BLIZZARD AND TIDAL WAVE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 31, 5 February 1910, Page 5

BLIZZARD AND TIDAL WAVE.

MANY LIVES LOST. TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE HOMELESS. (By Mail.) BOSTON, December 27. News filtering slowly into Boston today over wrecked wires apparently makes it certain that at least a dozen lives have been lost, and property damage amounting to more than 1,000,000 dollars has resulted from the heavy snow and winds which prevailed throughout New England on Christmas Day and yesterday. Over 2000 persons are homeless to-day at Chelsea as the result of the tidal wave which swept that town and drowned Cornelius Harkins and his wife in their bed. Michael Callahan, an aged man, died of the shock while being taken from the second storey of his flooded home. Half-a-dozen others are missing, and are believed to be drowned. It is impossible as yet to estimate the loss along the coast. From Portland down to Rhode Island every coast town has a tale of ruin. Many of these place 3 have not yet been heard from at all as yet, on account of the crippled condition ©f the wires. FOURTEEN PERISH IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK, Dec 27. It was estimated to-day tihat fourteen persons lost their lives as the result of the blizzard that has swept New York since Christmas Day. The storm swept down upon the city from the north-east. At times the gale registered a velocity of 60 miles an hour. On the east side the suffering was Intense. Practically all the deaths reported to have occurred in the city were in this district. Charity organisations are find- ! ing it impossible to care for even a small proportion of the destitute. A3 fast as delayed traffic conditions will permit, food, fuel and clothing are ! being taken to the tenement district on i the East Side, where the conditions are i most acute. It is certain that many livee i have been saved by the ministrations of representatives of various societies. Trains from the south and west have been delayed many hours Tiy the storm, and local traffic is demoralised. River craft suffered severely from the storm, and comparatively few vessels are moving to-day. SUFFERING IN CHICAGO. CHICAGO, Dec. 27. Street-car traffic was partially resumed to-day after the complete tie-up due to the blizzard that swept the city for two days, blowing down wires and covering the tracks with ice and sleet. The railroads are still badly crippled, and it is doubtful if train schedules will be in order for several daj's. All of the overland mails from the west are from 5 to 25 hours late, many of the trains being snowbound at points outside of the city. ■Suffering among the poor is said to be great, and many charitable organisations are called upon for linancial aid. No deaths have been reported. TRAFFIC DELAYED. PITTSBURG, PA., Dec. 27. After being totally paralysed since oarly yesterday by the worst storm Western Pennsylvania has known in years, the railroad systems resumed operations to-day, but little was done to move trains, j and the thousands of passengers delayed by the storm remained at their hotels without braving the storm to get to railroad stations- The predictions tof more snow and cold weather blanketed the hopes of the railroad officials, who figured on relieving the local passenger and freight congestion by to-night. The trolley lines found operation to Pittsburg almost impossible, due to ice on the wires and tracks, and many factories dependent on suburban workmen were running on not more than half force.