Evening star., 1955-03-28
81 Killed in Storm,
Damage 10 Crops Is
Put at $50 Million
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
+ A killing storm, the more
deadly because it prolonged
winter a week beyond its calen-
dar-scheduled departure, moved
back toward Canada today, leav-
ing in its vast wake:
. Thirty seven dead.
Crop destruction estimated in
excess of $50 million.
A fresh blanket of snow over
much of Northeastern United
States.
Freezing temperatures reach
ing as far south as the north
ern portions of the Gulf States.
Thruway Is Reopened
The blizzard spearhead of the
weekend storm dumped heavy
falls of snow on upstate New
York-l7 inches at Syracuse
and bottled up transportation.
The State thruWay was closed
for a time on a 24O-mile
stretch, but was reopened this
morning ito moderate speeds"
At least $50 schools in North
ern and Central New York were
closed today as the wind con-
stinued stacking snow across
highways.
Winds up to SIS miles an hour
whipped snow into drifts as deep
as Is feet and cut visibility to
zero.
Its long sweep through the
United States had taken none of
the sting out of its driving finish.
The Snowstorm was called On
tario and Quebec's worst of the
year. as 60-mile winds yesterday
piled 13 inches of new snow into
l2-foot drifts.
. Most highways in those pro-
vinces were blocked. Motorists
had to abandon their stalled cars.
Storm -caused accidents took five
lives.
Peach Crop Hard Hit
But the greatest disaster was
In southern and south central
United States, where a spell of
spring had brought out the fruit
blossoms before the storm
swooped in from the Northwest.
The hard freeze virtually wiped
out the peach crop in seven
States-Illinois, Georgia, the
CarolinaS. Mississippi, Louisiana
and Alabama and caused damage
to lesser extent, in Virginia. It
lett Illinois with prospects of on /
" one fourth apple crop. Pota- |
toes, strawberries. tung nuts and
vegetables were among the
ruined or badly damaged crops
in Dixie.
Both the winds and the cold |
moderated today. Temperatures
we're S to II degrees higher from
the Ohio Valley to the Gulf .
Coast. On the Great Plains
there were marked rises. such as
the 27-degree climb at Cutbank,
Mont. The early morning tenn
perature there was 80.
A moderating wind was still !
blowing snow, however, in the
North Atlantic States and East
ern Great Lakes area.
The count of storm caused IA
talities included: Indiana 18, Il |
hnois 4, Michigan 3. New York 3.
Florida 2. Ohio 2, Missouri l,
Alabama /. Tennessee l, Virginia
I, and West Virginia /.
Damage by States
Here is the estimated crop
damage by States:
AIAABAMA-$13 million. The
IS million peach crop in central
Alabama was ruined. Damage
to potato and truck crops in
Baldwin County on the Gulf
Coast was set at SO million.
GEORGIA-$10 million for the
peach crop alone. No figure
was given for damage to young
tobacco plants, early cotton and
truck crops.
SOUTH CAROLINA-S7 to
$40 million. Peach crop was vir-
tually wiped out.
NORTH CAROLINA-$5 mil
Hon peach crop loss. Figures
were not available for truck gar
den damage,
ARKANSAS to S. million
for north Arkansas peach crop
MISSISSIPPI-At least SO mil
lion. Chesley Illness extension
horticulturist at Mississippi State
College, figured between IS and
100 per cent of the tung nut
crop was damaged. The crop had
been valued at SIS million. Mr..
Hines also reported the peach
crop a complete loss but made
no estimate in dollars.
4 4 VIRGINIA-$2 million. Peach
crops in Albemarle and Rock
ingham Counties were damaged
heavily and the apple crop also
was hurt.
KENTUCKY - Multi million
dollar peach and apple crops
were reported hard hit.
TnIITGIANA- rfcultpr