Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 40, Number 325, 29 December 1915 — Page 1

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HO'JX ediiio: EDITION 1 VOL XL., NO. 325. SSfJj11-"-RICHMOND. IND WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 29, 1915. SINGLE COPY. 2 CENTS rvns fo) Y7S LTQ jh JV

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WHITE STANDS ALONE AGAINST BUYING PLANT Council Decides on Publicity Campaign to Acquaint Public With Details of L.. II. and P. Deal.

FAVORS SHORT LOAN McMahan Reports' $129,172 Available to Apply Toward $200,000 Price Fixed by Commission. Council, at a special meeting held last evening, with the exception of Councilman John White of the Second ward, approved the plans of the administration for purchasing- the electric plant of the Richmond Light, Heat &. Power, company, thus . providing a municipal monopoly of tbe electric service business- White said he could not give his approval of the project until it had been endorsed by the citizens at a special election.. Councilman Steinbrink also stated he would prefer to have this question submitted to the people at a referendum election, but In the event this -was not attempted he would offer no objections to carrying out the purchase plan proposed by the administration. , One of the most important decisions reached Bt the meeting last evening was to conduct a ' publicity campaign through tbe newspapers to thoroughly familiarize the public with the details of the plan for the city acquiring' the privately owned electric plant and to explain the benefits which would accrue from such action. Report Hazy Conceptions. Several couhcllmen reported that a large - number of: their - constituents had very hazy ideas concerning the proposed purchase, but expressed the opinion that the great majority of the voters would" endorse" the project if they obtained complete information as to the results which would be obtained through its consummation, i , f i Controller McMahan submitted what he called a very conservative estimate of the 'funds which, wbuTd "be available February 1 to apply to the purchase of he privately owned plant. . Tabulated, his figures are: - i Bonds in. city plant sinking , r- , fund : . .'...$ 33,930.68 Accrued interest 'to 'February I 282.83 Ca.;h in plant stinking fund February 1 " v 4,950.00 tistinvitrd cash in general ftraS' Pcrnsary 1 . .- 90,000,00 TtU.l io t;:)?:y , to pureioa tfn K1 cave . ..... .... j ....... .t-i As the total' purchase price will approximate ?200,f)03, less than $75,000 I r.nntiiniorl On Paae Three.! ONE INTER URBAN REACHES DEPOT 3 HOURS LATE Trufiii' over both the inleruvban and Richmond city Hues of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction company, was seriously hampered and considerable damage from falling poles and wires resulted from the wind and rain storm last night. Schedules were completely disarranged and hours will elapse, It is estimated before conditions are restored to normal The damage could not be canputed this morning. The first interurban car to reach tbe city came from Cambridge City, due at 5:55 o'clock and reaching here after much difficulty at 8:20 o'clock with Motorman Bowles and Conductor Chipman in charge, it brought workmen to Richmond and started on a return trip. Other than a telephone message from Conductor Holman of ..tba New Paris-Westvllle line in which he said his car had made one trip to Westvllle. no communication was received this morning from the cars on tb6 Ohio Electric. Trolley wires, and supporting poles everywhere along tbe line are down, it Is understood. City cars were running this morning but made slow progress on all lilies. Line cars carrying workmen were sent out early this morning. 1 At noon no Interurban cars from the west had arrived with the excep tion of a car from Cambridge City. The crew had all sorts of trouble mak ing the trip on account of fallen trees end trouble keeping the trolley on the wire on account of the sleet which covered It. "We didn't run in." said the conductor, "we merely crawled here.. Time after time we had to "get out in the slush over our shoe tops and clear the right of way. Telephone and telegraph poles are down all along the line and they'll have a dickens of a time straightening out the present tangle." '. Only one car had successfully made the trip from the east up until 12 o'clock. This car arrived at 10:50. It was due here at 8:40 and the experiences of the crew , were similar to those of the men on the car which arrived from the west excepting that they reported a greater number of ireti down.

COLD WAVE GOMES IN WAKE OF STORM

. "The storm which arrived in this locality early today was due to a rather unusual condition central over Louisiana yesterday," said W. E. Moore, local weather forecaster, today. "The southern storm instead of going east went straight north, out of its anticipated course, causing heavy rains in the south, and rain, Bnow and sleetstorms in the central states. Rich mond was north of the storm center as it passed through this locality. Another great storm, starting in the-northwest, is moving rapidly east ward and probably will meet the storm which passed over Richmond in the Great Lakes region late today or tonight. This will be followed by a touch of real - winter weather in this locality, the mercury dropping close to the zero mark." NO TRAINS RUN ON EITHER ONE OF RAIL LINES With Wires AH Down Pennsy and C. & O. Make No Attempt to Move Cars Early Today. ; Richmond was isolated from the outBide world practically all day for the storm which raged during the night and this morning cut off rail communication with other cities. No attempt was made by either the j Pennsy or C. & O., to get any trains through until a late hour this morn-1 ing it being impossible to move them on account of the telegraph and telephone service being tied up. Number 18 on the Pennsylvania was the only train that arrived at the depot before 9 o'clock and -it came struggling in about three hours late and was held at tbe station until the tracks could be cleared and some communication established with adjoining tOWnf. htiV;-iS3iiiWA ; AH the west bound trains were stalled along the line but it was imnosaible to learn Where they were. . : Gangs Clear "rraert: j Gangs of men were sent out to remove fallen telegraph poles and. wires, every man available being pressed Into service. It has been years since the roads were so completely tied up. Brakemen on Number 18 were forced to get out at ever switch and run ahead and clear the ice from the frogs before the train could proceed and it was practically flagged in all the day. Traveling men who are in the city did not venture to travel today for the railroad companies did not hesitate to tell them of the conditions existing and the uncertainty of moving any trains and they contented themselves at their hotels as best they could. It Is expected that by tonight the service will be renewed but it is doubtful if any of the trams will be running on schedule. Aside from the blockading of the roads by poles and wires the tracks were covered with ice and all trains that moved at all had to proceed at a slow rate of speed for the wheels of the engines slid around as though the tracks were greased. Both railroad depots this morning were deserted expect by employes and the traffic today will be the light est in the history of the roads so far as Richmond is concerned. CARRIER TRIES THREE ROUTES TO LEAVE CITY Only one of the rural mail carriers who started out this morning on their runs had been heard from shortly before noon. Henry Weisbrod, who carries Route No. 1 reported at the office that it was impossible for him to get out of town. He tried three roads and found them all blocked. The Liberty and Boston pikes and a cross road over which he tried to leave the city were all rendered impassable by fallen wires, trees and poles. Mr. Weisbrod declared that the storm had crippled traffic more than at any other time since he has. been in the service of the government Postmaster Beck did not believe the rural carriers would be able to complete their routes. When they left the office, he instructed them to protect their own lives first and not to take any risk whatever in delivering mail. City carriers in the residence districts made their trips with extreme care today because of danger from breaking limbs and live wires snapping and sputtering in the streets. They were considerably behind time with their deliveries. TOM SHEVLIN DEAD MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Dec. 29. Tom Shevlin. wealthy lumberman, noted coach at Yale, died this morning after a fight against pneumonia. Four days ago he was confined to his bed. 4 Shelvin contracted a coal while coaching Yale last fall and he was unable to overcome its ravages. -

Paths Through Slush

WADE THROUGH SLUSH. Towards noon the sun began to get in its work on the frost which clung to the trees and wires and it began to thaw and drop off fn large chunks, much to the discomfiture of passersby who were unfortunate enough to be at that particular epot when, the deluge came. The crosswalks at the alleys were impassable and the only way to get by was to simply wade through.: ::';.-. ' TRAFFIC COP LOAFS. George Staubach, traffic cop at Eighth and Main streets, had little work to do today and what .e did do was directed from the sidewalk. The street at , this point was a . veritable swamp and the traffice was"1 fortunately for the officer very light. CRASHES INTO RIVER: The heavy load of ice on the wires across the Doran bridge, caused one of the poles to fall into the river with its load of wires. When the pole fell, a large part of the iron railing was torn away causing damage estimated at $50. It fell with a crash that aroused the entire neighborhood early this morning. WIND DAMAGES TREES. Reprrts from Easthaven were that limbs had been broken off the shade and fruit trees, but no damage was done to the buildings and the barns by the heavy covering of snow and sleet. TREE CAUSES RUNAWAY. Frightened by the crash of a tree a delivery horse broke 'away from the Clayton Mitchell meat market a' Sixteenth and Main street and dashed down Sixteenth street but was caught before any damage was done. SIDEWALKS LITTERED. Fallen trees and limbs are strewn over the streets and sidewalks of North Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets according to delivery wagon drivers who cover that section of the city. POLES OBSTRUCT TRACK. Trolly poles which fell across the tracks obstructed street car traffice on North Twentieth street this morning. The work car made repairs which enabled passenger cars to get through before noon. Hdlt COMPLAINT AffErf Only one complaint on the sewers has been made today to Gaorge KnolJenbjsrsstrjBjeL street gang was called upon to re lieve the situation at Eighth street and Elm place where water was backing up.' With this exception the sewers are carrying off the surface wa-

HIGH TENSION WIRES BREAK UNDER STRAIN MENACING PEDESTRIANS

Police headquarters was swamped this morning with complaints about fallen trees, poles and wires. Headquarters promptly notified every public service company using wires of complaints as soon as they were filed. Trees, these complaints show, fell at the following places, in most cases bringing down a network of wires: 30 South Nineteenth street; South Ninth and A streets; South Tenth and A streets; South Tenth street, between Main and A and North Sixth and A streets; North Ninth and B streets. A telegraph pole fell on the Doran bridge knocking out two panels of the steel railing and for a time making the bridge impassable because of the many grounded wires. A trolley wire broke at the corner of North Eighth and E streets, causing a brilliant electric display. A city pole with live wires fell at North Twentieth and D streets, and another pole, with its bujden of high power wires, came down in an alley between South Eleventh and Twelfth and South A and B streets. The danger of fire kept tbe members of the fire department on the anxious seat all day. For a time practically all the fire alarm system was out of commission and the telephone system badly crippled in various parts of the city. At 10 o'clock all repairs on the fire alarm system in West Richmond had been made. The municipal electric plant experienced much trouble with fallen poles U, S. PROTESTS I MAIL STOPPAGE WASHINGTON, Dec. 29. On the basis of reports received today from Consul General Skinner at London the state department is preparing to protest against British interference with American mail to and from Holland. The protest will be transmitted to the British foreign office as quickly as officials can draft it. Great Britain may be asked to explain Its acts immediately. DISEASE BAFFLES PHYSICIANS ROCHESTER, Ind.. Dec. 29 Mrs. Dal Black is -believed to be dying of an attack of lockjaw which followed closely on a bad case of grip. Physicians are puzzled. .

ter which is flowing in the gutters. The regular street department U je went to work early today clearing gutters on Main street and crosswalks all over town.

HAD TO CLEAN TRACK. At least twenty-five poles had fallen on the National road west between Richmond and Centerville. The poles supporting trolley wires, however, withstood the strain and the, 7:30 o'clock interurban arrived. The interurban crew had to clear tbe track several times on the trip to .ichmond. DRIVES IN DITCHES. Driving in the ditches, over fallen wires and limbs, R. U Wilson of the Richmond Baking company broke the road from his home seven miles south of the city on the Liberty pike in his trusty Ford this morning. Mr. Wilson reported twelve or fifteen telephone poles across the road and in the fields while the wires were a tangled mass. POLES BLOCK ROADS. Little damage asiCe from broken and tangled telephone wires was reported from the neighborhood of South Ninth and H streets. Roads leading from the city in that direction were reported blocked by the mass of wires. LIVE WIRES-EXPOSED. Poronns Itvtncr r-r yabihavan n vmi 1 1 a waiitea circumspectly tnis . .morning. The weight of sleet and snow had broken two live wires just in front of the E. G. Hill greenhouse. It was late in the day before linemen made repairs. WIRE8 COVER WALKS. Live wires were reported down on Northwest Third street this morning. Telephone poles and trees in the vicinity were also across the streets and sidewalks. COMMONS ROAD CLOSED. Twenty fallen poles on the Commons road completely blocked that highway so persons living on it could not get to town at an early hour this morning. The National road was reported as being open to traffic. STORM LEVELS WIRES. I Linemen were called to the vicinity of 1139 Sheridan street this morning by live wires which had fallen in the ICE STRIKES BOY. . A heavy cap which he was wearing prevented Jerry-Bly-from -receiving a bad scalp wound this morning when a large, sharp strip of ice fell from a telephone wire, striking him on the head as he was walking along on West Third street early today. and grounded wires and a large force of men was kept busy making repairs all day. The same trouble was experienced by the Light, Heat & Power company. High tension wires falling on telephone wires caused considerable damage in the telephone office. Fuses were burned out and wires burned in two by the high voltage of light and power wires. In the alley between North Tenth and Eleventh streets, the high telephone polos were so burdened with the weight of the ice that they fell across the alley tearing the connections with practically all the houses on the "west side of Eleventh street. Electric light wires were also broken by the strain of the poles leaning across the alley and the houses were without electricity early this morning. One pole in the second square fell across the alley on to the roof of a barn. The telephone company experienced the greatest amount of damage south of the city. On the Straight Line pike, about 40 poles had been weighed to the ground. It will be several days before repairs can be made to place telephones in this vicinity in commission again. On the Boston pike, the telephone company suffered considerable damage. Near the overhead railroad bridge, at the edge of the city, poles had fallen across the road blocking it for traffic. It was noon before traffic was resumed over this road. cars desert streets Few automobile owners attempted to operate their machines to'da'foB account of the bad condition of the streets, even the venturesome taxi drivers who infest the Pennsy depot failed to appear until a late hour. The passengers' who came In on Number 18 were forced to walk to tbeir destinations for the street car lines were not running. .The. streets were almost deserted so far as automobiles were concerned. : STEAMER IS : SUNK LONDON,.- Dec. ; 29. A" British steamer was sunk today by a German submarine. Twa members of the crew were saved. " V

ALL WIEIE GfltttGTIOnS ONLY FOUR TRAINS REACH TOWN: DEBRIS BLOCKS COUNTRY ROADS

TELEPHONE FIRM ESTIMATES LOSS CLOSE TO $5,000 W. H. Bailey, manager of the Richmond Home Telephone company, estimated at noon today, that the storm caused the company damage that will require at least $5,000 to repair. He said the greatest damage was done in Richmond and along the Boston pike. Thousands of wires broke under their coating of ice and quite a number of polies collapsed. For a time , today sections of the Boston pike were almost impassable. Up to noon today not one .of the company's long distance wires out of Richmond was in service and M r. Bailey said that the city would probably be cut off from long distance telephone service in every direction until tomorrow. BUSINESS TIED UP Bt SLUSHY STREETS Trade in Richmond was almost at a standstill this morning on account of tbe condition of tbe sidewalks and the Inability of country people to reach the city. Tbls afternoon, after the snow and Ice began to thaw, tbe sidewalks and streets were in almost as bad a condition as they were this morning, so there was scarcely any buafotM tmnsajfliwdy Many business men did not go to their offices this morning, and most of those who did went In. taxlcaba. The clerks at the postoffie'e said that not until late in the forenoon did persons call at the window, for mail, and contrary to the uBual condition there was scarcely any business until at least 9 o'clock. The tie-up of train service prevented mall from reaching the city. MOTOR HACK LINES DELAYED BY SNOW I i uc auiu uuwfv uura cic ucu u i I today by the storm and few of them ri-V.A n.,s lin.il. Kah I In.l . . r ventured to make the trip. Tbe Connersville hack left at its regular time this morning and the New Paris bus arrived considerable behind time. All along the road between New Paris and Richmond the ground was covered with tree boughs and the driver of the hack had to stop five times on tbe trip and clear tbe debris from the road before he could proceed. At the top of the Gaar hill at Nineteenth street a dead horse was lying in the road. The animal was owned by a man named Miles at New Paris aud is reported to have been killed by falling in the road and breaking its neck. The country roads are almost impassable big pools of water having formed at different points and the auto from New Paris went through pools that almost reached the top of the wheels. ECONOMY AUTO BUS REACHES RICHMOND Of the fifteen auto hacks, running into Richmond only three have been beard from , today. Aside from those mentioned elsewhere the hack from Economy managed to make the trip, but bad much difficulty In doing so. Trees were down all along the road, and telephone wires strewed the ground nearly all the way between Richmond and Economy. BUS ABANDONS TRIP Although little damage to property Lwas 4one;at Lyjto?M'raccordil8 to J. Deunlson "Who arrived in town late this morning on the G. R. & I. he reports isolation of the town so far as wire connections and dirt roads are concerned. Mr. Dennlson, one of the proprietors of the Lynn auto truck line, says the hack started out this morning but 'found the pike between Fountain. CUy and Lynn completely blocked by fallen wires and telephone polea. It will be several days, he estiipatedV before, communication can be restored. '"'.. ' " s Weather Forecast : Local Forecast Snow this afternoon, tonight and probably Thursday. A severe 'cold wave will-probably arrive before Thursday evening.'

Not Since Flood of 1 9 13 Has City Been So Completely Cut OH From Outside World Lone Wire Connects with Chicago Rural Mail Carriers Turned Back by Pole Strewn Highways Citizens Narrowly Escape Injury from Falling Ice ; and Live Wires Exposed in Streets Railroad Storm Crews Swarm Over Lines to Clear Tracks for Traffic Tied up Worst in Years Property Damage to Utility Corporations and Individuals Amounts to Thousands of Dollars.

One of the worst sleet storms that ever visited eastern Indiana almost completely isolated Richmond from the rest of the world today. All Postal Union telegraph wires into the city were out at noon today, only one direct Western Union wire, connecting Richmond with Chicago, was up after the storm had spent its fury but by noon the Indianapolis-Richmond wire was operating from Richmond as far west as Cumberland, Ind. The .city will be absolutely without long distance telephone service until tomorrow. Up to noon three railroad trains had arrived in Richmond. Pennsylvania train No. 19 from Indianapolis, due at 5:40 a. m., arrived at 8:30 o'clock and Pennsylvania train No. 19, from the east, due at 10:55 a. m., did not arrive until 12:30 o'clock. A southbound C. & O. train pulled in this morning three hours late. Only three traction cars were able to "force their way into the city through barriers of fallen poles, trees and wires. Two of the fifteen auto trucks which operate into Richmond had reached their destination at noon. A truck for Centerville, Cambridge City and Connersville left Richmond this morning but had to abandon the trip near Centerville. Highways Are Blocked.

TRAFFIC CRIPPLED INDIANAPOLIS, . Dec. : 2: Tel phone and. telegraph wlre-ar-down, Ftreet car and interurbaii electric, services are demoralized as the result of the severe sleet and snow storm which began early today. As the morning advanced the storm grew, in severity. Several trolley wires were snapped off on Indianapolis street car lines. Interurbans are running irregularly. Though big forces of men everywhere are combatting with the storm, they are unable to keep the traific moving. Tratns on steam roads entering Indianapolis are hours behind time. Unless the storm lets op soon It will mean one of the worst traffic tie-ups in years. FRUIT TREES RUINED Fanners estimated that heavy damage v;as done to fruit trees In Wayne county orchards. The covering of sleet to which was added a coat of clinging snow bent the tender limbs low. and In many instances so many limbs broke under the weight that the trees were damaged so badly that they will have to be cut down. Orchardist3 place the loss at thousands of dollars. WEATHER INCREASES PREVALENCE OF GRIP Old Man Grip will reap a harvest from tbe storm of last night, is. tbe opinion of physicians consulted, unless the people who were forced to be out today and mush through the slush take extra good care of themselves. Wet feet are certain to develop Into colds, and colds develop into grip, and when one member of a family is stricken, unless precautions are taken It is bound to spread to others who come in contact with the person mho is ill. Fifteen hundred persons are down with the disease in Richmond at present, and unless care la taken many more will follow. STORM CUTS RICHMOND Practically all communication between Richmond and surrounding towns and cities over tbe lines of the Western Union and Postal Telegraph companies was interrupted and untold damage to wires and poles was one of tbe results of the storm last sight. Managers of the companies estimated UtsfcJrwHl-oetwo-or. three dayr before service Is restored to Ha normal condition. ... A farmer, who gave his name, at Rhinehart, living several miles from town - telephoned to the offices here that three miles of poles and wires, east and west of the Indiana-Ohio state line were down. Aa he declared they ran alons the road, instead of along the railroad, they, belong to the

Travel iuto Richmond from the rural

districts was almost impossible because of the- debris of fallen wires, poles and trees littering the roads. One hardy motorist by the aid of an ate 'and wire pinchers succeeded in driving his car from Liberty to this city. . ..Fortunately no deaths nor accidents in Richmond and vicinity rcsnMed from the storm despite the grave danger presented by falling trees and poles and grounded high power wires. One- horse -was electrocuted near th.j water works pumping station. All rural carriers left to carry their routes early this rooming. Henrv j WelBbrod was forced to turn bark. The others had not been heard from at noon. Farmers report the greatest damage done by the storm outside the city was injuries received by fxuit trees. Heavy loss was sustained by a" I wire companies. The Home Telephone company alone estimates its loss to be approximately $5,000. The advance guard of the storm which swept into eastern Indiana from the south was a lively rain. Late in the evening it turned quite cool causing the water on trees, poles and wires to freeze. After daybreak a hail storm swept the county followed by rain. Not since the great flood of 1913 lia.i Richmond been so completely isolated fro mthe world as today. GALE LITTERS CITY STREETS WITH BOUGHS The streets of the city presented a bedraggled appearance this morning and traffic was almost Impossible. Only those who were compelled to. venture out of doors for the pavements were two inches deep with water and it was Impossible for pedestrians to cross the street without getting wet feet for all the crosswalks were flooded with from six inches to a foot of water. Every street was littered with limbs which had been blown frcm trees during the sight and which had broken off on account of the Ice coat Few Continued On Page Eight. ILL OTES; IS ISOLATED Postal Telegraph company. The Western Union Telegraph company at 9 o'clock this morning had direct commjinlcatlon to Cumberland, eight miles east of Indianapolis but was unable to reach any other cities. Chicago was obtained at 7:30 o'clock but was lost soon afterward. All wires were reported down south and east of Richmond. : All service over the wire of the Postal Telegraph company was atop, ped. - Repairmen of both companies were out early today. 'Manager M. 'A. Ryan of the Western Union and employes of tbe Postal were unable to estimate tbe damage. . Later in the day wire were workfcue to Indianapolis and Chicago. '