New York's Millions Experience Heaviest Snowfall In City's History

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 December 1947, Page 5

New York's Millions Experience Heaviest Snowfall In City's History

MAYOR CALLS ON EMERGENCY BOARD TO ASSIST IN COPING WITH THE CRISIS (N.Z.P.A.—Copyright.} Recd. 8.30 p.m. NEW YORK, Dee. 27 An unofficial* state of emergency existed in New York today following a record snowfall which, it is estimated, will cost from 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 dollars to clear away. The storm caused the death of twelve persons in the city, most of them from heart attacks as a result of over-exer-tion. In the entire storm belt there were at least 26 deaths. The Weather Bureau announced that the storm was officially over at 9.10 p.m. last night, but light snow fell in New York during the night. The bureau said the total fall was 25.8 inches, easily breaking the record of 20.9 inches for the great blizzard of 1888.

New York City is threatened with a major fuel shortage because deliveries «.re impossible. Mayor O’Dwyer has ordered his Emergency Board into session to cope with the crisis. Added to the city’s troubles was the mountain of accumulated garbage because the collectors always take Christmas off and yesterday all sanitation trucks were pressed into service as snow-ploughs. Officials declared the storm could not be rated a blizzard because the temperature at 2000 feet was 29 degrees. Temperatures of 10 degrees above zero or less, accompanied by winds of 30 miles an hour or more were needed to form a blizzard. Thousands of New Yorkers spent the night nuddled in cold trains stalled in suburbs, or drowsed fitfully at railway stations and bus depots. Three plane loads of passengers spent the night at La Guardia air terminal. It was planned to-day to switch all incoming trans-oeean airliners to Buffalo, 600 miles from New York. A passenger gave birth to a baby during the long wait in a train at Long Island. Fire Commissioner Frank Quayle said the storm had caused the greatest fire emergency the city has ever experienced, and that life and property had never been in such jeopardy because of the snow-blocked I streets. The departure of the Queen Mary was delayed because many passengers were unable to arrive on time. New York newspapers were given permission to deliver editions by subway because the snowclogged streets made truck delivery impossible. A city ordinance forbids the use of the suoways for commercial purposes. THOUSANDS OF CARS Thousands of cars, which were stalled, were gradually buried in snow in every street from Fifth Avenue to the city outskirts. Long Island railroad, wnich runs on the surface, announced at 6,30 p.m. that it had abandoned operations because it was impossible to maintain schedules. Even the subways were running behind time and were jammed with passengers who were taking alternative routes home. Buses crawled through the streets with difficulty? but they were few and far between, I as were taxis. Only a few ships moved in the swirling white obscurity of New York harbour, most of them preferring to ride out the storm. An indication of the difficulties which motorists faced is given by the fact that the New York Automobile Club has been receiving telephone calls for help at the rate of 200 an hour—a record. Large department stores began to close down and send stafis home at 3 p.m. All roads leading to La Guardia airport, which suspended operations early yesterday morning, are blocked by snow and the airport's 10,000 employees may have to spend the night at the field. Appeals were sent out by a telephone company to subscribers to

limit calls to important messages. As the day wore on the telephone traffic reached that of VJ-Day and threatened to pass that record. United Nations headquarters at Lake Success were virtually cut off fronj New York when railway communication was indefinitely suspended and roads became practically impassable. New York's Sanitation Department is using 900 large snow-ploughs, 300 smaller ones, 50 motorised brooms, and 100 sand spreaders In its struggle against the snow, which so far has been without avail. The storm covers an area north to beyond the Canadian border, south as far as Washington, and west as far as Ohio. The New England area has already suffered severely but has had warning of another threatened 15in. fall of snow. Thousands struggled to keep the railways and highways cleared, but the complex transport system of the densely-populated metropolitan area, where millions pour from their homes to their jobs daily, was badly hit.