The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-03-05
Crippled Power Felt Throughout All Conn.
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snow melted as 1t fell and then froSe again on everything 1t touched.
 In New York citys parks alone, damage to trees was estimated at more than 60Oy000, and utilities companies throughout the affected region reported almost unprece- dented damage to power lines.
 Much of northern New Jersey and Connecticut was temporarily "blacked out" and power shortages were reported in parts of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
 The storm originated in Texas and moved slowly across the coun- try to the northeastern seaboard A chilly rain Sunday left shrubs thinly yelled in ice. On Monday snow and sleet mingled with the rain and the ice-coating grew heavier, snapping tree limbs and telephone and power lines.
 The temperature was inconstant dropping to a few degrees below freezing and then rising slightly above. During the freezing spellS giant trees which had weathered the 1888 hurricane burst their bolts ol snapped their stems under the heavy burden of ice.
 At the southern fringe of the glazed area today the temperature rose above freezing but in Massa- chusetts and northern New England TO relief was in prospect today. To- morrow was expected to be fair, but storm warnings remained posted along the coast where the storn, had driven small boats to shelter.
 So fine was the temperature bal ance necessary to produce the ice mantle that, for a time, Boston was saved by the margin of a single de- gree. At midnight, however, he mercury fell below freezing and eastern and central Massachusetts were glazed over before dawn.
 At least three deaths were attri- buted to the storm in the Boston area and there were hundreds of accidents throughout the Iced area Connecticut was especially hard hit The Connecticut Light & Power company reported the worst ice con- ditions in its history and hundreds of trees were felled.
 Falling trees caused many in- juries when they struck houses or automobiles. Henry Spencer, Jr., of Clinton, Conn, suffered @ skull fracture when a tree smashed his car. Schools remained closed at Bridgeport, Fairfield, Westport and Easton, Conn, and in Stamford more than 300 persons took refuge in hotels when their heaters failed. Norwalk estimated its damage at $60,000, and Greenwich officials said destruction there was worse than that wrought by the hurricane in 1888.
 Giant Oaks Go Down
 In Long Island and New Jersey, giant oaks that had survived the worst of the 1898 hurricane had broken down, littering the highways and impeding traffic.
 At the Palisades Interstate park, giants of the forest were toppled with noise like t he exploding of big guns. W. H. Carr, naturalist of the American Museum of Natural HiS- tory, said the loss was "inconceiv- able" that half the trees in 42,O00 acres were ruined or damaged.
 The same conditions extended through Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
 The precipitation during the storm, whose winds at times reached 70 miles an hour, changed from rain to sleet to snow and back again as the temperature hovered degree above or below freezing. The con- dition is known as glaze. Ice still clung to exposed surfaces today and it was feared that if wind came before then, the damage to trees and power lines would mount sharply.
 Ice and snow covered the high ways but then traffic death toll had been unusually light, only three casualties in New England and seven in New York.
 IM0uatrleS ClOSeO
 Many industries were shut down yesterday along the Hudson and Connecticut rivers because of brok- en power lines.
 In northern New Jersey, l2,00o homes were without lights at one time last night and 1000 telephones were out of order. A heavy surf pounded the New Jersey coast and several homes in the Elberon viciil- ity were in danger of being washed to sea. At Wayne, N. J., power failed in the transmitter of New York's radio station WABC, key outlet for the Columbia Broadcasting com pany, and that station was off the air yesterday for six and @ half hours, $7,000 worth of contracted programs being eliminated.
 More than 2,000 fire alarm signal boxes were put out of order in New York's Bronx borough and fire patrols had to be established. The Consolidated Edison company re- ported 10 miles of its wires affect- ing 25 900 families, were out of ser- vice and the New York Telephone company reported TAO of Its lines down.
 Tn the New York suburbs. schools were closed for lack of light and heat