a new month

It’s still – just barely – May 1st and I realize I haven’t done one of these in a while:

Have you noticed the weather reports on the front page (inserted into what I guess is the masthead)?

To-day, fair and colder.
To-morrow, fair; northwest winds.

I wonder when daily weather – as opposed to general seasonal predictions about climate conditions (drought, heavy rain, harsh winter, etc.) – became a regular feature of newspapers. Surely someone’s researched this.

The top stories:

  1. An accident led to a massive traffic jam on the Brooklyn Bridge. Elevated lines were stopped for nearly an hour, surface lines “were operated with difficulty and much discomfort to the passengers” and the station platforms nearly overflowed during the evening commute to Brooklyn. Bad weather prevented many from crossing the bridge on foot.
  2. How convenient: a new subway tunnel to Brooklyn is scheduled to open service today.*
  3. Let me just quote the first paragraph:

    Joseph Bermel, who resigned as Borough President of Queens under pressure on Wednesday, sailed yesterday for Italy on the Slavonia, although under subpoena to appear before the Queens County Grand Jury this forenoon at 10 o’clock to answer questions concerning alleged crooked work in the administration of the Borough of Queens.

    His successor was apparently his “right hand man.” Note this bit of detail about his flight:

    The scene at the pier when Bermel sailed with his family was dramatic in the extreme. Bermel’s friends and constituents literally pushed him up the Cunarder’s gangplank. A party of about fifty friends and politicians formed a horseshoe six deep around him, and any one seeking to serve a subpoena could not have forced himself through.

  4. Last night’s storm wreaked havoc around the city, blowing out plate glass windows, knocking ships off course, and causing flooding in some areas.
  5. Train robbers took four bags of currency amounting to $10,000 from a St. Louis bound express last night.
  6. New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes gave a big speech in Schenectady yesterday opposing racetrack gambling and criticizing party bosses for acting against the will of the voters.

*The route goes from Bowling Green to Atlantic Avenue: sounds like what are today the 4 and 5 lines.