The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-04-02
SNOW PInWs
How Snow BlOeIzades are Broken on
the Central Pacific Railroad.

4 -
4 How snow BlOeI<ades are Broken on
the Central Pacific II aEIroad.
Once IN g while, when the storm would
tighten up, We could catch a glimpse OF
the great s0eE-plow, with its six en-
gines, around some bend, driving into
the drifts with fOrce that it would
seem would TR0ve the world. These
snow-plovTs are a curiosity, both in their
construction and the manner in which
they do their work. They are immense
structureS-I say structures, for thev
are as otg as two-story house-and
weigh fEOm 49, 900 to IS, 900 pounds.
In tront they are shaped like the iron
Prov OF an iron-clad frigase, only the
sharp vertical portion of this prov
cnanges into fiat surface where it ap-
-,roaehes the ground Attached to this
hat or horizontal PROV is what is called
an apron" This apron is attached to
the prov 10y mems of hinges. 1t lifts
up and lets dowIl directly on the track
at pleasure. anc when down il is held
there By large steel springs. When in
motion this apron slides right on the
rails, pressing hard on them, but from
the round ed surface which it presents to
them It glides over the joints and any
other little irregularities with ease.
The long prov Is pushed under the
5zow, the apron scraping it clear from
the rails, and lifting it up bodily it
meets the vertical section of the pIow
which divides it, and hurls 1t off on either
, side. When running at high rate of
speed, as is often the case, these plows
sometimes hHrl the snow into the air
fifty feet, and plunge it in huge masses
into the deep chasms and canons. Some
such scene as this was presented the
other night when Mr.. Fillmore, tne
division superintendent, brought the
eastern-boUnde express trSin throP. oh with
eleven engines. The scene vas one of
the widest and grandest that has ever
been witnessed on this road. It had
been storming all day and all night and
all the next day, and the snow had
fallen and drifted some places ten and
fifteen feet in depth. The train started
out from Colfax with three engines, but
at Alta it took fourth. A snow-DIow.
with seven heavy 80 ton engines. went
on ahead to clear the way, but at Blue
Canon stuck in a huge drift, and the
whole force of the seven engines could
not bulge it an inch ahead. After
shovellng while the express train and
the snow train were coupled together.
making a team of eleven engines. a
snow-plOw and six cars. Such q sight
was never seen. The long. chain of
putting monsters backed down for a
mile or two and then, taking a fresh
start, came at the drift at the rate of forty
miles an hour. The only wonder Is
that the plow was not crushed into saw
dust. It not only stood this enormous
strain, but it kept to the track and oat
an eleven-foot passage in the drift with
the precision of a surgeons knife.
With the power so increased the plow
cut its way through to Emigrant Gap.
AT one point near there the spectacle
was magnificent. On sharp curve on
steep embanl1ment the snow had been
pilei up to the very height of the
smOke-stacks of the engines fer a dis
tance of 1000 yards. The curve was
so situated that it was Ia fall view of
the station at the Gap. The weather
had cleared off and the moon shone
brightly on the snow. In the distance,
slowly forging ahead, were the eleven
black and begrimmed leviathans, while
IN front of them was the great plow
throwing uD snow in huge masses like
ocean billows, aid rolling it down the
mountain sides thousands of feet
into the yawD ing chasm below. The
smoke and fire. from eleven tunnels, the
tops of which could just be seen above
the drifts, the horrible noise and din of
the putting team, and the great gla-
ciers being thrown high in the air and
tumbling down the mountain side, all
furnished a scene which but who who
have Witnessed ib can ever appreciate.
San francisco Chronicle.