AFTERMATH OF STORM

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28542, 22 March 1958, Page 13

AFTERMATH OF STORM

Entire Cities Without Power (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK. March 21. - Maryland was one of the hardest hit States in the unexpected storm which followed - a preview of spring weather in ‘ the United States before spring - officially arrived. In Maryland, electric power ’ was off in the entire cities of ’ Havre de Grace, Annapolis and , Frederick and the county of Kent. Fallen telephone lines put 38.000 telephones out of seivice. In the New York city area. 74.000 homes, business nouses and ' factories were without power in ■ Long Island. Planes were grounded, train services were disrupted and delayed and road traffic was made chaotic. Until Wednesday, sunny, warm weather and higher than normal temperatures showed signs of heralding a balmy spring. But , sleet which began falling on Wednesady night turned rapidly to . snow that was driven before strong winds. > Emergency In New Jersey, a state of , emergency was declared in Mercer County, where Trenton ; and many nearby communities were without power. A 8.30 p.m. > curfew has been imposed on , citizens. More than 30.000 homes, offices, shops, and even hospitals * were without light or beat and - about 1000 families were without - water after electrically-powered pumps failed. In Washington, hundreds of linesmen struggled last night in .. near-freezing temperatures to repair the worst power breakdown in Washington in IS yean, which ’ left 130,000 people without . electricity in the capital and its suburbs. •

The power failure was caused » by a sudden, snowstorm which - deposited Sin to 18in of 'soggy . snow in one night. Trees toppled across roads and electricity - cables snapped with the weight , of snow ahd ice. Even the White House was ternporarily affected by the telephone i breakdown. For about an hour the only communication between

the White House offices and a - police booth at one of the en- * trance gates was by walkie-talkie - radio. w

' Trapped Far Month In the southern part of New York State snow piled up to a depth of 20in. Near Albany, a 4 woman and her 16-year-old son were still waiting for rescuers to * break through 7ft snow drifts that ■ have marooned them in their ; hilltop farm since February IS. _ They have been burning wood from a bam which collapsed ’ under the weight of snow in . order to keep warm. A late estimate said that the storm has caused 11 deaths in • the eastern States. Two commercial airliners skidded off runways at New -■* York’s Idlewild airport in a snow- ; storm tonight after their nose wheels collapsed. No-one was injured. In Pennsylvania, about 30 persons were taken to hospital suffering from asphyxia, brought on by using charcoal and kerosene stoves without proper ven- . tilatlon.