by Laurel | February 8th, 2013
20 February 1921
But Trolly Schedules Yield to the Snow — City Plows Open Streets
The long looked for snowstorm arrived in Holyoke early this morning and proceeded to do its best to tie up street car schedules, keep people indoors and boost the coal bill. The street department under direction of Superintendent James J. O’Connor trotted out its lone tractor, which catapulted into the driving snow and proceeded to make a track each side of the car tracks which was followed by its dragging a plow to smooth the same. The two big plows loaned y the Sears company and the Ranger company were put into action and the 10 sidewalk plows followed suit. The driving wind blew the snow all over the work about as fast as it could be removed, but some progress was made. The wind fortunately was not very cold during the day. Tomorrow there will be quite a gang of men at work and there will also be plenty of jobs cleaning walks. The storm will e a godsend to men and boys out of work.
The street railway company started out all its five snowplows and four sweepers at 4 this morning, the rotary being held back for later emergencies. The early cars ran fairly well, but the driving snowstorm soon shattered the timetables, and the street railway phone was kept busy answering “When will the next car be along?” After a fashion all the lines were kept open through the day, though on most lines and all the longer suburban lines the schedule was “shot.”
Pedestrians walked in the roads most of the day, and despite the storm a considerable number of automobiles were out bucking the snowfall and helping incidentally to keep traffic going. Last year the street railway expended over $40,000 to keep their lines open, and this is the first storm that has cost them much this year.
The Springfield line gave more or less trouble all day, and in the afternoon, Holyoke cars went as far south as the North End bridge, and one of them went as far as Carew Street.
The Westfield cars met Holyoke until about 1:30, when they gave up and cars ran only to West Holyoke from that time on The regular hour schedule was maintained.
The snow was continuing to drift late tonight, and the company was planning to run its snowplows all night unless the wind died down. The Holyoke street department will be on the job early tomorrow morning with all plows and tractor an a brigade of men will be put to work on the streets also.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
