The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-03-05
cancelled, but conditions were near V normal today.
Waterbury Mentioned

"N1NAAANANNaANAN ly normal today.
 waterbury Mentioned
 At Waterbury, where disruption of electric service crippled the city for hours, emergency lines helped to prevent a complete blackout dur. ing the night. Industrial plants, schools and stores reopened today. Schools remained closed, however, at Bridgeport, Fairfield, Westport and Easton. Many cellars through out the city were flooded.
 At Stamford 1t was estimated more than 300 persons were driven from their homes and forced to spend the night at hotels because of oil burner failures.
 Norwalk estimated its damage at $6O,OOO. Greenwich officials said damage there exceeded the 1888 hurricane loss.
 A town meeting at Milford was cancelled but at Guilford % voters breasted the storm to cast their ballots in the annual borough elec- ton.
 S,OOO TeiepnOneS Out
 It was estimated that most of the 5000 telephones put out of commis- sion by falling wires and poles had been restored.
 Repair crews were imported from Pennsylvania to aid rehabilitation of utilities lines in Litchfield and Fairfield counties, where the storm first struck.
 Candles were used at Bristol hos- pital, Bristol, until the power went on again, but shoreline towns of Saybrcok, Deep River, Essex and Ivoryton, and others to the north, including East Hampton, Chester and East Haddam were blacked out.
 Trees that crashed under the weight of ice coatings were being cleared away as quickly as possible so that lines could be mended.
 Motoring conditions continued ex- tremely hazardous, especially in the cities which were taxed beyond their facilities to keep abreast of the storm. Ice ruts formed in the streets. Staet highways were kept clear by state crews but slippery conditions prevailed.
 Traffic accidents were numerous, despite state police warnings for motorists to leave their cars in gar- ages. Several cars were struck by falling trees and there were many reports of broken arms and legs.
 Most seriously hurt was Henry Spencer, Jr., 39. Clinton, whose au- tomobile was smashed by a falling tree at Branford. He suffered a skull fracture.
 Thousands of householders went hours without lights and without power to operate electric ranges and furnaces. Transportation facil- itieS were operating normally to- day after a night of caution, except for the airliners.
 At New Haven the sleet was so severe that the pigeons on Central Green were so coated with ice they were unable to fly.
 In New England
 Boston, March 5-(UP)-A de- structive storm of freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow was expected to continue in New England today as workers struggled to repair downed power lines, clear debris blocked, icy roads and minimize travel hazards.
 At least three deaths were att tributed to the storm in this area.
 Moving slowly northeastward from New York and Connecticut which felt its brunt yesterday, the storm grounded airplanes, ham, pered highway travel and caused heavy damage to trees throughout New England. Wind and sleet at sea drove small boats to port.
 Metropolitan Boston was saved by Q single degree of temperature yesterday as the storm raked the North Atlantic seaboard, but mid- night brought freezing weather and eastern and central Massachusetts were gripped by ice this morning.
 During the night the storm ad- vanced to Maine where 1t was showing. Five inches of snow fell at Northfield, Vt. Rain so heavy that 1t stalled automobiles pelted Cape Cod.
 Western Massachusetts reported 3 to 1 inches of snow in many sec- tions. Virtually all roads were dan- gerous because of the sleet glaze and the hazards of falling branches and snapping wires.
 Leave Autos Home
 State authorities warned motor ists to leave their automobiles at home until conditions improved.
 Travelling conditions were so bad in some parts of Worcester county that schools in many towns were closed for the day.
 Little relief was anticipated by the weather bureau today, though fair weather was predicted for to- morrow. Storm warnings remained posted along the coast.
 Ice forming on power and com- munioation lines dropped live wires across some roads, adding to driv- ing dangers.
 Radio stations WBZ at Boston, WBzA at Springfield and WPRO at Providence, R. l., suffered from in- termitten loss of power during the night.
 Failure of power lines darkened thousands of homes and in some cases drove families to hotels be- cause electrically-fired heaters could not operate.
 Northeastern SeabOard
 New York, March 5.-CUP)-A freak storm which yesterday glazed the northeastern seaboard with de- Structive ice continued unabated in upper New England today after causing damage to trees and power lines comparable to the havoc wrought by the 1888 hurricane.
 The storm. whose unusual manl- festations of congealing rain, sleet and snow were made possible by a combination of meteorological cir cumstances, had caused damage es- timated in the millions throughout New York, northern New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
 During the night 1t swept into -