Evening star., 1950-11-26
Thousands Are Stalled
By Icy D. {. Streets;
Snow 10 Continue
CONTINUED From First Page.)

bus stations and the American
Automobile Association were
swamped with queries from those
who wanted to know how to get
home.
The violent Eastern storm which
closed down LaGuardia and
Newark airports cancelled all air.
plane flights from Washington to
the East. Some other flights,
mostly to the South, were dis
Supted by bowling winds.
Airport officials believed they
could keep the Washington field
open for service to points not
affected by the storm.
On the railroads. all Baltimore
and Ohio trains from Washington
to New York were cancelled early
yesterday because of food con-
ditions in New Jersey. Passengers
were re-routed to the Pennsyl-
vania.
But that road, too, had its
trouble with falling power lines
in New Brunskick. N. j.. and trains
from New York were reported as
much as two hours late.
Trains to Chicago and other
Western points were running as
much as five hours late.
The B. g. o. continued. to ope-
rate from Washington to Balti-
more and some trains to 4.Phila-
delphia, but could say only that
resumption of New York service
was indefinite"
Bus lines said service to the
West, particularly to Pittsburgh
and West Virginia points was vir-
tually "paralyzed." Service to all
other points was delayed by two
hours or longer.
Perhaps the best barometer of
the times was the American Auto
mobile Association. More than
1000 trouble calls came from mo-
torists between 8 am. and mid
night. Two hundred calls are
average for this time of year.
Many wanted to know their
chances of getting home. They
were told it was no use trying If
the direction was the snowbound
West, and were advised to head
East over icy and flooded roads
only at their own risk.
AAA had a report from Char
lottesville. Va. that 400 cars were
tied up on icy roads near there.
About $50 Of the SOS calls were
because of frozen locks. Many
others were getting stuck on the
ice. or slipping off the roads. The
AAA had only rs of a potential
squad of $50 trucks and service
cars available to tow crippled cars
to garages. Even then, the ga
RACES had difficulty keeping
abreast of the business.
Service trucks were able to
creep over ice-Sheathed streets at
only S to 8 miles an hour, and like
the cars they were trying to help,
became lodged in the myriad of
traffic jams seen everywhere.
The District began fighting the
snow soon after it started falling
at 12:40 pm. -Four departments
put total Of q sanding and salt
ing trucks on the street, and Cap
ita1 Transit Co. supplied an ad-
ditional IS.
Though the snow chung to roof
tops and ground. most Of it melted
on streets and there was no need
for snow plows.
The police radio hummed during
the night with calls for sanding
trucks. as cars skidded perilously
along bridges and some of the
slicker roads. The bridges att
Ninth street, Michigan avenue and
Taylor street NE. were blocked
OF for a time, as was Military road
through Rock Creek Park.
The icy conditions also upset
Cranc signal lights IN some parts
of town, turning them on and of
at irregular intervals and adding
confusion to already difficult
driving.
The sudden drop in temperature
brought no increase in fire alarms,
but the storm did send the Fire
Department to the scene of a tele-
vision tragedy.
An antenna on top of an apart
ment building at 1918 Hartford
street Sc. fell across a 2,300-volt
power line. The antenna was I'M
used. having been left by a de-
parting neighbor, but it somehow
made contact with the set of
Charles T. Boggs. a postofflce en-
ploye living on the second floor.
New TV Set Ruined.
Result: A brilliant flash, an ex-
plosion and burst of fire. A
neighbor ran into the apartment
with a fire extinguisher, putting