364 METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. DOANE. 



them and caused them to leak and in some cases to collapse. 

 Men, women and children moved about the streets on snow 

 shoes. 



Outside the city the conditions became even more serious, 

 and places depending on the railway obtained relief none too 

 soon. Hundreds of cars of freight were stalled along the Inter- 

 colonial Railway, numbers of locomotives were isolated, coal 

 hoppers innumerable were imbedded in deep snow drifts, water 

 gave out in stalled engines and trains were without heat, 

 causing passengers to suffer much inconvenience and discomfort. 



Schools, churches, electric light stations, foundries, &c., had 

 to close, because wood could not be hauled and coal supplies 

 were exhausted. Meat, flour, oil, butter, milk, eggs and feed 

 became scarce. Farmers were obliged to destroy cattle and 

 horses because they could not obtain hay and had difficulty in 

 getting water for their stock. Lumbermen were forced to 

 abandon their work in the woods in consequence of the depth 

 of the snow. 



In Windsor the water supply became short. In Sydney 

 several departments of the steel works were compelled to shut 

 down, being handicapped by the scarcity of cars and the impos- 

 sibility of moving out their product and by the lack of fuel and 

 other supplies buried deep in the monster snow drifts. 



The administration of justice was interfered with, the- 

 presiding judge being unable to reach Sydney for the regular 

 sitting of the supreme criminal court. The aid of the legis- 

 lature was required to straighten out the tangle caused in this 

 instance, parliament being in session. 



The mail service was completely demoralized. Steamers 

 were pressed into service between St. John, Yarmouth, Halifax 

 and Sydney, while nearer towns, Windsor, Lunenburg, Bridge- 

 water, &c., were reached by team before the railways could be 

 dus: out. 



