The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-03-09
The Snow Blockade.

The amount of snow which at present
covers Northern, Central and Western
New York has not been equaled since
1857, if even then. Throughout great
portion of this region it lies three feet
deep on the level, and is frequently
drifted to height of 10 or 10 feet.
Fences are buried to their top rails
roads are almost impossible, even for the
heavy country sledges; and the various
railways are obliged to reopen their
buried tracks day after day. The snow
brings to the New York Central an unex
pected and peculiar difficulty. On
single-track railroads q snow-plow clears
the way promptly, efficiently, and per-
manertly. Evep on double track the
snow pillow is of great service. Only on
quadruple track does steam prove ut
terly unequal to the emergency of n
great now-storm. There the pillow clears
one track only to throw the snow upon
another. Steam is found useless, and
the railroad authorities are thrown back
to the most primitive appliances, and
compelled to employ an army of laborers
to shovel the snow from every square foot
of their four tracks from one side of the
State to the other. The Rochester and
Buffalo papers have had very little to say
about the matter, but the New YORK
Central has been in state of almost
hopeless confusion for eight days past.
In the Mohawk Valley, between Utica
and Rome, at Lyons and Clyde on the
direct line, and at Chill, Bergen and
Churchville, between Rochester aud
d. a. -, EnIa
which is constantly renewed, and the
trains are running very much at random.
The snow of Friday night, although not
more than three or four inches in depth
on level, so filled the channels already
cut out with difficulty through the drifts
of last Monday, that both eastern and
western express trains were II hours
behind time. The train which should
have reached Albany at $3.50 A. NJ. on
Saturday, arrived at Z 80 p. NJ, drawn by
four locomotives. There u new train
was made up, and the famished and
frozen passengers, after making ten stops
between Albany and this city, arrived at
10 minutes past 3 on Sunday morning.
The forces of the company seem made
quate to overcome the difficulties of the
situation, and the continuance of low
temperature, with the indications of
fresh snow storms, will probably impede
travel ON this line for some time to come.
Passengers arriving by these delayed
trains report lack of system, of prompt,
efficient action in the management,w which
we trust will soon be remedied. The
roads running north and south have
either been impeded to much less de-
gree, or have been better able to overcome
the difficulties, for their trains on Satur-
day morning were not more than an hour
behind time.
While this unusual fall Of snow is the
cause of so much delay, annoyance. loss
and suffering to those who travel, it is a
circumstance of good omen to the country
1t will replenish far more effectively than
rains, the diminished springs, streams
and rivers; it is almost a positive security
for bountiful harvests next summer, and
its effect upon the general health of the
people will be equally beneficial. More
over, travellers to and from the West are
not confined to single route, and may
thus easily escape what might otherwise
be very serious obstacle.-N. Y.
Tribune.