TERRIBLE STORM IN AMERICA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1829, 30 April 1888, Page 2

TERRIBLE STORM IN AMERICA.

! •» [Per R.M.S. Maripooß.] San Fbanoisoo, April 8. A enowatorm, which promises to be historic, commenced .m the middle and New England States In Marob, and lasted for tbree day?, doing incalculable damage. In the meteorological history of that part of the country it ia without parallel. Tho great cities were completed isolated, and travel was partially Btopped about New York Olty, both inside and out. No oar wheel tnrned either m New York or Brooklyn for two days, aod ferrying between the metropolis and Jersey olty and Brooklyn wai also suspended. The storm was m fact a " howling blizztrd," the same m oharaoter aa those that desolated Dakoto and other Western territory last winter. Pedeatrians were prohibited crossing the Brooklyn suspension bridge for fear of their being blown off into the river below. Tha E«st river was frozen so that persona crossed from Brooklyn to New York on n>ra Ice. Tdlegriphic o <mmnnication between Bust' n and New York had to bo made via London, as not only the telegraph linea bnt alto telephone i and elect rio light wirea were everywhere prostrated, and ihe fury of the Btorra prevented their being replaced. Many persona were frozen to death m the streets of New York, and several bodies were buried m the snow drifts. All sorts of supplies failed daring the prevalence of the Btorm, and to get fuel for their steam engines firemen m fighting the firea that coonrred had to chop down stgnß, shutters and all available woodwork m the vicinity. It is estimated the loss to New York business men, railroads, shopkeepers and wage earners by the storm 1b fully 10,000,000 dollars. There were numbers of disastrous railway collisions on the principal roads, and the loss of life by shipwreck between Sandy Hook and Oape Charles m twenty, four hours cf the Htorm's greatest vlolanca will never be fully told. New York experience is the same as that of every large olty within the lifluenoe of tho blizz>rd. Famine prices were asked for all kinds of food, and hotel!. e-pers were compelled to pay moßt extr&vigant demands. The anow oommenoed to disappear on the 16th. One of the Incidents of the time was the death of Richard Killay, a young reporter of the " N.Y. Sun." He had an engagement whioh Bent him to Coney laland, and m endeavoring to fill it waa frozen to death. The list of victims m New York amounted to thirty-one. On Sunday, March 18th, unparalleled scenes, owiog to the raising of the blockade caused by the bl-zz-trd, oocurred at the cemeteries about New York. At Oalvary there were 243 Interments, the largest ever knetrn m a. single day, At Oyprese Cemetery 125 bodies were received. At the Cemetery of the Evergreens 70 funerals entered ; at (Greenwood 200. The Holy Orosa remained inaccessible, The snow storm Bet ateadlly m at New York on March 12th. In ! the morning the snow was a foot deepen over the ground. A high wind | oauaed' drifts, which m the upper parts of the oi'y were 3ft and 4ffc high. Traffio was suspended, and thousands of passengers wore blocked on the elevated roads. Horse oars were unable to move. People who bad laft town by the elevated roads were unable to get further than Eighth street Many of the more venturesome descended to the etreet by ladders, and walked the rest of the way down the'tqwn. People Hying m suburbs of towns found it- almost ' impossible to reach the towns, bo severe were the drifts The wind had been blowing a gale for hour*. Pedestrians were prohibited from crossing East Kiver bridge, on account of the hazs and the danger attending auoh an attempt. Only a few parsons tried to make tho hezirdoua venture. Rain fell heavily until eftar midnight, and heavy snow suddenly- followed. At daybreak over 18in. m enow had fallen on the level. Such a storm has not cconrred m New York m the recollection of the oldest Inhabitant. Wirea were down m all directions,' and news had not been received since morning from even Philadelphia. An embargo was on Washington. No wires were up between New York and Bt>uton, and only two between that olty and Ohioago. Long Island Sound was filled with shipping, which oomtnenced to drift with fche storm, and the weather w»s ao (hick that it was absolutely impossible to detect the danger near at hand without moßt inoesaant uao of bells and thistles Business wbb at a standstill down town, and tho homes were almost deserted,