STORM DESCRIBED AS WINTER'S WORST

Chronicle (Levin), 24 February 1947, Page 5

STORM DESCRIBED AS WINTER'S WORST

Press Assn.-

Ry Telegraph

-Copyright

} Received Sunday 7.0 p.m. j__ ' LO-NDON, Feb, 22. Up to 14 inches of snow had fallen in several parts of Bi'itain by iatq last night in wmter's wo^'st bijzzard which is still raging this morning. Rail transport is disorgan'iscd and faiiway chiefs warned that the strnggle to builcl up coal reserves is imperiiled. Reuter's correspondent says reports reaehing the G.P.O. state that miles oi' teleplione wire and hundreds of telegraph poles have collapsed under the weight oi' snow and iee in isolated areas or were blown down. Tl-ie night's extremely heavy. snpwfall badly ag^raYated roqd and rail detays in practicatty all parts of England including the • London area and Home (Jounties. Tlie Air Ministry slfites that the new freeze-up will continue at least several days. London 's lowest night tein])erature was 2-5 degrees Fahrenheit. London reoow^d no sunshine yesterday, making the 20tli consecutive sunless day.

Trains from Mcotland arrived up toi three hours late. A train from New- j port to Brynmawr struck a snowdrift j a mile aml a half long. PaKsongers had to wallc half a mile to Brynniawr. A! freight train stuck in a drift in central i Wales delayed a passenger train behind j it six hours. Mpecial engines ranj throughout Wales to keep the way elear ! for coal trains. - i The snow is continuous at tinies in 1 most of east and southeast England and j the Midlands. Drifts four to Jive i'eet high oceurred in many districls of Keut ! and blocked the lanes linkiug small vil- j lages. A foot of snow covered the East Mussex eoastal area. After a 24-h.ours bli/./.ard which end--ed at dawn, villages in the Yorkshire dales are again isolated. Fire. engines could not reach a burning hotel at oue village and had to tuni back. Villagers saved the hotel. Drifts have blo.ck ed recently opened roads over the l'ennines. The blizzard, which is still raging on the moors, is the worst for many years. Mnowdrifts are piling ij)) iu a ring rouml London. Roads are blocked in Northuinberland, Durhani, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derljyshire, (Jloucestershire and Devon. Four other counties> are affected to a lesser degree. Jlilknien in some London sulmrbs are dragging househohl supplies 011 sleds. Ninetyeight tliousaud tons of house coal — nearly a record— were deli vei;e\l to London householdcrs during the week but there are still |ueues at the merchants. The seas are moderating in Dover Mtraits. During th.e night 14 more coal sliips got th rough. All were. covered with iee. Anoiher 18 are. e^pected today". The icetloes which have been a menace to east consl shipping, seem to be receding as ihe iee bre.iks up. Fears Fulfilled. "We were afraid this might happen. It exceeded our worst ex jiecta tions, " said a Ministry of Fuel spokesman, Mir (iuv Nott-Bower, when discussiug the efl'ect s of the bliz/.urd. II e added that the switeh -on for industry 011 Lebruary