Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 18, Number 6, DeMotte, Jasper County, 2 January 1948 — STORM TOLL REACHES 65 ON EAST COAST [ARTICLE]

STORM TOLL REACHES 65 ON EAST COAST

New York Struggles To Clear Snow; All Non-Essential Traffic Is Banned New York, Dec. 30 All nonessential traffic was barred from the streets today while 19,000 workmen struggled in subfreezing temperature to clear away Fri-

day's record-breaking 99,000,000,ton snowfall. Mayor William O’Dwyer, who flew back from a California vaca- j tion to direct handling of the em- 1 ergency, said only trucks carting food, medicines and newspapers ' and funeral cars would be al- 1 lowed on the streets. All other commercial trucking, including railway express deliveries, was banned The main traffic arteries leading into the city have been clear- 1 ed. Subway and commuter trains were operating near normal. Many local buslines still were halted, although those on main avenues were functioning. Flight operations returned to normal as more runways were cleared ai LaGuardia and Newark airports. 65 Dead. At least 65 persons have died as a result of accidents and over- • exertion in the east coast storm I area since the 26.8 inches of snow fell. Food, fuel and mail deliveries in New York were irregular, but few cases of hardship were reported. The most serious fuel shortage developed late yesterday when \ Thoracic hospital in Brooklyn reported its supply exhaused. Police and.sanitation workers rushed fuel trucks through drifts isolating the institution and refilled the hos-

pital’s empty tanks. Police received 492 requests for fuel, and snowplows cleared the way for fuel trucks in response to the appeals. In some areas, where milk and bread trucks were unable to reach isolated shopping centers, the trucks parked along arterial highways and housewives bought the produce directly from the drivers. It was estimated the cost of the snow removal would run as high as $7,000,000.