The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-16 00:00:00

SNOW-BOUND RAILWAY TRAINS IN MAY.

The incidents of railway transit this week on the lines
west and north-west of Sheffield are quite suggestive of
the published records of the famous marine adventures
in search of the north-passage. We append a few ex-
amples. The Huddersfield passenger train left Sheffield
as usual at 7.36 p.m. on Monday evening, and having
the advantage of following in the wake of a powerful
goods engine, the train worked its way through the snow
without much difficulty as far as Penistone, a distance of
13 miles. Diverging at this point from the mainline of
the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway, and
proceeding on the Huddersfield and Penistone branch,
the further progress of the passenger train was greatly im-
peded by the snow, which was very deep. When it had
travelled on the branch about a mile the train came to a
dead lock. The conductor alighted, and found that the
snow was about a yard in depth. All efforts at further
progress proving futile, they conducted the passengers—
some 14 or 15 in number—back to Penistone, the guard,
engine-driver, and fireman piloting the way with their
lamps. The passengers fonnd solace at the inns, but the
three poor fellows who had led the van, acting under a
stern consciousness of duty trudged back to the snow-
bound train. The pitiless snow came down all the while
with blinding intensity, and so it continued till mid-
night. Had it gone on the unlucky trio would probably
have been buried in a grave of snow. They were by no
means secure as it was, for they were wet to the skin,
benumbed with cold, and without a particle of food.
Manfully they stood by their colours till relief came
to hand. It seems that at daybreak on Tuesday morn-
ing the helpless position of the tram was discovered from
the main line, and the tidings having been conveyed
to Sheffield a powerful pilot engine was sent to its
relief, and reached the spot at 5 a.m. The engine be-
longing to the train was then dug out of its white en-
closure walls, and having nearly exhausted its stock of
water, took advantage of the path opened by the pilot
engine to return to Penistone for a fresh supply of liquid
for the boiler and fOr its freight of passengers, The
pilot engine, meanwhile, was engaged in cutting open
the road ahead, and having partially cleared the line for
the distance of a mile or so it returned for the benighted
train, with which it succeeded in ploughing its way
through the snow to its destination at Huddersfield, the
other engine following in the wake. By the aid of sti-
mulants and external warmth, procured as soon as
they reached Huddersfield, the three men who had
been exposed ',all night to the storm were gradually
restorel. The train was taken back to Sheffield by the
two engines with little or no difficulty, the bulk of
snow having considerably diminished under the
action of the sun. Perilous and difficult as the road to
Huddersfield evidently was, the transit per railway be-
tween Sheffield and Manchester was scarcely less adven-
turous. The 3 p.m. passenger train from Sheffield to
Manchester entirely failed to accomplish the journey.
It fought its way as far as Penistone, but the snow was
so deep that the engine was not of sufficient calibre to
continue the uphill journey, the line being on the rise for
at least six miles further. A debarcation of passengers
took place at Penistone, and an attempt was made to take
the empty train back to Sheffield, which place it
reached at half-past one o'clock in the morning. The
next train from Sheffield to Manchester, which starts
at 3.50 p.m., having the advantage of! a very large
engine, was more successful than its predecessor. It
took in the westward passengers who had alighted at
Penistone, and, we suppose, succeeded in completing
the journey, tke snow in the worst places having
been partially cleared away by the persevering exertions
of a number of engine drivers and others with the aid of
locomotive engines belonging to the weather-bound goods
train. The circumstance: attending the transit of pas-
t anger trains in the opposite direction from Sheffield to
Manchester on that memorable 9th cf May are equally
interesting and not less striking. The train due at
Sheffield at 4 p.m. arrived two hours too late, and. as
the snow on the ground was rapidly increasing much
anxiety was felt with respect to the next arrival, which,
in the ordinary course, ought to have reached Sheffield
at half past S. An hour after that time information was
received at Sheffield that the train and its animated
freight were firmly embedde I in the snow at Oxspring, a
distance of about a dozen miles. Mr. Taylor, the sta-
tion master at the Victoria station, caused a pilot en-
gine to be got ready immediately, and with it set out in
search of the lost train with the intention of rendering
aid. Such was the state of the line, :however, that the
pilot engine could not get within a mile of Oxspring.
Its crew, having sufficient reason to feel apprehensive
or their own safety—for the snow was falling so thick
and fast as almost to blind them—then made an effort
to return on the same line to the place whence they had
come ; but lo I the engine was motionless as a rock. By
the appl'cation of levers to the wheels, however, and
making desperate exertions, they succeeded ultimately in
gaining a start, and when they had retraced their steps
three miles and reached Wortley station (nine miles from
Sheffield) they were overtaken by the train of which they
had been
in
quest. It appears that three of the goods
liceongines that had suspended operations at Penistone
441 me to the relief of the paralysed passenger train,
afonudrwenitgillutehs,is.taccession of motive power, having now
after nauch t .t s load of passengers reached Sheffield,
ribulation, at a quarter past one on Tuesday
morning.

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THE BRID&E OF SlTY.—This bridge has unfortunately
been attacked by dry-rot, and it has been pronounced
unsafe to vehicles and cattle. Notice to this effect have
been issued, and measures are being taken for its im-
M3diate repair. The bridge is still open to pedestrians
who choose to risk themselves in crossingi t.—lnverness
Courier.