Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1891-01-31 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

GREAT SNOWSTORM IN AMERICA.  A snowstorm, accompanied by strong winds, visited New York and its vicinity on Saturday night. Although the fall of STIOW only amounted to six inches, the storm in its effect upon telegraph, telephone, and electric-light wires was the most destructive that has occurred since the great blizzard of 1888. The snow weighed down the wires, and !Its weight brought them and the poles to the ground in great numbers. New York was practically cut off from telegraphic communication with the rest of the country. The fallen poles and wires crossed the surface of the ground in all directions, and in some cases, where they had fallen across the track of the Elevated Railroad, almost stopped the traffic. There were, of course, no electric lights in the city, many quarters being thus left in darkness. Most of the Fire Department telegraphic circuits were broken, and patrols of firemen had to be established. The Police Department issued an order enjoining on the men of the force extraordinary vigilance. A number of fires were caused by the broken electric-light wires, but were all extinguished before they had caused any serious damage. One wire fell upon a horse attached to a street-car, the animal being immediately killed by the contact. The destructive effects of the storm extended over a comparatively small area, a short distance beyond Philadelphia being the southern and Boston the most northerly point visited. The storm WU practically confined to the coast. Much damage was caused in the upper part of the city by the falling poles, but no fatal accidents have yet been reported. The damage in Brooklyn is estimated at 100,000do1. All the overhead wires there are down, and the same state of things exists all over New Jersey, where hundreds of poles with the wires attached have been thrown down, and the disorganisation of the telegraph service is complete. On Monday Mr. Tinker, General Superintendent cf the Western Union Telegraph Company, reported that the condition of affairs shewed no improvement. One wire was available to Chicago, and this wag being used for the market service to the city. Messages were being distributed from Chicago to all points south-east and west of the city. The storm does not appear to have extended far beyond the coast. The lines and 200 poles are down at Alexandria and Richmond, Virgina ; and all the land lines in connection with the cables are entirely interrupted. Fortunately, however, the weather is now fine, and large gangs of men are at work repairing the lines, so that communication will shortly be restored. The effect of the storm has been specially felt by the various exchanges and mercantile houses, the breaking of telephone wires having almost brought business to a standstill. All telegraphic communication with Fire Island, Sandy Hook, and Quarantine Island is entirely suspended. Meanwhile revenue cutters are making trips to the islands to bring intelligence to New York. Outside New York the damaged wires extend from Philadelphia to Boston, as far north as Pough• keepsie, and as far west as Carbondale. Beyond these points the snow was dry, and no damage is , reported; but within these limits the loss is esti. I mated at over one million dollars.  The custom of high play at countryetouses, says a contemporary, has, of recent years, grown with terrible rapidity, and, indeed, at the present time so prominent a feature has this become at the best known country houses that to many men it is now' impossible to accept invitations to them. Men, women, and girls alike are expected to join in the game, and sums often are lost which the losers have ilot the means of paying. Special attention has been f.ttracted to the matter, and perhaps it is not altogether the unmixed evil that has brought about this climax. When a lady accepts an invitation with a..knowledge that in all probability it will lead tO her incurring a loss of some £2OO, the matter be• comes serious -  Harris Smiler, of New York, who murdered his wife last year, was sentenced in August last to be executed by electricity. His counsel obtained a stay of proceedings and after a further trial he was sentenced and condemned to death, the date being fixed for the first week in March. An application has since been made to the Court of Appeal, which has refused to wrant a writ for a new trial.