Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-12-14
A sNowEp.IN A
Narrative or n Passenger frem snn
Rfnncisco.
IFrom tho San Fr.neIsco Alts.l

On TUE TRAIN, Deo. D, IL n NJ
We left Ogden yesterday morning
Eve hours behind time on account Of
other west-bound trains. Last night
we went through a heavy storm, and
It was come and 20 all night, and 80
cold I pltied the train men. You
would enjoy seeing the train 60 through
a snow drift. We have two powerful
engines, and when there IS n DRIFT
ahead away we 20 at full speed ; then
dive. a crash, and snow Is sent flying
forty feet high through the air! Mrs.
NJ. was sitting by the stove a Few min
utes since, and when we struck tho
drift the shock came arthrowi her
down /; but 1t Is not fun for the poor
engine driver, whose cab 10 ut times
banked full of snow /; there he stands,
with one hand on the Unbelievable,
his face peerlng through the one pane
of glass, all the time looking out for
the safety of US who are 80 comfortable
and warm i'll our snug cars.
This storm Is more severe than ever
experienced here. All the west-bound
trains are behind time. Everything Is
done that can be done, but the winds
blow and the drifts pile up In a short
time. We have twenty-five men with
US to dig us out, If 1t comes to that.
We are now ascending the Rocky
Mountains, and II we are In luck will
reach the summit. At P. n. to-day
(Shermsn) we saw q
DROVE OF ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AN
a H# TEIOPE.
This morning we have not gone out
of our cars for two days to get o meal.
Our lunch holds out nicely, and we
make nice tea on the stove. 1t looks
MS If we would lay up our train at
OMAHA tomorrow unless we can make
up time going down the Platte Valley,
where we have q down grade of over
500 miles. At Q p. N. we have finally
come to q stand still at Hook Creek
Station, ffty.one miles west Of Lar
annie. Our two engines have left US,
taking all the men and going fifteen
miles east to dig out a freight train.
1t Is impossible TO tell when We will
get started. We have only one grum-
Bier on our car ; the balance are clever
people and take things easy. At the
little station where we are at they live
principally on game. Last evening q
drove of two hundred antelope passed,
out of which they killed five.
ATuAIN OFF THE TRACK.
Rock CREEK STATION, Dec. 4.
Here we arc still, 5000 te0t up the
| Rocky Mountains, showed in, and
such a raging, bowling storm l never
saw, and a train twelve miles ahead,
last In a cut, completely covered with
snow. Four miles from Wyoming
| Station, west. is o west-bound passen-
ger train thrown off the track, and I
am sorry 10 say two engineers hurt ;
80 you see we have n slim prospect
ahead. Talk Of wind and cold!
| Whew! we have two wrecked Arctic
| captains on the train ; one mas been
poo.hoohing at the idea of Its being so
cold men cannot endure it, even to dig
out the trains. Well, this bold Arctic
sailor went down the track forty rods
last night, and came back with
ONE OF HIS EARS FROZEN,
| CThe windward one, to use his ex-
presdonh and to-day he Is very quiet
about this "bloody climate" All the
men have given up work until the
| wind goes down. as 1t ls impossible to
stand the terrible cutting wind and
drifting snow.
We are getting along nicely; our
two huge locomotives are kept fired
ND and running up and down the track
to keep from freezing up. Tell John,
at the Occidental bar, that the bottle
Of whisky he gave me 1 presented to
tho WORKOUT and halt-frozen engineers,
and never did a bottle 60 into more
thankful hands.
Our provisions will hold out until
tomorrow, and then We Will all re-
ceIvc rations from secret stores carried
OH the train for an emergency like
this. But you can just believe our
lunch, provided by kind friends, has
become very valuable.
The train due in San Francisco on
the 9th Is off the track twcnty-eight
miles east Of us.
We had such a time this morning
GETTING A WARN DRRkKFAsr,
At the station. keepers house, not fifty
rods distant. l carried Katy from our
car to the locomotive, which vas forty
feet distant, and up to my knees In
snow; aud I had all could do to keep
my feet, for the wind blew a gale.
You can judge Of the cold, when tho
passengers cannot 70 fifty yards safely.
There are about n hundred and
thirty-five people on the train. For
tunately for us, there Is n carload Of
coal near us, so we can keep warm.
TAKING STOCK OF THE PROVISIONS.
Tuesday, December 5th-Here we
arc still, this being tho third day. Last
night we took account of the number
of people aud the amount Of provls-
ions, and found one hundred and thirty
people and forty-eight hours provis-
ions, consisting principally Of flour
and potatoes, aud we found a carload
of bacon that had been left here In
transit for California. We telegraphed
both ways our situation, and were
promised relief to-day; so early this
morning wo wero glad to see the relief
train coming from the west, and better
pleased still to find forty Cinnamon on
it. "Johnn went to work a~t:once got
ting one of our engines on the track,
which was o done, and away 1t
went east. "John" has gone to open
q way for US, I might say, In advance
of "the superior race"
There is q big screw loose on this
road. VIC have been working our way
through this storm with two locomo-
tlves, and not a snow-plough on either.
The great delay has been
THE wREc OF A PAS sENoER TRAIN
This side Of Laramie, and the extreme
cold prevented them clearing the track
or as the railroad men say, "gettlng it
on the track" This has been for three
days. I would have cleared the track
by throwing the balance of the track.
Here is a railroad company with $780,
600, 900 In bonds, whose track Is block
ed three days because one train Ia