed cutter and bo1-sle Ugh are prac-
tically obsolete, hut | did see one
handsome outfit. an old-fashioned
red cutter drawn by a horse with
fancy harness and sleigh bells.
speeding down the street and it
attracted as much attention as
would a circus parade
Washington seems to support
more taxis in proportion to its
size, than any other city. There
are several large companies all
having hundreds of cabs, but they
were inadequate to the demands
caused by the storm.
Saturday night George Malone
and myself were among the guests
at the home of Congressman and
Mrs. Sam Arentz. fine affair being
a card party in honor of Mrs.
Bender of Reno. A number of
Congressman and their wives were
among the guests, in addition to
DIR. and Mrs. Hickling (Dr, Hick-
ling Is a lifelong Washingtonian)
and General Fries. under whose
supervision the work OF building
the Los Angeles Habror at San
Pedro was begun nearly 25 years
ago. OF course the evening was
both interesting and pleasant. The
party broke up shortly before one
O'Clock and 1t required nearly an
hour before we could get enough
taxis to take the guests home
through the drifted streets.
Mr.. Malone, Mr.. McClatchy, a
newspaper correspondent, and my
self were dinner guests OF Senator
and Mrs. Key Pittman the other
night. Needless to say the even
ing was q delightful one. We re-
manned until eleven O'Clock, Sena-
tor Pittman leaving at the same
time to take the train with a party
going to South Carolina for duck
Senator tells us that this party Is
an annual event greatly enjoyed
by a cotarie of old timers in
Washington.
With Congressman Arentz I at
tended an entertainment at the
Wardman Park Hotel theatre, at
which the program was on Chile.
HAN the theatre. reserved for the
diplomatic corps, was filled with
distinguished looking foreigners
and brilliantly dressed women. A