Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-30
DEEPEST SNOWFALL
HERE SINCE 1922
CR|PPLES TRAFFIC
Afternoon Shows II Inches
on Ground, Exceeding
1923 Record.
STREET CARS TIED UP
AS RAILS SHORT-CIRCUlT
Exhaustion of Maintenance Fund
Feared as District Puts 600 Men
to Work Clearing Streets.

to Work Clearing Streets.
Buried under the heaviest fall of snow
since the memorable January of 1922,
when the Knickerbocker disaster &C.
CURED, the District marshalled its
forces today to keep streets and high
ways open.
BY 1880 pm. the snowfall. which
started just before midnight, stood at
IL inches, exceeding the 1O.5 inches
recorded in 1928, the heaviest up to that
time since that on January 81 and %
OF 1922. when the record % inches was
established.
The Weather Bureaus forecast is for
continued snowfall this afternoon with
clearing weather tonight and fair and
warmer weather tomorrow. The tenn
perature probably will drop to 16 de-
grees above zero tonight
The Districts financially crippled
street Cleaning Department sent out
a hurry call for extra workmen as It
commenced the colossal task of clear
ing the main traf1c arteries. The usual
work OF the Highway, Sewer and Water
departments was forsaken as all avail
able men and equipment were pressed
INTO service to clear away the snow.
Wv "ASu DCBh WOEAs
An initial crew of $50 men COM
menced work at 4 O'Clock this morning.
BY 10 o'clock 100 extra men had been
hired. The condition of some of the
main streets had been improved at
this hour, but it was obvious that the
task had only been started.
AS the work of clearing the snow got
under way District authorities an
nounced that the streets during the
last few months of the fiscal year would
have to go virtually unclaimed unless
additional money is appropriated for
this purpose.
AS a precautionary measure. Col.
John w. Oehmann, District building in
spector, warned all householders to re-
move the snow from their roofs as
soon as possible. THE snow at pres
ent," he said, lis light and not danger
Gus, but 1t Is deemed advisable to re-
move the snow to forestall any pos
sibillty of disaster such as occurred
at the Knickerbocker Theater"
The two traction companies were ex-
periencing considerable difficulty main
tanning their schedules, but no serious
tie-ups were reported. The principal
dimculty resulted from broken skid
chain links and snow lodging in pillow
slots, causing short circuits.
The washington Railway g. Electric
Co. called out "a snow plows, 81 scrap
ers, 10 trucks, 2 tractors, passenger
cars with scrapers and street cars
shortly after last midnight to keep its
lines open.
Long Morning Delays.
A grounded pillow, resulting from
snow, and a skid chain link in the
pillow slot on F street resulted in a 26-
minute tie-up this morning. Other
delays OF shorter duration were reported
from widely scattered districts.
All bus lines were running on sched-
ule, it was said. One driver of a bus
running into Maryland reported that
he was stopped on a downtown trip
this morning by a crowd of men who
stood in front of his bus on MasSa-
chusettS avenue, refusing to let him
pass. They wanted to board the bus,
but the driver finally persuaded them
he could not permit them to do so as
1t would be a violation Of public utility
regulations.
Motorists can hardly be blamed for
driving on the car tracks In bad weather
such as this" one traction ofilcial said,
but the result is disastrous for us when
the chains on their autos break and
lodge In the pillow SLOT"
The Capital Traction Co. reported
zenith, where broken skid chain caused
second short circuit. Otherwise, 1t
was said, schedule service was main
tanned except for some delays In the
downtown district caused by stalled We
hicular trafic. This company was also
obliged to press all of its snow removing
equipment into service to keep its tracks
cleared.
One serious delay was experienced by
the Washington & Virginia Railway Co
at Fourteenth street and Ohio avenue
where another short circuit held up its
cars for considerable period.
AT Union Station street cars were de-
layed until many Of the passengers de-
cided to make use of taxicabS there
Other passengers decided to walk.
Plan for Emergency.
Although their plows swung into ac-
ton long before daylight and had the
highways around Washington open for
traff1c this morning, officials of the
Maryland State Roads Commission
feared drifts would prove a serious
menace late this afternoon or tonight
and made plans to meet them.
E. G.. Duncan, district engineer, In
charge Of operations in Prince Georges
and Montgomery Counties, declared the
commission had 200 men in readiness
to shovel out the drifts. 1t was hoped,
however, that the drift fences and
rotary plows would not make 1t neces-
sary to resort to man power.
A feet Of II plows was in operation
in the two counties throughout the
day.
School children were given a chance
TO enjoy the snow this afternoon. An
order from DR.. Frank w. Ballou, super
intendent of schools released the ele-
mentary school pupils at o'clock and
those in senior and junior high schools
at 2 o'clock.
The first workers to swing into action
were the crews of % snow plowS of the
street cleaning department, which
plowed lanes through all the heavily
Travelled trafic arteries, getting them
into passable condition before the morn
ing rush hour trafic started. Next came
rs trucks belonging to the highway de-
partment, accompanied by gangs of men
who loaded them with snow from cross
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