The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-03-30
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cue 9yeW 39Eth'1tes!.
Northern Pacific Railroad and ths SNOW
= e. O"es:Ion. +.
, from TIC Christian Usies.l :
NJ. W. Minor Roberts. the dhtinguisAe'
Chief Engineer Of the Northern Pacific Rail
rad, has made = statement rcgsfding u
snow problem on the Northern route. While
hss special interest just row. Mr.. Robest
spent the winter of 1901 along Tho welt
section Of the Northern Pacific line III Orc
gon aud Washington Territory. Me earl,
part Of the present winter In Wes,cra Mon
tsns. near the highest elevation Of the route
and has since been on the eastern portion o
the road. through Minnesota. Besides lhi
personal inspection he has been In constant
eommu"ioauon with surveying and Sonstruc
ton parties, and with government official.
on the various parts Of the line. His state
ment, which was made in answer TO certain
definite questions, 10 - follows: ID
l20 BROADWAY. NEW YORK,
-,IItlt,l March 2. 1872.
The only points on the Northern Pacific
route where in the absence of ordinary pre-.
cautions there would he reason 10 anticipate
occasional difficulty from snow, are Mt and
near the Bozcmsn Pass, in Montana, and
towards the western part Of Minnesota. Az
to the necessity for unusual precautions
against snow, If the route cia tue Yellow.
stone Valley. Deer Lodge Pass, Clark .
Fork and Columbia river Ike adopted. l do
not apprehcnd that any would he needed.
The present IL . remarkable one almost
everywhere, but it Is my opinion that with
we'l'constructed fences at the most exposed
points the, Northern Pacific Railroad can
unQuestionsbly be kept open for regular
traffic its entire length across the continent
through similar winters hereafter, should
they occur. Our road from Duluth 10 Oak
Lake tstOut zoo miles, has been free mast bf
the way this winter nithoM snow fences.
and the Like Superior and Mississippi and
the st. Paul and Pacific roads, in Minnesota,
have had comparatively little trouble from
snow this winter. A few miles If snow
fences will render our line from Lake Su
pcrior to the Missouri river a. free from
snow distractions as the line from Chicago
10 Omaha. Even in the Rocky Mountains,
In Montana. the thermometer from. January
9Th to the 18th, in the middle Of the day,
ranged from 81 deg. above zero to 40 deg.
above, except the 18th. when it was 30 deg.
above. From Jan usry 18th to the 2lst, the
range was Is deg. to 81 deg. above; from
January Goth 10 February 18th the range
WIS from 2 deg. above to a deg above
average 20 deg. above; February 18th to
18th. from 20 deg. above to 81 deg. alWve-
average AZ 5 deg. The first snow storms or
the present winter came in the Rocky Noun. |
tain region Of Montana, unusually early dn |
November and Deoomb0), were accompan
led by unusually cold weather and were
regarded by tie oldest setllers as very re.
n'arkablc Most winters cattle range tbro' |
the valleys Of this region without difficulty, |
and are usually fs:tcr In spring than when |
turned out on the approach Of wintcrAfSedI |
Ing on the nutritious bunch grsss; ahd the |
editor of the Helena Herald estimates the |
loss Of cattle in Montana the past winter at
less than ono per cent. At Helena, in the
during the severe weather refer.
rcd to. the lowest thermometer was about
30 deg. bcwbw zero. and from 30 to 80 deg.
below In the vicinity If the Boyenan sum.
nit But such low temperature only occur.
red for few days, - witness the high range
u the thermometer from January 9Th to
February 18th. My latest information from
ne mountain sections Of our line Is report
rom Assistant Engineer J. w. Flennikcn.
lated ~ Helena, February 10, and fully
'orroborsted by letters frum residents Of
'ther portions of Montana. dated the 10th.
From the former make the following ex.
ract: .asni
:, ! have not heard of any very serious SHOWS
~ any Of our lines Tie Jefferson has but
'ery little On IL. Maj. Pensc, who has lust
rr'vcd here from the Crow Agency, says that
between tho Agency and the divide there il
,ut little snow. Between FORTS, Shaw and
3entOn It las disappeared altogether. In
he Bitter Root and MissOula valleys there
las been no snow of any account So far 10
can learn the snow would not have DELAY.
o trains more than one day had they hsep {
unn'ng. Ny opinion Of the danger of deep |
t0ws and frequent drifts IL, that u no time q
vii the Northern Pacific Railroad have to
nc'1ntsr anything resembling the trbuble
nd vcxation that the Union Pacific h suffer,
%. The wagon r0.d between here end
,eer Lodge the highest elevation on our
me, has been open and In good condition
ver since u was first broken. - sl~ Mr..
parks. just returned from The Nuscleshell q
.SScy, where his stock has been during The 1,
Inter, Gays this snow has becnvcry light.
nd the cattle have had no difficulty In get.
nE plenty OF grass the entire time. '40''
These, very fsvprablp-yepurls,r Aurine- Z i
Inter Of unprecedented severity; cover lie /
ost elevated and mountainous portions Of q
" limb where olslructionG from SNOW would
Cur Il snywbers on the ropts: ppd'when \
10 remembered that the .sIStfuS, ions on q
'e Union Psciic have beeu vifaspsl1 buns =
'cd 70 section of iSo miles, every part of =
h'cb Snt least lAD0 hiGhes ehQ I'd high. n
summit on the Northern. r,pts. and most Il
whdeh 10 $500 to 5000 fecs blxi,es than y
y mounIain aeclioa Of eQuA looglh "a, Gke !.
nr1hDPn pnr1H, 1is~A n l~>~~s~>~ -AWA. 1 VI