Evening star., 1947-12-27
Storm
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SkSuuu
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efforts of workers to clear some of
the city's main thoroughfares.
Bus service still was paralyzed and
the Board of Transportation said
service on subway lines running in
open cuts and surface lines were
suspended today.
All $40 buses on 80 lines Of the
New York City Omnibus Co. and
the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. were
out of service.
O'Dwyer Returning.
Mayor William ODwyer, cutting
short vacation at Ell Centro, Calf.
boarded a plane at Los Angeles to-
day to return to New York. It was
reported city crews will clear run
ways for his scheduled $40 pm
landing at La Guardia Field.
Before departing from Los An
geles, the Mayor told newsmen:
II just love your weather here,
then he added, with a smile, "We
were dreaming of a white Christ
mas and we got a nightmare"
Technically not blizzard since it
was unaccompanied by high winds
and near-zero temperature, the
snowfall wrought sufficient havoc to
insure itself legendary role in New
York weather history.
Nearly all transient harbor craft
either droped anchor in the snow
curtain or remained tied fast to
their piers, while ferry boats, COM
mutation lifeline, groped hoarsely
through the pelting fakes, 10 min
utes to a half hour behind schedule.
The city,s subway and elevated
lines Jagged we'll behind schedule
and homeboundJ Jthrongs, as a result,
jammed their terminals.
Streets Congested.
The citys usually congested
streets still were congested-but by
lines of stalled automobiles, buses
and trucks, bumper to bumper
stretching block after block. Other
streets, piled high with drifts, were
as deserted as country lanes.
The citys gala night-club life was
stifed by the transportation snarl.
Broadway theaters and motion pic
| ture houses reported business of
from Is to rs per cent and Broad
way itself was virtually lifeless.
Police cars houndered through
the snow with orders to post ven
turesome motorists On the few ave.
nues still open to traffic.
Thousands of commuters sought
hotel rooms in the city overnight
or resigned themselves to sleeping
at terminals.
A possible shortage of fuel was
seen by coal and oil dealers wht
urged householders with sufficient
fuel for at least five days not tt
ask further deliveries until streets
are cleared. Food deliveries, while
reduced, were expected to be ade.
quate.
All available firemen were as.
signed to 'round-the- clock duty ane
Fire Commissioner Frank J. Quaylt
said last night that the city facec
the "gravest emergency in the his.
tory of the fire department.
Our streets are practically i'm.
passable." he said.
A rising wind, which reached 81
miles an hour during the afternoon
began shifting the dry snow into
new drifts that further clogged sur.
face transportation.
i Stalled cars, left in the fender.
deep snow, blocked main highway!
) out of the city, cutting it off from
suburban vehicular traffic.
Route l Blocked.
! The Pulaski Skyway and U. S
Route No. l and the Newark turn.
pike, main traffic arteries south
from New York were impossible
The eastbound tube of the Lincolr
Tunnel was closed to traffic for two
-, hours as the result of a minor &C.
cident at its entrance.
The burden of paying for the
huge snow removal job was of par
ticular concern to city officials
i They estimated the bill might come
to between $2;50O,O0O and $4,000 900
The amount appropriated for snow
!! removal for the entire winter was
s1.285 ,688, and of this $703, 900 hao
been earmarked to pay for wages
and materials.
The Pennsylvania Railroad re-
ported one to three hour delays in
departures of trains to the West
and South last night and Commute
delays in service to New Jersey
points. Incoming trains were forced
to reduce speeds as they entered
the storm area
The St Louis bound Jeffersonian
scheduled to depart at 6:15 pm,
did not leave until 10 pm. while the
Broadway Limited to Chicago, due
to leave at pm, left at 7:21 pm.
Trains Hours Late.
The New York, New Haven &
Hartford said at 2 am. today that
trains from Boston and other New
England points were arriving five
and six hours late. The storm also
delayed outbound trains.
The road reported commuter serv-
| ice to suburban Westchester County
andC Connecticut nearly normal early
today, with trains departing at half
hour intervals.
Long distance trains leaving the
New York Central's terminal here
last night pulled out four or more
hours late. The goth Century Lin
tied, scheduled to leave at 6:01. left
for Chicago at 1908 and the Water
Level Limited, also to Chicago, was
about seven hours Rte.
Planes Grounded.
Early last evening, throngs of
commuters at the Long Island S
Manhattan terminus were advised
by, the station loudspeaker that all
operations of the line had been