Snow buries campus; more predicted

As ground crews finish clearing away the 20-22 inches of snow that forced the University to close Friday, a new storm threatens to heap yet more powder on an already beleagured campus.

This storm, which has dumped snow, sleet and ice pellets in Northern Georgia and much of South Carolina, "will continue moving northeast during the night and is expected to spread another blanket of snow along the mid-Atlantic coast by late Tuesday," the National Weather Service reported Sunday.

No rest

This forecast promises more work for grounds crews just recovering from the weekend's big dig. Grounds Manager George Clark said the same crews worked from noon to nine p.m. Friday, from four a.m. to four p.m. Saturday, and from 7:30 a.m. to four p.m. Sunday with 45 minute breaks for meals.

Clark estimated the weekend's snowfall was the "seventh worst storm in 40 years." He said Princeton's 21 pieces of snow removal equipment were insufficient to do the job and he had to contract extra equipment, adding to the cost of the clean-up operation.

Eugene McPartland, general manager of planning, plant and properties, said a "ballpark figure" of total estimated costs would not be availabel until later in the week.

Despite the efforts of the grounds crew, the campus remained closed Sunday with limited access for emergency vehicles.

Across the state, Governor Thomas Kean '57 at 5 p.m. Saturday lifted a statewide ban imposed the night before on all vehicles except those driven by emergency personnel. Borough police said there had been an overall compliance with the band and reported no major auto accidents.

Train in vain

New Jersey Transit, which suspended all bus operations while it dug 210 of its 1,400 buses out of snow drifts over the weekend, expected normal service in the state's major urban areas for Monday's rush hour. Trains experienced up to 30 minute delays Saturday but continued to operate.

The snowfall was slightly greater than that from a February 19, 1979 storm and the most since a February 1961 storm dumped 26 inches on parts of the state, said David Ludlum '33, a Princeton historian who keeps New Jersey weather statistics. Ludlum added the storm was little more than a flurry compared to the blizzard of 1988. In that year, Princeton University suspended its operations while students went down to Princeton Junction to help shovel out bogged down trains.