KinSource - Tale of the Week - Over A Foot Deep

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The St. Paul Globe, Monday Morning, March 13, 1899, pp. 1-2

OVER A FOOT DEEP

SATURDAY NIGHT'S STORM BEAT ALL THE RECORDS KNOWN TO LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE

TWIN CITIES LOCKED TIGHT

Blockade Was Absolutely Complete During the Early Hours of Yesterday

STREET RAILWAY HELPLESS

Steam Railroads Also Suffered Serious Delays by Reason of the Dense Masses That Drifted Into the Cuts - Telephone Lines Between the Cities Blown Down - Hogan's Alley Troupe Blockaded.

If St. Paul ever offended the weather man, right royally has he evened things up by throwing down into the streets, between 5 o'clock Saturday and 11 o'clock yesterday, fifteen solid inches of snow. It may be all right to do that sort of thing at this season of the year, but a long-suffering public will remember this little act of unkindness for many a long day to come. It was the heaviest precipitation in fifteen years. A record of snowfall has only been kept in the observer's office since 1885, and the nearest approach that observer Lyons could ascertain by reference to his records to such a heavy fall was Nov. 16, 1886 when fourteen inches of snow fell, Feb. 27, 1893 when fourteen inches fell, and Nov. 21, 1898 there was a fall of ten inches. The worst part of the storm is that there is no consolation to be derived from thinking that the rest of the country suffered as much as St. Paul, for it didn't. The storm was exceedingly local in its nature, and almost the entire force was spent in the immediate vicinity of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

BLOCKADE WAS COMPLETE.

All day yesterday the snow lay upon the sidewalks where it fell and upon the streets in great drifts four and five feet high. No effort was made to remove it. Possibly citizens were fearful that they would break the Sabbath if they cleaned their walks, and even the street railway company felt a general apathy and unholy aversion to anything like an extra effort to get their cars running at all, to say nothing of having them run on schedule time. Half a dozen Como interurban cars were stalled all night at St. Anthony Park, and as many on the Hamline line failed to find their way back to the starting point until yesterday. The Selby cars started yesterday morning at 7 o'clock, and by 9:30 were running on schedule time, but it was the only line in the city to do so. The interurban got started at 12 o'clock, the Grand avenue and Rice street at 2, the Seventh street at 3, and the Como interurban, after a fashion, at 5 o'clock, but at the last named hour the Jackson street, Hamline, Maria avenue, Mississippi street, Stryker, State, Fort Snelling, Groveland Park and Lafayette avenue cars had scarcely made an attempt to start, nor will they all be running with anything like regularity until noon today. The company has its usual street force at work.

TRAINS WERE DELAYED.

Every railroad train coming into the city yesterday, except the Northern Pacific overland train, which arrived two minutes ahead of time, was late; the Omaha from the West, due at 7:25, arrived at 10:25; the Omaha, from Chicago, due at 8:50, arrived at 10:45; the Burlington, from Chicago, due at 7:45, arrived at 11:05; the Milwaukee, from Chicago, due at 7:50, arrived with four engines at 8:25; the Hastings & Dakota, from the West, due at 8:15, arrived at 4:15; and all other incoming trains were from one to four hours late.

HAD TANGLE OF WIRES.

The Western Union Telegraph company reported all its wires up and in working order and had not suffered from the storm. The North American Telegraph and Postal company reported its wires in bad shape between St. Paul and Dubuque, but enough were working to transact the Sunday business and would be straightened out by today. The Northwestern Telephone Exchange company was the worst sufferer and will not yet be able to give the usual service to Minneapolis today, at least for a few hours. West of the viaduct, at the Minnesota transfer, eighteen poles were down, being broken off at from ten to fifteen feet from the ground. There are 200 wires on these poles, and they lie in a very tangled condition; the company's entire force of 100 men were kept at work all night and the company expects to have the wires up about noon today.

These lines were blown down by the high wind Saturday evening and gave a bad scare to the residents in the vicinity, two of the poles, with their loads of copper and ice, falling directly upon the roofs of the small buildings which face University avenue on the south side of the road.

The network of wires also absolutely blocked the Minnesota transfer tracks, and before that company could get its engines at work yesterday morning it was necessary to cut the wires. No one was hurt in the crash, as no pedestrians were out at the time and the roofs of the structures menaced stood the shock.

Along the University avenue line the drifts were especially high. Near Lexington park the snow had drifted in one place until it was higher than the street lamps. The drift was built up by the wind from the small window left by the street railway showplows before they abandoned operations Saturday night.

LYONS SAYS ITS THE LAST.

Observer Lyons says that there are no more snow storms in sight and gentle spring is knocking at the doors of the city, and the keeper of the gates is derelict in his duty if he does not immediately open to the knock, and with this piece of information the observer turned wearily to his desk as though the weight of all this winter's weather lay heavily upon his conscience.

"HOGAN'S ALLEY" SNOWBOUND.

Theatrical Company Twelve Hours Between Stillwater and St. Paul.

The principal scene in the farce comedy, "Hogan's Alley," is a roof garden in New York on a hot summer's night. That scene will be changed and a midwinter scene, representing a snowbound party in Minnesota, will be substituted.

For the "Yellow Kid" and "Liz" were snowbound yesterday on a St. Paul & Duluth train in the vicinity of Summit, Washington county, and for twelve hours they were unable to move in any direction, but were obliged to sit in their car and starve. They did not arrive in St. Paul until 10:30 last night, and in consequence there was no performance at the Grand opera house, where they were to have opened a week's engagement.

There are sixteen members of the company, headed by John P. Leonard and Barney Gilmore. They played in Dubuque Friday night and in Stillwater Saturday night, and at 8 a. m. yesterday they boarded a St. Paul & Duluth train and started for this city, where they were to have arrived at 11 o'clock a. m., not p. m.

The snow was pretty deep near Stillwater, but the engineer had no thought but that he could get his train through in fair time, for the main track was clear and there appeared to be no very great obstacles in the way. But as the train advanced toward White Bear the snowdrifts became deeper and deeper and the train's progress became slower and slower, until in a cut near Summit it ran into a bank of snow eight feet deep. The engineer put on a full head of steam, but it was no use. The snow was too much for the locomotive and it was finally forced to give up the struggle and admit defeat. It was stuck fast and there was no way out except to dig it out.

When the train failed to arrive at White Bear on time a dispatch was sent from that place to Stillwater, inquiring what had happened. That was the first intimation the agent in Stillwater had that anything was wrong. An operator was dispatched to look for the missing train. He caught up with it in the cut and, tapping a wire, telegraphed in to Stillwater for assistance.

There were no show ploughs at Stillwater and a wrecking train with a gang of men, armed with shovels, was immediately dispatched to the snowbound train from St. Paul, but when it was within a mile it struck a snowbank and the men had to shovel a way for their own train to get on.

Meanwhile the hours were passing and the Yellow Kid and his pals were becoming impatient. They were getting hungry and there was no food on the train. At length the ladies could not stand the process of starvation any longer and appealed to the men to help them.

The "Yellow Kid" promptly suggested that some one living in the vicinity might have something to eat, and every male volunteered to follow the "Yellow Kid" to the nearest house. It was fully half a mile from the train, but they finally reached the place. A timid old lady opened the door when the Yellow Kid knocked and surveyed the party with considerable wonder. The situation was quickly explained to her and she immediately assured the party that while she did not approve of theaters yet she would not see play-actors starve and she would give them the best in the house. Had they arrived an hour earlier she would have been able to offer them steak and onions, but it had all been eaten for dinner, and she could only give them ham sandwiches. And she gave them sixteen, enough to go around once.

After dinner the hours passed more swiftly, but the train seemed no nearer St. Paul. It was 8 o'clock before the track was cleared and the train proceeded to White Bear. And it was just 10:30 when the train drew into the union depot. The members of the company lost no time in climbing into hacks and were driven to the Metropolitan hotel, where they disposed of a hearty meal.

In the meantime there was a scene at the Grand opera house. Although it was not a night favorable to a theatrical performance the theater was crowded when the hour for raising the curtain arrived. Manager Hays had received word from the railroad men that the train with the "Hogan's Alley" company would arrive before 8 o'clock, and with that assurance he allowed the doors to be opened and tickets to be sold. When Mr. Hayes received a telegram saying the company could not get to St. Paul before 10 o'clock he stepped upon the stage and announced that the company was snow-bound and there could be no performance. He said that all who wished their money refunded could exchange their checks for cash at the box office, or they could have thier tickets exchanged for any performance during the week.

The audience applauded and then turned in a rush to get out. In a moment the lobby became choked so that people were unable to move in any direction.

The gallery gods made the most trouble. They tried to rush one of the attendants who was distributing pass checks and Mr. Hayes had to go to his rescue.

Mr. Hayes said that only once before in the history of his management had a similar thing happened. The "Humanity" company was snowbound on the Northern Pacific two years ago, and the house was closed the opening night.

DAMAGE TO TELEPHONES.

Manager Freedy Says the Service Will Be Repaired Very Soon.

General Manager Freedy, of the Telephone Exchange company, said yesterday afternoon that the damage to the company's lines would not be repaired in time for the usual business between the two cities this forenoon, but by noon patrons of the lines would find no inconvenience.

"The snow," said Mr. Freedy, "carried down the poles and lines on which there were a large number of wires from the transfer bridge to the Midway barns. It is impossible to describe the condition they are in. The main wires to Minneapolis were on this line, although we have some others, enough to carry some of the business, but not enough for all. It will take some time tomorrow before we get the lines working again so that we can handle all the business. The public may be inconvenienced to some extent a part of tomorrow, but we are doing the most we can to repair the damage."

Chief Goss issued orders yesterday to the police force to notify all property owners to clean their sidewalks off as speedily as possible.