The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-01-21
A SIERRA SNOW PLow /.
A Midnight Trip on the Central Paciflc-A Train
Buried in an Avalanche.

A Midnight Trip on the Central Paciac-A Train
Buried in an Avalanche.
| Correspondence Sacramento Union-Record. l.
| TRUCKEE, Jan. A, 1875.
| Six powerful locomotives shrek def
ance to the storm, and speed away into
the night like an arrow. The white
drifts are tossed up over the smoothly
rounded mold-boar g Of the ploW in
feathery foam. The swift wind, accel-
Grated by the marvellous speed OF our
flying train, hurls the sleet, keen and
cutting, into our faces and eyes.
Frank Sattertield, the conductor of the
snow plow, gives the beil-rope a couple
of quick pulls, and each or the IRON
throated monsters screams out its read
mess to push us ahead faster. Each
throttle-valve is wide open, and the old
plow bounds along with the speed of a
thunderbolt. The track is full of snow
that has drifted in, or slidden down from
the mountains, and the swift apron
strikes it and tosses it right and lett in
billowy burrows, that ON our right are
hurled 500 feet into the canyon.
Faster and still faster we go! And
yet the speed must be increased. Just
ahead is where the plow got stuck two
years ago and laid all night. 1t seems
impossible that any impedipent could
1 Cu6Ck buG UuWdEu IuSu Vi Vic
ing, ten-wheeled engine behind us. But
unless every pouad OF steam is being
used the plow will come to dead halt.
We have reached the region of the
lsnow-Slides. Above our heads tower
the icy submits of the Sierras. Below
us is Cold Stream canyon. This morning
AN AVALANCHE
came rushing down just as the snow was
passing. The boys saw the sudden rift
along the ridge, aud the whole lace of the
mountain dropping on them, and in an
other instant an avalanche of 5000 tons
hurled all its fury against the train. 1t
seemed as il the storm fiends were try
ing to wreck vengeance on the fearless
men and powerful engines that dared in
wade their domain. The old plow and
it's train of engines struggled bravely,
but it was impossible to bore through
the great snow slide.
Iron and steel and steam, brave men,
and plow and engines were all locked in
the icy embrace OF the avalanche. The
lace of the mountain is SO steep that all
| the snow which went over the top OF the
train continued its headlong plunge into
the canyon. A man went to Tunnel 10
and telegraphed TO Truckee for assist
ance. Seventy-tive men came hurrying
TO the rescue with shovels, and picks,
and axes, and commenced digging. II
was four O'Clock in the morning when
the slide imprisoned the train, and seven
O'Clock found it only partially released.
The passenger engines came up and
helped drag out the buried locomotives; !;
jyet with all the power OF the five en-
gines and seventy-ive men it took four
nours to clear away the snow and liber-
ate the train. The aValancheS will be
plentiful and unusually terrible this
winter. A few weeks ago slight snow
fell, and after covering the ground to the
depth of three or four inches, froze solid
as ice. On this slippery surface a large
lquantity Of very damp snow has fallen.
Eight feet OF new snow has been piled
up during this last storm.
Imagine an area OF five or ten acres,
Icight ieet deep, ON asteep mountain SIDE,
lsuddenly skating into the canyon over
Il hard, smooth surface Of ice, and you
get some idea of Sierra snoWslide.
Eagerly we peer out over the plow to see
if we are to plunge into a fallen ava
anche. Anxiously we look upward to
see if there is any indication of the white
moss slipping again from It's foundations.
II we pass this place we are compare
! Lively safe. Yet why should we acknowl-
edge any particular fear, for there is
ALADY ON THE SNOW PLow..
Miss Ida Munson stands boldly Oh
the very top OF the plow, as fearless aud
unconcerned as the conductor him self.
When the drifts are tossed over the
ploW she makes no effort to avoid their
fury. Through all the sleet, and storm,
and darkness, she has unflihchingly
watched the battle. All and It's bat
tie! A curve enables us to look back at
the army of giants that are straining
muscles of iron and nerves of steel to
hurry us onward despite the wrath OF
| ri, ala fo nd or -
and eem to be exerting all the marvel.
GUS strength they possess.
Their hot, labored breath comes in
short, quick, labored puffs that could be
heard toi mile. We are on heavy up
Igrade, and the snow has SO filled the
track that it is almost impossible to pro-
ceed. Sattertield' again gives the bell.
ropes couple of quick pulls. The head
Iengine is like wheel-horse, always
ready to do whatever it is biddeu. Two
tloud, determined whistles star.le the
echoes along the ridge and in the depths
beneath uss 1t sounds like demons
war cry. Every locomotive must repeat
each signal that is given by the head en-
gine, to show that il understands what
ls wanted.
There is a marvellous power of ex-
lpression in the voices OF engines. The
first Is determined and steady. The
second has been straining every nerve,
and evidently mas its lever clear back
"around the corner" and the querulous
angry screams which burst forth from
its brazen throat seem to say, "Go faster
ifyou can; Pm doing my best Already
The third is perfectly Indifferent about
the matter, but is quite willing to try,
and like sailors "Yo heave ho,n its
voice cheerily responds.
The fourth is utilizing every particle
long; SO it snappishly demands, "More
work; less talk" The fifth gives half.
frightened CRY, as ifit could go faster,
but was almost afraid to do SO. The six th
is reckless, whoops like drunken Piute
and gives sudden bound forward thai
breaks its. couplng-bar short of. We
are at Tunnel 10, however, and The mis-
chief can be repaired.