Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-24
City Digging Out
After 9.5.|nch
.Snowstorm
Traffic Tie-up Forces
Thousands to Walk;
Wind Piles Up Drifts
Pictures on Page All


Washington struggled out Of q
snowfall today measured officially
at 9.5 inches, but piled up in drifts
three times that depth. Schools
were closed, traffic and communica-
tons were tied up and the city's
normal conduct of business was in
terfered with seriously.
Commissioner Melvin C. Hazen
sought the aid of the C. C. C. to
supplement the efforts of 2l0O work.
ers who were trying to clear the
snow away.
The snowstorm, the worst since
1896, swept up on the city from the
south. Motorists were warned to
keep their automobiles out of the
downtown area and to stay off roads
leading south.
On Capitol Hill complaints we're
heard over the methods used to
clear the streets for traffic as con-
gressional business-like other bust.
ness-was delayed. Only Al of the
435 members of the House were pres
ent for the noon roll call.
Nearby Areas Hard Hit.
Nearby Maryland and Virginia
were hard hit, with schools in both
rural and city areas shut down in
many. places. Two streetcars were
derailed in Prince Georges County,
Md. and bus schedules were for
gotten. Roads to Richmond and
Annapolis were completely blocked
at times.
Government bureaus reported
from one-third to one-haf of their
employees were either late or abb
sent. This included even the
Weather Bureau, where one-third
of the personnel was missing when
9 am. came.
Thousands of workers started out
for their Offices on foot, despairing
of getting on the crowded, creeping
street cars. buses, or taxis. Auto
mobiles and buses we're stuck in
the snow all over the city.
Telephone. service was near .
breakdown about 8 am, when a
flood of calls from snow-bound citi-
zens hit the big switchboards.
Southern Trains Late.
1t was no easier to get in and out
of the city than it was to get
around it. Trains from the South
were running hours late. Inter-
state buses were late or stalled,
airplane travel was stopped entirely
until noon, and operation of the
Potomac River steamers was halted
Police battied 70 straighten out
traffic snarls. some of which
stretched as far as the eye could
see.
The prospect of hard freeze to-
night indicated that conditions in
the city would not be much better
tomorrow. The forecast for to-
night included prediction of a
low of IA degrees. but made no men,
ton of more snow.
Public schools closed at noon and
those of the Districts 10000 school
children who had ventured out
we're sent home. Supt. of Schools
Frank w. Ballou said that he would
not have opened the classrooms at
all, except for the fact that manv
pupils had started out before they
could be warned.
Bright Sun Follows Storm.
The storm, which spread heavy
blanket of snow from Texas to
Delaware, began with flurries late
yesterday and increased in fury as,
the night passed. 1t stopped shortly
before 9 am and was succeeded
an hour later by bright sunshine.
From the midnight reading OF
Is degrees. the mercury dropped to
a low of 20 at 7 am. BY noon it
rallied to 30 degrees.
No serious automobile accidents
we're reported and hospitals re-
ported only one person treated for
injuries due to falling. That was
Irene Hall. 90, of 60 I street NV.
who slipped near her home and was
taken to Casualty Hospital with
back injuries.
Commissioner Hazen's plea for
help from the C. C. C. was directed
to James McEntee, acting director
of the organization. Mr. McEntee
took the request under advisement,
after expressing doubt as to the
feasibility of the plan.
The city had $500 men working
on the streets, some of them man.
ming the 900 trucks and go plows
which started to work at ii pm.
The Capital Transit Co. had an adj
ditional 600 men and all its me-
chanical equipment out.
Police Busy With Traffic.
Police Supt. Ernest w. Brown
issued special order to police to
concentrate their efforts on trafic
and asked motorists not to venture
out without chains. Motor cycle
police were ordered on foot duty
and Traffic Inspector William E.
Holmes told police to crack down"
on motorists caught weaving In and
out of traffic lines.
He told his men to keep trafic
moving in straight, single lines. He
also said he expected his men to
exercise discretion" in giving out
tickets to motorists who violated the
law against parking more than 10
hours in one place.
The congressional protest against
(see WEATHER, Page A-6.)