Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 311, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1918 — TRAFFIC IS PARALYZED [ARTICLE]

TRAFFIC IS PARALYZED

DRIVING SLEET IMPEDES TRAFFIC AND TEARS DOWN WIRES. A steady, driving sleet storm, accompanied by rain wrapped the central west in a glaring sheet of ice Saturday night and all day Sunday. Trains on all roads were hours behind time and telegraph wires are down as a result of the heavy coating of ice they were called upon to bear. [ Traffic is utterly demoralized. Surface and elevated lines in the cities also suffered and travelers have experienced terrible times in reaching their destinations. Railroad officials report that trains have been 100 per cent delayed and that the danger of total tie-ups is becoming more imminent every hour. In Chicago the storm is declared by the weather bureau to be the worst that has visited that city in many years, and street car traffic has been virtually abandoned. Automobile traffic is absolutely blocked in all parts of the city except in the loop and it is feared by the city officials that great difficulty will be met in attempting to distribute fuel and provisions throughout the city. In some places the drifts of snow are seven feet in depth. Monon trains passing through this city without a single exception, have been many hours late. Brakeman are forced to walk ahead of the trains to inspect the block signals, as telegraphic communication is at a standstill. Train 6, due in Rensslaer at 3:31 p! m. arrived at 8:00 o’clock Sunday night. The trip from Monon to Rensselaer consumed two hours. ' . Several trains were not permitted to start on their runs out of Chicago, No. 31 due in Renssselaer at 7:31 p. m.j being one of them. W. L. Bott, owner of the local telephone plant reports that practically all the wires throughout the county are down, but that the telephone poles have not suffered any damage. The service in Rensselaer has not been impaired and in only one or two instances have parties within the city limits called upon the company Jto repair the wires. The linemen are, engaged in repairing the damage and hope to restore the country service to its normal condition within a short time.