, 1877-01-15
RAILROADS.
A NOVEL 'SNO1Y-rLOW.
To the Editor or The Tribune.

HANCOCK, NtirlI., jan. 1n.-Arr snow.plows
for tho removal Of tnow from railroad Tracks Il
succcssf They certainly were not q success
when, less tllaH twenty ycurs aimee, In the mid
die uf one Of tho bounllees pratrcs Of Illinois,
II passenger train ilL1ri with members Of tic
Legislature Of tho State and business men,
WIS bluckatlcl il, the s1low for days, anu
the inhabitants Of tic unfortunate train
were reduced IL sucl, an extremity that they
hail to CONSUME tiln furniture Of the coaches
In order to prevent death By freezing. Still
later, on t!c Union l'ac!Ilr, hundreds Of anxious
business men and other Travellers were forcftiy
II rrrorts arc true, the l-snte! Asl.abula train
was ttctninul several h'l1rs, somewhere OIL The
1ue, III consequence uf the truck being ohetruet-
Cd by spow-t!Fifss,. And WHO k,,ows what fatal
hnvs l,ad ur,on the cala'nityt All these facts do
perfection Inns as yst been attainesl il,
the scsensc ] oi ]fcmoylng tnow from railroad
have bccn cxpen,!cil y railroad companies ii
order 10 rrl1ltsyc the difficulty. aud thus prevent
the vauahc loss of tilslt to busras tncn and
tllu travelling public n general. 1t is true that
q great many mctlHals n1ll Il number Ut inyeI-
iltns hare been patente'! fnr the removal Of
HnIw-4lriftKfrufn railroads, hut many 0f them
proved to b. futures, and nunc ever havu given
entire satisfaction. Some, claiming tu remove
lllE ft1lW ny l11csllft llFeHtGA
elaborate machinery fur handling and ol.:vutlng
the sHuw; others elaIn,ts! tu poSsess Ways unl
intaus for melting It, thus converting, II into
water. But MI tMesG rol.tr'yaMcs we're limited
IN their capacities and did moi rcc,nnsnt1ul tlen-
Rclycs to our rai!rnasl men, unl the Inter now
USE certain modified nla-tnshon tiow, Oh nc-
count Of ita simplicity Of construction mud ila
direct md nore ur lcss spuc.ly net!on.
ycntions Is tint they, I'LL Of them, leave the
s,ew ton close to thu roalllctl, thus Increasing
the obstruction tn lieu vi removing II. Fur III
s,aner, locomotive passes misses thr@1yh snow.
d af ss% say ts' i 'sf fsSt 'se From TIL liz esH neR
nna nsrcu.s ill., tGp Up ts, @ ''s q. te s' wa, q Il Il
snow OH rnrls sitle Of the road to three or four
storms have full sweep, the whulc track, il
very khurt ti,nr IL again covered to the level OF
lts t,anks, and IL follows that the next engine
Will haya to remove three Or fur feet instead Of
ttun,:tissead Of being removed, i only Increased,
l,y lIis process. Jci In take n luuk ut sDnle Ut
tic ,nodcs employed, ut The presGut day, fur thu
rr,uosal OF SHOW fr"n RAILWAYS: number of
one. or, pcrtaps. gill asc provided with the must
approved siDw.lf"w. Tl,rtc nrv all hltchcl
to n regular imssenger.trafn. The rngl-
Nccrs know they arc approArhInE heavy
slltw-tlrift: they Have been urging ttclr ilrrs II
the utmost to accumulate III e1tra head ot
steam; they i"w oleh their tlisottlc-yuycs. mil
with terrific torrc tlI+ mighty train, with highly
runcrntratrd power, plungeH Into tic nbStstir-
Or, as u t.,o often ttc vasc, they aro brought u
IL staf'd, with, icrlni,$ only oiu engine nhe 10
tnnye nlnl asHst tn cxtrlrntc tlr others, II poss
he. II tllcy. succeed II, forcing tlIctr why
through thu obstruction, well, hut II not, which
Is often, thc. ruse, the engines, III ORDER
tn keen them from frrrZlE. have to back ont Of
tbs fIinwdrift, unl tIic dangerous experiment
1,as IL bc Trpcatrl. viii! ysrY littlo mnfr elancc
u( suc.ess t1Ian Ut last. 'Thc>c hcyculcan trials
aru Repeated until they entirely full and ~, army
Ut H!i,yrls G,Wl llourn VI llant work, With, per
Enps II heavy gale Ut wind blowing tho SHOW In
alhust ns fnst 4. 1t Is slovc!ed nut. the tnckcss
tratI, Is inaliy lcratrl antl allowed to proceed
on its way; troyi1e'l, however, II bas been fur-
tu!atc csul.l, tn get out without scrinlls tlana-
ugp Or brtak-t!ow,i. U,ntr these circumstances,
Imagine, II yuI eul,, thu feelings Ut the passc-
On thu til, u sumo strrp gr'tr. Engineers and
tlrcmcl1 nre not it, thu fgat ot hn'!ors. Bone
luye thclr l!oscs. fingers, or toes froztIh An
extra turn Of the screw Oh thu enfcty-yaaye IL
giycl, to Increase tho pressure Ut steam. Tho
.Ncoaeics," ut conrse, must not bu detached,
fur their momentum Is ncrdcd toassEst. II pos
s!l'Ic, in tortlng way through. The signa' is
gtyru. ltnngnc 'lnw, repeat, how lioru aiul
passengers, rs the powerful train, Of
which they arc tho occupants, lcaps, us
II were, Al fearful speed, Aown u descending
grale, Into IN Immense snuw<lr4ft.
VI Hat HSstgtl1SE u4tfE III tuG sEAL
twInk1i,,g VI an cyc, they may not be plunged
int1 ctcrl!ftSa
suppusc to.,,c WY could he devised 10 enable
railway trains to 20 through my fall Of snow
usl,al speed per hour, without shock Or damage
tu the rn.uu or t:uin, anA consequently, With
out luss af tlsnc What ait amount Of time unA
1anney would he save1 botll to tho rai!Wsy cou,.
pAntrs aud tiIe travelling pl,Dllrl
Thu scientific AHfrisMt makes mention Of
"noYcl MetllUtE " Invented by Ole Jullt, Mat,bs,
Of lIoug'.or, Mich. AS IL short description oi
1t may prove tnarIeAtns to sotre of y.9ar read
inventor simply makes use IF the ssltle element
that piles vi, these INSTRUCTIONS on railway
tracks, to reInoye tlio saue,, THUS, grcat
seo"p IL placcd IN front Of tho locolnnttTc, wlIu
this thu fuow IL torrel tiy tho advancing truln,
atul now, by All artificial blast III A!r, this
,nass . "f st,s'w Is Instantly ra!scl and forss'l
,o VI n1ous, p ., Viii " nupjst i ua p's On Or .%St tns
which ID turned in whatever tlIErrtion the wIml
Inay bc blowing. SUPPOSE u truth is moving ut
the rate ot iorty Or sixty miles prt hour, 1t IL
stlf.cyileHt that thu stuw would enter The
hut here 1t would lnstuntly meet with counter
current travelling u tllu tutu Of l0o niles pGr
hour, II needed, and this would seaEtcr tte
enow like chAh ltctoIc the Ind, 81 cticrtna!ly,
in fact, that not even pile VI snow J font high
would be left within J. radius OF hundreds Vi
yards frum the track.
This INV plan, tu our opinion, seems 80 sim
pic, 40 practical, scientific, anil Ingenious, that
ull railroad u,In paIlles In need of such u col,-
sriyancc wnul do wrll, III thelE own Interest
mud that Ut the travelling public, to lnycstgate
further ntu the Inertia Of lAls s'nyvl tuctil.n."
Il. n. MAaIoS, II. u.
THE CHEAP TRANSPORTATION AS
SOtIATlOS.
At tho last annual meeting Of the Cheap
Transportation Association vi Nov York, wh.eA
WAS held = few days ago, SIR. rhoolofe F. Lecs,
the Gcuetal Agent, rcal highly interesting
paper, In which. utter referring ~ thu rapid
gruwth Of New York for number oI years, and
I, TN, rrs.s,rt rnjtr,,n,1 In sat,1,